The 2006-07 NBA campaign is at its midpoint. Most teams have played 39 to 41 games. It has, to date, been a season marked by long winning streaks by the Phoenix Suns, high scoring, and injuries to stars such as Shaquille O'Neal, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Paul Gasol, Chris Bosh, and a smaller Chris named Paul. Carmelo Anthony sucker-punched his way to a 15-game suspension, and Allen Iverson talked his way into a trade.
Elsewhere, Gilbert Arenas, he of the 29.7 ppg scoring average, has arrived as a superstar by virtue of dropping 51 points on the Utah Jazz, 54 on the red-hot Suns to end their 15-game winning string at Phoenix, and 60 on Kobe's Lakers at Staples Center. In the latter two games, "Les Wiz" scored more than 140 points.
Wipe the slate for February through June, though, because things are about to change. The second half of the season will be a whole new ballgame. Denver will have Iverson and Anthony, plus J.R. Smith, and they will learn to play nice together (or not). Yao will return to the team with T-Mac. Shaq is back for the 19-23 Heat, a team that is just average in his absence. We could also see names like Lamar Odom return to action.
For all the hoopla about Phoenix, how many have noticed that Dallas is 35-8? Avery Johnson has his troops fine-tuned after last year's Finals run, but Amare Stoudemire of the Suns was shelved then. San Antonio, a club that really plays well as a (European-style) team, sits at 30-14. With Utah at 28-15 (and the Lakers boasting 27 wins), five Western teams have a shot at 60 victories.
Yet the league champ could rise in the East. The Heat are only five and a half games behind the Wizards, and the young Cavaliers and Bulls have home records of 15-5 and 18-6, respectively. Look for Washington to return to the pack some as Arenas' legs tire and the team's weak defense becomes more of a factor. Les Wiz are not built to stop wing scorers — they count on outscoring you.
Buoyed by the post presence of young Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic trail Washington by a mere two games. And don't sleep on Toronto, another young squad stocked with Euro talent, rookie/first draft pick Andrea Bargnani, and a recovering Chris Bosh. They've won seven of their last 10, and T.J. Ford has found a home running their offense. Coach Sam Mitchell trained this bunch to run, and they are.
Don't let New Orleans-OKC's 16-25 mark fool you, either, they're not only without Paul, but Peja Stojakovic and David West, not to mention the energetic Bobby Jackson. No pushover in the spring, this unit. And the T-Wolves made a coaching change this week; even at 20-21 they showed Dwayne Casey the door.
So you see, we're in for an entirely different scene from here on in. While Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Memphis plummet toward the Greg Oden/Kevin Durant sweepstakes, most teams are re-tooling for what promises to be a second act full of running, gunning, healing, and dealing. And the way the injuries have mounted so far, no one is safe through the regular season with their lineup intact. The prelude was fun, but now the serious business of basketball begins.
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