2005-6 Spotlight: Artest & James

[LyXo]

Article by Insidehoops.com​

NBA: Artest, LeBron in the spotlight
By Mark Gundersen | Nov. 4, 2005

Every sport has its surprises. Take the 2005 Chicago White Sox for example. Were they expected to win the World Series at the beginning of the year? Vegas offered 30-1 odds, so clearly the answer is no. Yet, they pulled it off. And although the National Basketball Association tends to be a bit more predictable as to who reaches the conference and NBA finals, it always has its yearly share of surprises as well.

Let's start with a topic regarding change, or supposed change anyway. Ron Artest served a 73 game suspension last year and he will be a different player this year. More laid back, not as aggressive, less technicals, etc. Those are the expectations, right?

Artest will be the same player he was on the night of November 19, 2004. He's back from his 73 game suspension and his steel chained leash is no longer attached. Being off the court and out of the game for that long will only make Artest play harder and prove that his style and antics will play an enormous role this season for the Pacers.

Why is it that Artest won't change? His roots. He comes from the projects in New York, some of the roughest in the entire country. When you're born and raised in an environment like this, aggression, competitiveness and being bold come with the territory. Ron Artest has taken those tools and uses them in a physical and mental way to make himself one of the best all around players in the NBA.

Speaking of all around players, King James will reign supreme in the NBA this year. The 20 year old phenom will be adding an MVP trophy to his collection at the end of this season. With the addition of Larry Hughes, Lebron has more talent to feed off of. The galaxy, not just the sky, is the limit for James. Depending on the pairings, it's very possible the Cavs will be in the Eastern Conference Finals. Expect them to finish third in the Central, which is the most competitive division in the NBA.

Still stuck on that last sentence? Making sure you read it right? You did. The only valid argument (that still comes up short) is the Southwest division. The problem is that the Hornets will have no more than 30 wins this year, while the last place team in the Central will be the Bulls with around 40 wins.

The Eastern Conference will be more competitive this year and there shouldn't be any teams with under .500 records fighting for a playoff spot. There are a lot of emerging players, like Dwight Howard, Andre Iguodala, T.J. Ford and Al Jefferson, bettering the competition in the East. The eight teams in respective order that will be gunning to square off against San Antonio in the Finals will be the Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, NJ Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.

The San Antonio Spurs will be in the 2006 NBA Finals again. The current champs were already favorites to repeat before they added Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel.

It wouldn't be a waste of time if Phil Hardberger's (mayor of S.A.) staff started organizing the logistics for the championship parade. Heck, t-shirt distributors should start printing the shirts now and save time later.

Sit back and enjoy the season and watch as these scenarios and events unfold.

Comments are welcome. Submit them to me at markNBAgundersen@yahoo.com.