LEast Among the League

Have you noticed recently?  The East is THIN.  Currently, there are only 5 teams above .500, one of them being a Miami team that is just 1 game over.  There are 11 teams above .500 in the West right now.

Orlando pretty much sealed it for me last night.  I don't like putting too much stock in just one game but they put up an utter stink bomb against Denver.  Dwight Howard again was a non-factor as he shot 1-7 from the field, good for 8 points, 13 boards, 1 assist, 3 blocks and 5 turnovers.  Rashard Lewis continues to be a shell of his former self, scoring 6 points on 3-9 shooting, 2 boards, 3 assists.

Orlando is not going anywhere this year.  Here are the top 3 reasons why:

3. There is no defined leader.  It is easy to blame Vince Carter for this.  He upsets the balance of this team.  But at least he is willing to step up.  Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard have laxed into more subdued roles this year and role players have just proved too streaky.  This team does not have a true identity which always gets exposed in a big 7 game series.

2. The Magic are not sharing the ball-  They are in the bottom 5 in the league in assists.  There is no question there is a drop off from last year.  The reasons seem pretty simple.  Alston was by default the starting PG for the second half of the year and the playoffs and his role was clear; set guys up and distribute.  Hedo Trukoglu became the point forward as the year progressed and he was able to get a lot accomplished driving and either pulling up or dishing.  This opened up a lot of ball-swinging opportunities leading to open threes.  This year, the offense is built around Vince Carter which is never a good thing.  He clogs the flow and does most of his work with his back to the basket.  This plays counter to the strengths of Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard. Also Jameer is not the traditional past-first PG.

1. Dwight Howard is exposed.  Teams are bodying him up, forcing him away from the basket, and making him work for points.  George Karl intimated that much in the post game interviews, stating that being physical and throwing bodies at Howard was a priority and pivotal in the win.  They aren't the first to realize this and they won't be the last and this is the number one reason why Orlando is not going anywhere this year.  Facts are that Dwight is very durable (only missing 3 games in his career), and extremely physically gifted (which is why he can out-rebound everyone) but he is also shy to contact and limited on the offensive end.  I am all for giving him time, considering he is 24, did not play college ball and has never in his life had to rely on actual basketball moves to dominate.  But, as of right now, he is no Shaq, he is no Hakeem, and he is not capable to carrying this Magic team.

I am really pushing for Atlanta.  I would like to see them knock off one of the big three (Boston, Cleveland, Orlando) and make it to the finals.  Boston has great chemistry but has injury issues that will probably linger the rest of the season.  In Atlanta, you see a team that has clearly defined roles and big producers.  Josh Smith has been pivotal in my opinion, learning to accept a role as the second, and sometimes fourth scoring option (forget about points, be pulled down 11 board and had 8 assists in a win last night).  He is rebounding, playing tremendous defense, only taking shots he can make, and providing the intangible intimidator-factor that is so important.  Joe Johnson has been lighting it up and Jamal Crawford gives them the bench fire that is so important in playoff runs.  As I have said before, though, I would love to see them grab one more big to fill out the paint.   Hmm... Maybe this guy?  It doesn't hurt to dream.