The Timberwolves enter the season’s midpoint in first place.
NBA Mid-Season Report
You gotta love the Minnesota Timberwolves right now. After all these years of suffering through unmet expectations, things have finally turned around. I know that the T-Wolves nation will never really be able to truly break free from the past until KG & Co. make it past the first round and win a title, but the way the Wolves have played over the past two months has gone a long way in erasing some of our bad memories. For the first time ever the Timberwolves are in first place in the Western Conference halfway through the season. The strange thing about it, is that I’m not all that stunned by it. I said that we were the best team in the league going into the season, and that’s how things have shaped up. What’s surprising is the way the Wolves have gotten them into first place. It’s true that the Wolves started out rocky, so I wouldn’t have predicted that we would be able to dig ourselves out of the hole so quickly. And I wouldn’t have expected us to be playing this well and still be missing Wally Szczerbiak and Michael Olowokandi. And while we’re at it, I also wouldn’t have guessed that Sam Cassell would be playing better than he ever has in his career. Because it’s been Sam’s amazing play over the past month that has carried this team to new heights. Right now Sam Cassell is one of the top five players in the league. I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true. In all honesty, he’s challenging KG for the MVP award. Right now I’d only take KG, Duncan, and Peja over Sam. The man is just automatic when the game is on the line. In Sunday’s game against the Suns the Wolves were down two points in the final three minutes. I wasn’t worried one bit. It was Sammy time. Sure enough, there was Sam draining back to back three pointers to put the Wolves on top. Since we’ve become one of the league’s premiere teams, even the scrub teams are bringing their A-game. Everyone is hunting the Wolves and not giving us anything easy. As a result the Wolves have played a ton of close games recently. And they’ve won mostly because of the clutch play of Sam Cassell. I don’t know if Sam can keep playing at this level. But to take a quote from a now humiliated Indianapolis Colt, if he does, then just “give us the rings now”. And if he doesn’t, we’ve still got Wally and the Kandiman back after the All-Star Break. So you might want to start measuring Kevin Garnett’s finger anyway.
Predictions:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division:
1. New Jersey
2. Boston
3. New York
4. Philadelphia
5. Miami
6. Orlando
7. Washington
Central Division:
1. Indiana
2. Detroit
3. New Orleans
4. Milwaukee
5. Toronto
6. Cleveland
7. Atlanta
8. Chicago
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Midwest Division
1. Minnesota
2. San Antonio
3. Dallas
4. Denver
5. Houston
6. Memphis
7. Utah
Pacific Division
1. Sacramento
2. Los Angeles L.
3. Seattle
4. Portland
5. Golden State
6. Los Angeles C.
7. Phoenix
PLAYOFFS:
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
1. Indiana
2. New Jersey
3. Detroit
4. New Orleans
5. Milwaukee
6. Boston
7. Toronto
8. New York
First Round:
Indiana over New York
New Jersey over Toronto
Detroit over Boston
New Orleans over Milwaukee
Conference Semifinals:
Indiana over New Orleans
Detroit over New Jersey
Conference Finals:
Indiana over Detroit
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
1. Minnesota
2. Sacramento
3. San Antonio
4. Los Angeles
5. Dallas
6. Denver
7. Houston
8. Memphis
First Round:
Minnesota over Memphis
Sacramento over Houston
San Antonio over Denver
Los Angeles over Dallas
Conference Semifinals:
Minnesota over Los Angeles
Sacramento over San Antonio
Conference Finals:
Minnesota over Sacramento
NBA FINALS:
Minnesota over Indiana
