Seventy percent of the way through the 2007-08 basketball campaign, it looks like the league is headed for a competitive championship series.
After the Cleveland Cavaliers were swept last year, producing one of the worst NBA Finals in recent memory, the league is in desperate need of a formidable competitor to emerge from the East. Yes, the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons have won two of the last four championships, but those are the only two teams from the East in the past nine years to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Fortunately, the Boston Celtics and the Pistons have answered the call. Both teams have produced more wins than anybody in the West this season, and while they are battling weaker teams on a nightly basis, they've performed admirably when matched up with their cross-country rivals. The Celtics have posted an 18-3 record out of their conference, while the Pistons have gone 15-8, making the two teams clear frontrunners in the East.
Now add in the Orlando Magic and their 38-23 record, which would place them in the middle of the pack in the West, and the East has three teams with legitimate championship aspirations. In the West, however, with seven teams separated by four wins, it's anybody's race.
For some teams, like the Celtics, Pistons, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers, the formula to a championship run is to ride the backs of their superstars. But others will need more than that to contend for a title. There's no such thing as too many role players, glue guys, lock-down defenders or weathered veterans on a team. That said, here are three guys on three high-level teams whose roles are only going to increase as the season winds down.
Tyson Chandler: The New Orleans Hornets are undoubtedly Chris Paul's team. The 22-year-old point guard is on the shortlist for the NBA's MVP.
But Chandler, a 7-foot center, is the man who is going to have to battle Tim Duncan, Shaq and Andrew Bynum if his team wants to come out of the West alive. Chandler, a 25-year-old already armed with seven years of NBA experience, has improved every year in the league and is now one of the more effective big men in the NBA.
Averaging a double-double, Chandler is a huge presence in the lane with his extremely long wingspan, even though he only posts one block per game. It doesn't matter that Chandler is the fourth option on offense behind Paul, David West and Peja Stojakovic because the Hornets have no problems scoring.
But the West's third-best team needs Chandler in the paint if they are going to defend in the playoffs and control the tempo of a playoff game. At only 235 pounds, Chandler is significantly outweighed by the West's other big men, so he must use his long body to make up for what he lacks in weight.
Jameer Nelson: The Magic find themselves in the opposite situation. Led on offense and defense by center Dwight Howard, the East's third-best team has a post player who, at 22, is already one of the league's best. But Nelson, the Magic's young point guard, is unproven as a postseason leader. Well groomed from four years at St. Joseph's, Nelson leads Orlando in assists and must continue to get Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu the ball.
Fortunately, Nelson seems up to the task. He is fundamentally sound and rarely turns the ball over, which is crucial for the Magic because they already have three capable scorers. He doesn't need to be a hero; he merely needs to be a floor general who distributes the ball and keeps the pace in favor of the high-octane Magic.
Rafer Alston: Formerly of Skip-to-My-Lou the AND1 Mixtape Tour, the 31-year-old point guard must drastically increase his scoring if the Houston Rockets are to make any noise during their march through the postseason.
Realistically, the Rockets have little chance of winning the West. Yao Ming's recent decision to have surgery and sit out for the rest of the season costs Houston lost its leading scorer and rebounder. Yet the Rockets' recent 15-game winning streak attests to Alston's presence as an impact player with the opportunity to support Houston's playoff hopes.
Leading the team in steals and assists and second in scoring now that Ming is out, Alston must be a legitimate option on offense so that opposing defenses don't key in on Tracy McGrady. A superb athlete with great ball-handling ability and an above-average jump shot, Alston has always been known as a gifted player with great potential. Now, his role increases to a level it has never reached before, and his success at that level should translate into success for the Rockets' team as a whole this season.
