Last time on The New Millennium, teams adjusted their rosters following free agency and the Draft, and a big trade was struck that sent Zach Randolph to the Los Angeles Clippers. How will all of these moves affect the 2006-2007 regular season?
Eastern Conference
1. Toronto Raptors(58-24)
2. Chicago Bulls(58-24)
3. Washington Wizards(55-27)
4. Orlando Magic(50-32)
5. Philadelphia 76ers(49-33)
6. Indiana Pacers(46-36)
7. New Jersey Nets(44-38)
8. Milwaukee Bucks(43-39)
9. New York Knicks(42-40)
10. Atlanta Hawks(41-41)
11. Miami Heat(39-43)
12. Charlotte Hornets(33-49)
13. Cleveland Cavaliers(30-52)
14. Boston Celtics(22-60)
15. Detroit Pistons(21-61)
On an iconic final day showdown, the Raptors hosted the Bulls, needing to win to take the top spot in the East and the best record in the league. With time running out, Vince Carter did what he does best, hitting a game winning contested lay-up to give Toronto home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Wizards improved majorly on defense this year to gain 13 extra wins, and the 76ers improved as well after adding Caron Butler(16.1 ppg). The depth of the conference saw good teams in New York and Atlanta just miss out, while Cleveland struggled without Zach Randolph. Boston just got out of last place, and Detroit ended up as the worst team in the league.
Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers(53-29)
2. San Antonio Spurs(51-31)
3. Los Angeles Clippers(49-33)
4. Phoenix Suns(48-34)
5. Sacramento Kings(45-37)
6. Vancouver Grizzlies(43-39)
7. Utah Jazz(41-41)
8. Golden State Warriors(40-42)
9. New Orleans Pelicans(38-44)
10. Portland Trail Blazers(38-44)
11. Denver Nuggets(36-46)
12. Dallas Mavericks(33-49)
13. Minnesota Timberwolves(32-50)
14. Houston Rockets(29-53)
15. Seattle SuperSonics(23-59)
The Lakers were best in the West again, but how about the Spurs, who's frontcourt is fulfilling their potential with a great year from Dwight Howard(19.3 ppg, 12.4 rpg) and Tim Duncan winning MVP. And despite Zach Randolph's numbers regressing, the Clippers took a big step forward after acquiring, making the playoffs and looking like a legitimate contender. The Warriors, meanwhile, became the first team in The New Millennium to make the playoffs despite a losing record, and the Pelicans struggled without Caron Butler. The Trail Blazers missed the playoffs after their defense fell apart, the Timberwolves also struggled on defense. The Rockets continue their downward trajectory, and Seattle continues to lack quality talent.
Awards
MVP: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Rookie of the Year: Rudy Gay, Detroit Pistons
Sixth Man: Lothar Meier, Portland Trail Blazers
Defensive Player: LeBron James, Atlanta Hawks
Most Improved: Radoslav Zagorac, Portland Trail Blazers
Coach of the Year: Sam Mitchell, Toronto Raptors
Interestingly, this was a big year for Toronto in real life, who finished third in the Eastern Conference and Mitchell was also named Coach of the Year. That team was knocked out by the Nets in the first round, and they would quickly regress. Can this version of the Raptors get redemption and win the franchise's first NBA Championship? Find out next time on The New Millennium!
No comments:
Post a Comment