The NBA season is
almost over and it’s time to take a look back at the Southeast division
By Kyle Basedow
Well, here we are, the end of another NBA season.
This season went pretty much as predicted, finishing in the
same order as last year with the exception of the Washington Wizards who
leapfrogged the Orlando Magic for third in the Southeast division.
That being said, here’s a wrap-up and the major story lines
from each team in the division this past season.
1. The Miami Heat (61-16)
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| AP Photo/ Willfredo Lee |
Miami absolutely dominated the NBA this season, specifically
in the second half. In the beginning they seemed to suffer from a “championship
hangover”, playing well, just not at the level they were accustomed to. Miami
then caught fire in February, rifling off a string of 27 straight games,
finally losing March 27th to the Chicago Bulls. The Heat are now
resting Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James, although one of them is
always in the starting lineup. They are geared up for another deep playoff run
and all signs point to them reaching the Eastern Conference Finals without
breaking a sweat.
Biggest Story Line: 27 game win streak. I don’t mean to beat
this to death but it was 27 games. That’s nothing short of impressive.
Atlanta has managed to keep itself off the radar this
season, merely plugging its way through the season at a pace that guarantees
them a playoff berth. They haven’t played great by any stretch of the
imagination and at times they’ve looked terrible, but overall, they’ve been
above average. The decline from last year can be attributed to the loss of Joe
Johnson and the aliens from Space Jam, who seem to sporadically take all of
Josh Smith’s talent.
Biggest Story Line: Kyle Korver approaching the record for
most consecutive games with at least one three pointer? Honestly, the Hawks
haven’t been the center of much except for the chatter about the departure of
Josh Smith this summer.
3. The Washington Wizards (29-49)
Washington has actually done a decent job this season,
contrary to popular belief. No, they didn’t make the playoffs but they did make
significant strides from last year. Yes, they lost their first 12 games and
started 4-28 BUT they recovered, especially with the return of John Wall, and are
currently 29-49. I’m choosing to be optimistic and once again hoping that
they’re good second half play will carry over to next year and hopefully
transform them into a low-seeded playoff team.
Biggest Story Line: Either the 4-24 start or the return of
John Wall, who currently leads the team in points per game (18.3), assists per
game (7.5), and steals per game (1.3).
4. The Orlando Magic (19-59)
The Magic have been the definition of sub-par this season.
They have the second worst record in the NBA, only ahead by one game on the
lowly Charlotte Bobcats. Orlando actually ranks in the top half of the league
in both rebounds and assists per game but where they struggle is actually
scoring and defending the other team as they are in the bottom 10 for both. I
feel bad for first year coach Jacque Vaughn who inherited a bad team that only
got worse.
Biggest Story Line: The trade of J.J. Reddick, AKA another
unhappy player demanding his way out of Orlando
5. The Charlotte Bobcats (18-60)
It’s almost unfair to put the Bobcats this far down because
the season isn’t over yet and they still have a chance to push past the Magic
and finish fourth in the Southeast. The Bobcats however have been nothing short
of god-awful for the past two seasons and it doesn’t look good. Sure they have
Kemba Walker, a rising star, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a possible rising
star, but besides that, their next best player is Ben Gordon. No bueno.
Biggest Story Line: Michael Jordan beating Kidd-Gilchrist in
a one-on-one. When the biggest headline is your first round pick getting beat
by a 50 year old, that’s probably not a good sign.
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