He just gave a mini-rant about how bad a call was on Carmelo Anthony - who has earned himself 7 offensive fouls in less than 4 full games. Anthony, on the previous possession grabbed the defensive rebound and threw an elbow he wasn't called for. As he comes down the court, he tries to grab a little extra space by throwing an elbow into the chest of a name/faceless Jazz player, which they basically all are.
Miller then goes on to say the call was unjustified - because of course Miller sympathizes with a "me-first" scoring machine who lives their life and runs their career as if they have the "what it takes" checklist in front of them, and are picking off only the low-hanging fruit. It takes a lot to win, it takes a team and chemistry, and I am realizing the list of teams that can win it this year is so small.
So I'm going to break down each team in the playoffs and judge them purely by if I think they can win it, and why or why not. At the end is my summary if you want to look at that. Essentially, these are my answers if someone from Portland, for example, came up to me and said, "Nick, do you think we can win it all?"
EAST:
Can Cleveland win it all? Nope, they cannot. I was, for 3 years, on the "Lebron is good enough to do it all by himself" bandwagon, but that bandwagon hit a stump, and the Donner party is eating itself here. Lebron is awesome, I can't say it any other way. But this team misses Free throws, they have a coach who simply is in way over his head, and most importantly, the guys around Lebron are not good enough.
You could argue (and I tried doing this the last few years) that Mo Williams would be a difference maker, and he can be, but only like 1 out of every 4 games. Jamison is good, but he is starting to find himself in the Jermaine O'Neal territory where everyone thinks he is good, but he has no resume to prove it. Cleveland can't win it for the same exact reason George Bailey couldn't save the whole town of Bedford Falls by himself - but there is no Kid Brother Harry to save him this time.
Can Orlando win it all? Yep, they can. Best Defensive player in the league, who drives Magic fans nuts with his fouls, but is still super-dominant. I happen to like Van Gundy, and I also really like Rashard Lewis. Jameer Nelson is playing like this is the Atlantic 10, and there is enough of a supporting cast around Dwight to make it happen.
Can Atlanta win it all? Not a chance. Maybe the only coach more inept than Mike Brown, the Hawks are a mini-Nuggets - their brains will prevent them from ever getting out of round 2 as this team is constituted presently.
Can Boston win it all? Yes. They did it before, same veteran leadership, same amazing Point Guard. The only caveat here is that Tony Allen can't be a major part of the rotation. Am I crazy, or did they not win games 2-3 without major Allen contribution? Big 3, stay out of foul trouble.
Can Miami win it all? No. If Wade is a 8.5 out of 10, nobody else on that team is a 5. That team is such a collection of misguided misfits, they really have no clue what matters. And if you feel up to it, check out everything I've ever said about Jermaine O'Neal and then agree with me that he was always the most overrated player in the league.
Can Milwaukee win it all? No. The Bogut injury was like adding a cinderblock to the Titanic - sure it'd help with the sinking but the difference is negligible. I'm interested to see this team age, and they need a Stackhouse replacement eventually, but it could all prove interesting.
Can Charlotte win it all? No, not even worth asking. But I do think Raymond Felton will get a ring someday. Maybe the only current Bobcat who I think that of.
Can Chicago win it all? No. They are almost in a rebuilding year and they are this good. Derick Rose and whoever they sign will be lethal.
WEST:
Can Los Angeles win it all? Yes, they can. You know why they can? Because they have not only Kobe, but they have Gasol (who, in my mind, is a borderline Hall of Famer). Odom and Fisher, at this point, are weighing them down. If Phil Jackson lives in the same neighborhood as Odom, I wouldn't be surprised if Odom has his mailbox knocked off the post by a baseball bat soon. He hates him.
Kobe is next-level dominant and Gasol is still getting better. I can tell you this, though, if the Point Guard Triples (Farmar, Brown, Fisher) are relied on, things will get ugly. Also, if Odom is more than 10% of the responsibility pie - the pie isn't going to go down so good. It'll be like the Pie in Stephen King's Thinner.
Can Dallas win it all? Tough/loaded question. I think they can. As a matter of fact, the 3-1 deficit doesn't change my mind that they can win it.
Carlisle has gone funky in his rotation, something has to give here, but the talent is there. They are very low on my possibility chart, but they have a chance.
Can Denver win it all? No. Not even close. I feel like on my list, even if they win tonight to make it 2-2, they are in the same group with Milwaukee, Chicago and Charlotte. This team is remarkably stupid. Their priorities are so out of whack. At times, Anthony makes me feel like Dumars is back wherever he is thinking, "Well, I shouldn't have taken Darko, but maybe Carmelo isn't my guy...
Also, I think that they were distracted by George Karl, who hopefully recovers famously, but did drag them down a bit by being an unwanted center of attention.
Can Phoenix win it all? Not really - they are the single biggest enigma in this whole tournament. Nash is capable, still, of being a Championship point guard. I Just don't like relying on Dudley and Channing Frye. They can't win it all, but they can be a major
Can Utah win it all? I think they may be able to. Logic says no chance at all - with Okur and Kirilenko being hurt, and they are facing the Nuggets in round 1. But, now it is 3-1, and they look better, and better, and better. Derron Williams is forcing Chauncey into a Time Machine, in both directions. He is making Chauncey look very old, and he is making Chauncey look back and say, "when did Derron steal my game from me?"
Williams is hittine 3's, running the floor, playing defense, etc. Jerry Sloan is a mastermind. I never liked him, I never liked anything about the Jazz, but he just gets his team to play incredible basketball, and the crowd there is outrageously effective. Will the Jazz win it all, I can say with nearly 100% certainty, "NO", but could they? I think they can.
Can San Antonio win it all? Yes. They absolutely can. I am so certain that they can. I am so positive that the unit as constructed may actually be in the best possible position to win it all in the West. Yes, I think they are favorites at this point, 4 games into the playoff.
San Antonio has Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan is arguably the most successful player in the NBA today. However, the key learning about the Spurs is when Tim Duncan has an off game, they still win. They showed me so much fight the other night when they got into a knockdown, drag-out War with the Mavericks, and ended up on the bright side of a bloody battle.
They keep their heads on a swivel, and they have a coach who is just absolutely perfect for that team. Parker, Manu & Duncan are phenomenal, but the presence of Hill, Blair & McDyess cannot be discounted. Ask me today who is going to win it all, and The Spurs are my answer.
Can Portland win it all. No. I don't even like talking about them. I don't hate them, but even with Camby I think they are boring to watch, and they just aren't good enough. Can't that answer be the answer sometimes? "You just aren't good enough..."
Can Oklahoma City win it all? Please don't ask me this question. I am currently in a state of being very irrational.
One thing I know is that you can't fake chemistry. I think I have learned in my life that you don't 100% have to have chemistry to win, but if you try to fake it, it won't work. The only teams with pure chemistry this season, in my estimation, are the Cavaliers (and that is dwindling), the Spurs, the Thunder and possibly the Magic.
One thing I know is that you can't fake chemistry. I think I have learned in my life that you don't 100% have to have chemistry to win, but if you try to fake it, it won't work. The only teams with pure chemistry this season, in my estimation, are the Cavaliers (and that is dwindling), the Spurs, the Thunder and possibly the Magic.
But the Thunder's chemistry is in a lab coat, with beakers and bunson burners all over the place. At this point they are mad scientists. Chemistry doesn't just keep people happy, chemistry makes normal players turn into complete badasses. Their bench is so deep, and so badass, and I don't even think they are that physically gifted, or at least NBA-gifted. Jeff Green has turned into a supermachine, a defensive player with the confidence of a Hall of Famer. He is so quietly destroying the Lakers with all the intangibles that I am starting to think he is in his early 30's, and somehow had a Face/Off transplant with Pippen from the mid 90's.
I question every thing about their success, but it is in your face and visible and tangible. Do I care why it is happening so fast, not really - it's too enjoyable.
Can they win it all? They are the 1 team that I would say "No, not really, they can't," but at the same time I'm thinking, "they just might, though."
Quick side note, the thought of a 7 game Spurs v. Thunder series is so compelling to me. Never before in the history of the NBA would there be a series that would be more like watching a puppy (durant) and an old dog (Duncan) battle each other. The old dog would enjoy it for a while, then start to get real grumpy about it, and either give in entirely, or give that one strong bark and bite like old dogs do. Someone would get the message, I just don't know who it is yet.
___________________________________________
Summary of my "who could/can win the NBA Finals...
These teams absolutely can:
Orlando, Boston, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Oklahoma City*
These teams are so close, but can't:
Dallas, Utah
These teams cannot win it:
Cleveland, Atlanta, Miami, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Chicago, Phoenix, Portland
This team deserves a category of its own b/c they are so unlikeable and I want to pretend the GM is reading this and feels bad about being in his own category:
Denver
Denver
*admitted irrationality - but look at what they are doing. Do you see what they are doing?
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