The Western Conference
The whole Cebuano Catholic faithful will give thanks today for the blessing given to us in the person of a new Cebuano saint in San Pedro Calungsod. Religious activities capped with a solemn mass will highlight this celebration of thanksgiving. Surely, the devout lot with their spiritual intentions will converge at the SRP for the event’s culmination. The unscrupulous will also have their dark intentions so it would be wise to be very wary and alert with your belongings, and yes, your person. Do take care. Please check advisories and notices posted and published in newspapers to avoid inconveniences. Forewarned is forearmed.
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The Northwest Division
Oklahoma City Thunder (11-4)- In a survey, about 87% of NBA general managers say that Oklahoma City Thunder will win the Western Conference title. They could be right. Oklahoma is in the league’s toughest division yet they are showing the way. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook still run the Thunder show.
Denver Nuggets (8-7)– They got stronger with the addition of Andre Igoudala. This is a relatively young team with Coach George Karl knowing exactly what to do with the talents around him.
Utah Jazz (8-7) – With a good blend of the young and the veterans, they have the materials to make the post season. Their games could be boring but it sure is effective.
Minnesota Timberwolves (6-7) – Remember the Boston Celtics of the 80’s? Same thing is happening with the Wolves now. They have more white players than black players. In their 15-man roster, only five are Afro-Americans. Their top 5 leading scorers are white boys led by Kevin Love.
Portland Trailblazers (6-9) – It has been a while that Portland has crashed into the playoffs and still is iffy this time. This team is dependent on the talents of LaMarcus Aldridge, and for all his worth, he can’t carry the team by himself. With rookie Damian Lillard, they should blaze some new trails leading to W’s.
The Southwest Division
San Antonio Spurs (13-3) – The league faces a problem – the Spurs refuses to age. A short time ago, Texas teams dominated the southwest landscape but in the end, only San Antonio maintained domination. Currently standing 2nd over-all, this has become Tony Parker’s team but Tim Duncan remains as their franchise player.
Memphis Grizzlies (10-2) – This is a strong and solid group that will give opposing teams some major adjustments at any given time. Mike Conley should be able to facilitate their offense well to minimize Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph’s constant demand for the ball.
Dallas Mavericks (7-8) – The Mavericks are still without the face of their franchise with Dirk Nowitzki still recuperating from knee surgery. Chris Kaman and Elton Brand are filling in at the post. Guards OJ Mayo and Darren Collison get veteran help from Vince Carter and Shawn Marion.
Houston Rockets (7-7) – Houston, we have a problem. Understanding top level management decisions could be complicated. Consider losing big man Luis Scola thru the amnesty provision and Goran Dragic to free agency. How about dropping $50 million for a period of 3 years for Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik? Yes, they got James Harden but he has to be paired with a dominant post player for the Rockets to zoom to the playoffs.
New Orleans Hornets (4-9) – Fresh faces, fresh start. The league’s next impact player is on this team. 1st pick Anthony Davis is a hybrid mix of Tim Duncan’s mindset and the skill set of a younger Kevin Garnett. Really scary. Paired with rookie point guard Austin Rivers, they could become the Hornets’ newer and improved version of the Durant-Westbrook show. Barring any injuries to these two, New Orleans will figure prominently in the post season in three years’ time.
Next week, the Pacific Division.
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