LA Clippers

For the tenth entry of my NBA analysis blogs, I will be talking about the unexpected power-house in the LA Clippers. With the likes of all-stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, the team was obviously a playoff team, but who would have known they would have won 10 straight, and at one point in the season were first in the league. The top reasons that the team has unexpectedly been so good is because of Chris Paul's passing ability and Jamal Crawford.

First of all, Chris Paul is the absolute best point guard in the NBA. Not only does he average around 20 points per game, but he also averages 10 assists per game! Most of these assists come from amazing alley-oop passes to players such as Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. However, CP3 has needed support, and this has been accomplished by many players, but one that stands out is Jamal Crawford. Famous for his crossover, Jamal Crawford has been lighting up the NBA with his amazing moves and unreal scoring ability. Jamal Crawford will likely be 6th man of the year in the NBA, and it is well deserved. So for the reasons of Chris Paul's passing talent, and Jamal Crawfords improvement, the LA Clippers are one of the most unexpected very strong forces in the NBA.

Toronto Raptors: Canada's only NBA team

Currently, as the only NBA team located in Canada, the Toronto Raptors have an impressive future outlook. Landing Rudy Gay, who was the leading scorer for Memphis, the Raptors future is surely looking up. Other future stars on Raptors include Demar Derozan, and Terrence Ross, the winner of the Sprite Slam Dunk competition. So outlooks that the Toronto Raptors need to improve on? Well in this entry I will be listing the 3 main factors the Raptors are missing.

First of all, with the loss of their main facilitator in Jose Calderon, the Raptors don't have a strong enough "pass first" point guard. This will result in loss of assists, therefore the entire team getting less chances and points. Secondly, the Raptors have star power in new players Lawry and Gay, however, the team hasn't found a way to bond together quite like other top teams have. While watching the raptors play, you can tell they have a play for themselves mentality, this making them not as strong. If they would play together, such as the Miami Heat, there is no doubt that the Raptors would be in playoff contention. Lastly, the Raptors are missing a big man in the post. Hopefully the Raptors will see this, and fight for upcoming chances at all stars such as Kevin Love, which would surely make the Toronto Raptors a strong contender in the NBA.

For the reasons of not having a strong enough point guard, not bonding well enough, and not having a strong big man, the Toronto Raptors aren't currently sitting in a playoff position even with a few stars on their team. Their time will come however.

Boston Celtics: Over-rated

In my series of blogs analyzing NBA teams, players and coaches, some of the most under-rated teams have came up as topics. Never though has an over-rated team come up, and today I will be talking about possibly the most over-rated team in the league, the Boston Celtics. For reasons such as low intensity, no real superstar, and lack of consistency, the Boston Celtics have to be named the most over-rated team in the NBA.

To begin, the Celtics play with incredibly low intensity. With players like Kevin Garnett, who think they are really intense, are sadly mistaken. Kevin Garnett is well past his prime and plays at an extremely slow pace. With his lack of speed and impact, I would not be surprised if he retired very soon.

The Boston Celtics are lacking that true star power you find on many other other contending teams. Even though Paul Pierce was once a force to be reckoned with, he doesn't have near the power he use to. Especially with up and coming star Rajon Rondo injured, the Celtics don't have a "go to" player anymore.

The Boston Celtics are a very inconsistent team. If you have been watching them play the past few seasons, the wins come in spurts, as do the losses however. The Celtics struggle to keep leads, and struggle to gain win streaks. Even though the Celtics are good enough to make the playoffs, they are looked up at by far too many teams, and I assure you, I would not bet a penny on them getting anywhere near the NBA Finals.

New York Knicks: The Silent Superstars

In this entry of my NBA analyis blog, I will list 3 reasons that the Knicks could make for some unbelievale playoff upsets. The New York Knicks are one of the less talked about teams in the NBA, but they are very strong competitors. Currently in 4th in the Eastern Conference, without injuries they would surely be higher. Here are the 3 main reasons that the New York Knicks could overpower some strong teams in the playoffs this year, and make it further than expected:

1.) Carmelo Anthony is a super star. Not only does he average over 25 points per game, but he has the ability to score 40+. He is also brings offensive domination to the league, with the ability to take nearly anyone on 1 vs. 1.

2.) Strong bench players have won many games for the New York Knicks this season. For example, the likely 6th man of the year in JR Smith has hit 3 game winners this year, the most in the entire league for a bench player. The Knicks also have precision shooter Steve Novak, and strong point guard Raymond Felton coming off the bench. Surely the Knicks have one of the most dominant benches in the league.

3.) The New York Knicks have a very capable coach in Mike Woodson. Not only did he make great off season acquisitions, but he has been able to lead an injury prone team to near the top of their division, and hold that spot all season. Without Mike Woodson, the fate of the Knicks surely wouldn't be nearly as positive as it is now.

Overall, the 4th placed team in the East, the New York Knicks, have the potential to be in the top 1 or 2 places for sure, and will be sure to make a huge impact come playoffs.

Kelly Olynyk, the next NBA star

As another entry to my NBA blog, today I will be outlining one of the up and coming stars to the NBA, Kelly Olynyk. Today I will be highlighting the will be first round draft pick with his diversity, as well as his basketball integrity. Olynyk, the Kamloops native, will surely make a great impact on the NBA courts.

Kelly Olynyk will be one of the most diverse players in the NBA next year. Standing at 6 foot 11, Olynyk is the size of a center  but the big man can also shoot. Averaging 40% from the three point line this year, he has an amazing outside shot. As he will also put on more muscle in the off season, Olynyk will also be a dominant force in the paint. With his post moves improving, Olynyk's post game will just continue to improve.

Kelly Olynyk has great integrity in the way he plays basketball, being able to adapt at whatever challenges comes his way. In high school, the big man could play in the post, but was also willing to bring the ball up as point guard when his coach told him to do so. Also, last year at Gonzaga, Olynyk sat the year out to train hard, get stronger and improve his post game to better his team. This year, he improved so much as to take his team to the first seed! Kelly is surely willing to do whatever he needs to make his team better. With his diverse game play, and the integrity Kelly Olynyk plays with, he will surely be an up and coming basketball all star!!!

Brooklyn Nets: Underrated

As another entry to my sports analysis blog, I will be unraveling the reasons why the Brooklyn Nets are the most underrated team in the NBA. The main reasons I make for this claim is they're underrated superstars, and consistency. Even though the Brooklyn Nets are 4th in the Eastern Conference, they are clearly a stronger team and could make for some huge upsets this year. 

The Brooklyn Nets have many huge superstars that just aren't talked about due to bigger stars in the league such as Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Dwayne Wade. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson are two stars on the Nets that can command the floor, and both are in the top 20 in the NBA, they just aren't as well known. With these two stars both averaging over 15 points per game, the Brooklyn Nets could be in for a long playoff run.

The Brooklyn Nets are one of the most consistent teams in the NBA. This year, they have failed to fall out of playoff contention, and have stayed in the top half of their conference. Unlike many other teams, they have failed to burn out to large losing streaks, thus the team has been playing at a consistently high intensity. With the superstars that the Nets have acquired this year, and their undeniable consistency, the team that is 4th in the East is surely underrated.

5 reasons the LA Lakers won't win the title

Continuing with my sports team analysts, the next team on the block is the LA Lakers. Los Angeles is currently in 8th in the western conference of the NBA, and they will surely not win the NBA title. Why one may ask? Well, I will give you the top 5 reasons.

1.) Kobe Bryant is as selfish of a player as they come. Yes, he is a 5 time NBA champion, and yes he is an all-star, but he is just way to selfish. With acquisition of Steve Nash, Kobe should be letting Nash dish out the ball to the open players, rather than Kobe trying to do everything himself.

2.) The LA Lakers have had far to many injuries. With key players such as Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard missing many games, it is hard to be consistent on the court.

3.) Dwight Howard not living up to his potential is another reason the Lakers won't win. In Orlando, he was an all-star, however since coming to LA he is mediocre at best. And his free throws... terrible!

4.) The Lakers bench is far too weak to reach the depth in the playoffs that is needed to reach the finals.

5.) The LA Lakers are a slow paced, aging team. Most of their starting line-up, for example, is over the age of 30! The Lakers need to acquire some new, young talent.

Even though the Lakers do have a playoff spot, it would be safe to say that they will be extremely lucky to even make it past the first round of playoffs in the NBA.