Last time on The New Millennium, the New Jersey Nets won another NBA title and the San Antonio Spurs won the Draft Lottery for the second year in a row. They would end up trading the pick to Denver for Kevin Love, and the Nuggets picked Victor Oladipo first overall. Also in the 2013 NBA Draft, Giannis Antetokounmpo joined Paul George in Toronto, while C.J. McCollum was picked to begin to fill the enormous task of replacing James Harden in Milwaukee, while Harden(97 OVR) remains a free agent. In the trade period before the season, Dwyane Wade was traded to Chicago while the SuperSonics acquired Yao Ming. Lou Williams joined Derrick Rose in Miami, the Pelicans sent Andre Igoudala to Chicago for Lenny Park and Jimmy Butler filled a big perimeter defense role in Minnesota. How will all of these changes affect the 2013-2014 season?
Eastern Conference
1. New Jersey Nets(56-26)
2. Indiana Pacers(56-26)
3. Chicago Bulls(54-28)
4. Atlanta Hawks(52-30)
5. Boston Celtics(48-34)
6. Charlotte Hornets(47-35)
7. Detroit Pistons(46-36)
8. Orlando Magic(46-36)
9. New York Knicks(45-37)
10. Philadelphia 76ers(37-45)
11. Washington Wizards(34-48)
12. Miami Heat(32-50)
13. Cleveland Cavaliers(31-51)
14. Milwaukee Bucks(31-51)
15. Toronto Raptors(27-55)
Despite a late push from the Pacers, the defending champion New Jersey Nets got the top spot in the East by tiebreaker thanks to a better conference record. Meanwhile, former Net Coty Porter(18.7 ppg) emerged as a star in Charlotte, leading the underdog Hornets to the playoffs. Preseason signing Ricky Rubio(14.4 ppg, 7.3 apg) proved to be a surprising leader in Orlando, while the Knicks have to be one of the unluckiest teams in The New Millennium's history, missing out on the playoffs despite winning 45 games. Despite trading for Lou Williams(16 ppg) and having one of the best young cores in all of basketball, the Heat lost 20 more games than last year, while the Cavaliers, Bucks and Raptors remain awful.
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves(51-31)
2. Dallas Mavericks(50-32)
3. New Orleans Pelicans(48-34)
4. Portland Trail Blazers(47-35)
5. Vancouver Grizzlies(46-36)
6. Utah Jazz(43-39)
7. Houston Rockets(40-42)
8. Los Angeles Lakers(38-44)
9. Los Angeles Clippers(37-45)
10. San Antonio Spurs(36-46)
11. Phoenix Suns(35-47)
12. Golden State Warriors(31-51)
13. Sacramento Kings(31-51)
14. Denver Nuggets(30-52)
15. Seattle SuperSonics(25-57)
The Timberwolves deserve all the praise in the world for the acquisition of Jimmy Butler(17.1 ppg) who provided a very solid second option on offense to go along with his absolutely stellar defense. In his second season, former second overall pick Bradley Beal(18.3 ppg) was fantastic in New Orleans, providing an influx of energy that propelled the Pelicans back to the playoffs. The Utah Jazz ended up signing James Harden(19.7 ppg, 7.2 apg) before the season started and he led the team to another playoff berth, while the Rockets and Lakers got extremely lucky in getting the final two spots despite losing records. The Spurs continued to improve as Kawhi Leonard(23.3 ppg) made his first All-Star Game, but everything paled in comparison with the trainwreck that was the Seattle SuperSonics. Despite making the playoffs last year, the team imploded, as young stars Damian Lillard and DeMar DeRozan where frequently seen arguing during games. The team could only muster a pathetic 9 wins on the road, and rumors of a potential move once again popped up.
Awards
MVP: Kevin Durant, Minnesota Timberwolves
Rookie of the Year: Zach King, Philadelphia 76ers
Sixth Man: Gordon Hayward, Portland Trail Blazers
Defensive Player: Josh Smith, Detroit Pistons
Most Improved: Bradley Beal, New Orleans Pelicans
Coach of the Year: Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets
For those wondering why Josh Smith ended LeBron's 9 year run as Defensive Player of the Year, Smith did have a very good season(8.7 rpg, 1.2 spg, 1.9 blkpg). Also, King was mostly a bench player for the 76ers, and did play well(15.5 ppg) but his win was more indicative of a lack of rookie talent around the league. Next time on The New Millennium, find out who wins the 2014 NBA Championship!
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