Luka’s Corner

As the regular season nears its end in the NBA, it is time to start looking ahead to the postseason, where a number of teams will compete for the game’s biggest prize come June. However, only one of these teams will earn the right to be called champions of the NBA. So, even though it is still up in the air in terms of who will win the title, I can safely say that only one team can and will win it, barring injury.

This team is the Los Angeles Lakers. Nothing has made me believe so far this season that any team can knock off the defending champions this year. While some may point to the Lakers’ defense, record against the Cavaliers and Nuggets, inconsistent offense, and questionable acquisition of Ron Artest as reasons why they will not repeat, it is still the Lakers that have the best team in the league. Come April, May, and June, it will be the team’s combination of inside muscle, with Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom, outside scoring, which lies squarely on Kobe Bryant’s shoulders, and strong bench play that will undo all teams in the Lakers’ path. From Kobe to Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar, the Los Angeles Lakers simply have the best team in the NBA once again.

Less of a factor, but still relevant, is the poor play of the Cleveland Cavaliers after recently acquiring Antawn Jamison from the Washington Wizards. Watching the Cavs after making the trade, their defense, which was perhaps the team’s greatest strength, seems to have taken a step back. While only one significant player in the team’s rotation was lost in the trade, Zydrunas Ilgauskas (who may yet rejoin the team as a free agent), the addition of Jamison has thrown off the rotation, most notably the use of Anderson Varejao in defensive situations. Even though Coach Mike Brown now has another legitimate 20-point scorer at his disposal, he is forced to give up reliable post defense and rebounding. It is exactly this, defense and rebounding, that could potentially give Cleveland an edge over Los Angeles. However, it is looking more and more unlikely.

That is why, as of late February, the Los Angeles Lakers are my lock to win the NBA title come June. They are just too tough, too talented, and too focused to be denied this time around.

Personally, I would much rather watch a high-profile college basketball game than a high-profile NBA game. If I was given a choice to watch, during the regular season, a Duke-North Carolina rivalry game as opposed to a Boston-Los Angeles matchup, I would go with the college game, and for several reasons.

At the college level, players have more to prove than their counterparts in the pros. These college players, especially highly-rated prospects attending schools with strong basketball traditions, like Kentucky and Kansas, want to show NBA scouts that they are ready for and able to contribute at the next level. What makes them different from the pros is that there is still something else to achieve in their basketball careers. These prospects are not paid in college, so they have not accomplished anything with basketball yet, in terms of financial success and stability. NBA players, with a few exceptions, already have firm contracts, so they are financially secured. The result is that college players play more motivated and hungrier than professionals, which makes them more enjoyable to watch. This applies to the rest of the field, or those with no future in the NBA, who just want to prove themselves to their fellow students and school coaches. It just seems that college players, no matter their situation, try harder and put more effort into every single possession in the game. They leave it all on the floor.

Because players have more to prove and their motivation levels are higher than those of NBA players, college basketball games are more intense across the board than NBA games. From color commentators, such as Dick Vitale, Bobby Knight, and Digger Phelps, to coaches, like Bruce Pearl and John Calipari, the sphere of NCAA basketball is filled with passion and fire. More importantly, this intensity is felt on the court by the players themselves, who have everything to prove to scouts, coaches, and fans. Generated from the student bodies at most college games and the intensity on the court, excitement touches the players and propels them to perform at their best. Even star players, who are expected to succeed in the NBA, play as passionately as any other collegians. When you see John Wall of Kentucky and Xavier Henry of Kansas, two freshmen who will likely leave for the NBA after only one year in college, fired up on the court after an electrifying block or powerful dunk, you know you are witnessing something special. No matter their future, ranking, profile, or ability, all college players are touched by and create the excitement of NCAA basketball.

The presence of student bodies at college games, lacking in the NBA, adds a new dimension to an already intense atmosphere. Whether it is to cheer on their friends on the court, support their schools’ colors, compete with opposing fans, or for all of these reasons combined, students are always present at games in numbers. Their cheers and chants bring passion, intensity, and motivation. Whether it is Duke students at Cameron Indoor Stadium or Kentucky fans at Rupp Arena, the power of the student body is the same. It completes the sphere of college basketball, from players to coaches to parents and outside fans.

So, if you were to ask me how I would spend an evening watching basketball, I would choose, even though I love both levels of the sport, a broadcast from Chapel Hill showing the Duke-UNC rivalry game over an airing of a Celtics-Lakers game from the TD Banknorth Garden.

There have been many interesting storylines in the NBA so far and the season is only about two weeks old. Individual accomplishments, team surprises, and overall basketball excitement have all been present thus far. These are a few that really caught my eye:

Overall Team Improvement

The league seems to be better from top to bottom this year. Of course, there are still the elite teams (Los Angeles, Boston, Orlando, San Antonio, Cleveland, and Denver), the borderline contenders (Portland, Dallas, Atlanta, and Phoenix), and the up-and-coming clubs (Miami, Chicago, and Utah). However, several teams have surprised many who did not expect them to even have a winning record to this point. These teams are Milwaukee, Sacramento, and Oklahoma City, who recently beat the Spurs in San Antonio. The fact that these young teams are overachieving makes the league that much more exciting, as you never know what will happen each night.

As a result of overall improvement in the league, there have been several upsets so far. For example, the Hawks’ handling of the Celtics in Boston (followed up by Boston’s loss to Indiana the next night), the Nuggets’ destruction of the Lakers, and the Oklahoma City’s victories against the Magic and Spurs in Orlando and San Antonio have all been shocking for NBA fans. Now, while these losses were not enjoyable for fans in Boston, Los Angeles, Orlando, and San Antonio, they were extremely positive for the NBA.

Electrifying Play by Electrifying Players

So far, the premier players in the league have all played to and even exceeded their potential. Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant have all put up huge numbers, as usual, and done some remarkable things with the basketball. Electrifying plays by these electrifying players is what makes the NBA so exciting. It might sound corny, but because of these players, who are the best on the planet when it comes to the game of basketball, the NBA is truly where amazing happens.

To name a few, Anthony’s dunk against the Utah Jazz and Wade’s jam against the Cleveland Cavaliers were two of the most amazing plays in recent memory and what makes them special is that they were both done by two of the best players of the past decade. The two facials signaled to Paul Millsap and Anderson Varejao that the season has begun. Not to mention D-Wade’s game-winner against the lowly New Jersey Nets or Dwight Howard’s huge rejection on former teammate Courtney Lee, which deserve all the credit in the highlight reel.

What Happens Next?

Because the season is so young right now, you need time to see which teams are really the best in the league and which are just pretending. There are many questions right now because the current standings are so different from what everyone has expected. Can the Atlanta Hawks maintain their up-tempo game and stay at the top of the East? Will Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando be able to return to the top of their conference? Will the Thunder, Kings, and Bucks come down to earth? How long will Phoenix run the Western Conference? Can San Antonio, Utah, New Orleans, and Philadelphia rebound? The answers to these questions and more will be very interesting to see in the upcoming weeks. As the season takes its course, stay tuned because you will not want to miss anything.