Comparing Gary Payton and Ichiro

As any baseball fan knows, as well as any living breathing organism in Washington or Japan, the Seattle Mariners traded Ichiro to the New YorkYankees this past Monday, July 23. Coincidentally, that day also happened to be the birthday of another Seattle sports legend, Gary Payton. These two athletes are two of the more recent superstars that has graced Seattle sports world. As a way of looking back at Ichiro's career, and as a shout-out to "The Glove," I thought I'd take some time to compare both of their careers in Seattle.

Expectations Coming to Seattle
Payton and Ichiro both had magnificent careers prior to coming to Seattle. In his final year at Oregon State, Payton averaged 25.7 PPG and 8.1 RPG, in what's been considered one of the finest years by a point guard in NCAA Basketball history. Taken with the 2nd overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, it was clear that Payton was expected to take a Sonic team that had finished 41-41, and elevate it to the next level.

Like Payton, Ichiro had great success before coming to the Emerald Season. Playing nine seasons for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan. He was three-time league MVP, winning seven Gold Gloves and making seven All-Star teams. In his final season, he batted an incredible .387, and had an OPS of .999. Despite this, there were doubts of whether Ichiro's game would translate to the MLB, as there had been no previous success stories by Japanese hitters in the MLB. Ichiro's future Mariners manager, Mike Hargrove, even said that Ichiro would be no better than a fourth outfielder.

Accomplishments in Seattle
Payton's career in Seattle started off slowly, but he would eventually do enough to be considered the greatest player in SuperSonics History. In his 12 1/2 seasons donning the green and gold, Payton made nine All-Star games, nine All-NBA teams, and nine All-Defense teams. Though Payton was a great offensive player, averaging at least 20 PPG and 7 APG in seven different seasons, he made a name for himself on the defensive end, being the only point guard to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award when he did so in 1996.

While Payton took a while to get going, Ichiro began his career with a bang. Hitting .350 and accumulating 242 hits in 2001, Ichiro became only the second player in MLB history to win MVP and ROY in the same season. Though never anything close to a power hitter, Ichiro become known as a magician with the bat, batting at least .300 with 200 hits in each of his first ten seasons in the league. Like Payton, Ichiro was also an amazing defensive player, winning ten Gold Gloves. Throw in two batting titles, the single-season hits record, and three silver sluggers, Ichiro was one of the most accomplished players of his time.

Team Success
With Payton, Seattle never experienced a losing NBA season, though they probably would have if he hadn't been traded in 2003. Payton led the Sonics through the most successful time in team history, winning at least 60 games in 1994, 1996, and 1998. The peak of success came in 1996, when the Sonics made it to the NBA Finals, only to end up having to face the winningest team in NBA history in the 72-10 Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan.

In his first season with the Mariners, the team tied the record for most wins in a single season by winning 116 games. However, it would be all down hill from there during the Ichiro era. Though the Mariners would have four more winning seasons, they would make another playoff appearance, and would finish last their division seven times.

Popularity
Though one of the best point guards of the 1990s, Payton was never an overwhelmingly popular figure. Rarely ever dunking or preferring to avoid flash, Payton never drew as much attention as a Michael Jordan or a Dennis Rodman. Of his nine All-Star appearances, only twice was he voted in by the fans.

Without a doubt, Ichiro is the more popular of the two. Being the first major MLB hitter from Japan, Ichiro drew a huge international entourage the moment he began playing for the M's. Tourists visiting Seattle from Japan automatically had Safeco Field as a destination stop just to watch Ichiro, and Japanese reporters and journalists have moved to Seattle just to track Ichiro's career. In his first season in the MLB, Ichiro led all players in All-Star voting, and all but one off his All-Star appearances have come via the fan vote.

Personality
When someone thinks of Gary Payton and his personality, the first thing that comes to mind is trash-talk. Payton had one of the biggest mouths in league history, never hesitant to express what he thought. His words could get him into trouble, whether that be technicals from the refs or problems with teammates, but Seattle fans probably wouldn't have it otherwise.

Ichiro has developed a reputation throughout his career as being sort of a diva. Though never considered a great leader or a true team player, Ichiro always had himself prepared. He was known as being very respectful towards his equipment, and following a very strict routine, whether that be stretching, batting practice, or at the plate. As well, he was known as a pretty fascinating dresser.

Teams that seemed destined for championships

I want to take a break from my season review and talk about something that came to mind following the announcement of Steve Nash going to the LA Lakers. After news of this rather surprising event broke out, a lot of people declared that the Lakers were back in championship contention and that they got a lot better. However, from the perspective of Seattle basketball fans, there was one thing on our mind: the OKC Thunder's road back to the Finals just got a lot tougher.

Ever since Sam Presti was hired to rebuild what was the then-Sonics, and after the team drafted Kevin Durant, many people had pegged the franchise to have a great future. It seems like every year, that notion was backed up. They fought a hard series against the eventual champions in 2010, made it to the Conference Finals in 2011, and made it to the NBA Finals in 2012. After beating San Antonio in the Conference Finals this past season and winning Game 1 against the Miami Heat, there were talks of Oklahoma City being the next dynasty. While Oklahoma City definitely has the parts and the youth to win many championships in the future, history says that nothing is guaranteed.

To win a championship, you can't just be a great team, but you have to be the best team in a particular year. With that said, I want to take a look at some teams in the past two decades or so that had a bright future ahead of them, but never ended up being able to raise a banner saying that they were the best in the NBA. This isn't an absolute complete list, but it just goes to show that a lot of things could happen to prevent a team from winning a championship.

1993 Seattle SuperSonics


Statement Moment: Took the Phoenix Suns, led by MVP Charles Barkley, to 7 games in the Western Conference Finals.
Reason for Hope: Seattle had improved from 41 wins in 1991 to 47 wins in 1992, and 55 wins in 1993. Coming within a game of the NBA Finals, the team was led by Shawn Kemp, who posted averages of 17.8 PPG and 10.7 RPG at just the age of 23. They also had Gary Payton, who was a No. 2 pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, and 24 years old.
What Happened: Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp would lead the team to great regular season success, with the team winning over 60 games in 1994, 1996, and 1998. However, the playoffs were a different story. With Michael Jordan gone in 1994, Seattle led the league with 63 wins and seemed poised to capture the title. Unfortunately, they became the first No. 1 seed in NBA history to lose to a No. 8 seed. They would lose in the first round again the following year. In 1996, Seattle finally made it to the NBA Finals, only to be matched up against the Chicago Bulls, who won a record 72 games. 
Time for a New Direction: Seattle signed unproved center Jim McIlvaine to a large contract in the summer of 1996, angering Kemp. Kemp was traded in the offseason of 1997, and the Sonics acquired Vin Baker. After just one great season in Seattle, Baker would become a shell of his old self by the 1998-99 season, as the Sonics were just 25-25 and missed the playoffs.

1995 Orlando Magic


Statement Moment: Made it to the NBA Finals, though they were swept by Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets.
Reason for Hope: The team's wins had improved in each of the last three years, from 21 to 41 to 50, and finally 57-25. They were led by the best young duo in the game, in Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. O'Neal, 22, came off a season where he averaged 29.3 PPG and 11.4 RPG, while Hardaway, 23, made the All-NBA 1st Team. Also, their top 7 leading scorers were all under the age of 30.
What Happened: The next season, Orlando broke their franchise record for wins for the fourth straight year. They cruised through the first two rounds, but like Seattle, met their match with the 72-wins Chicago Bulls, who swept them.
Time for a New Direction: Due to issues with Coach Brian Hill, and possibly the chance at a bigger contract, O'Neal left Orlando to sign with the Lakers in 1996. Without their All-Star center, Orlando dropped to just 45-37 and had a first round exit in 1997. It wouldn't be until 2008 that Orlando would advance past the second round again.

2002 Sacramento Kings


Statement Moment: After finishing the season with a league best 61-21 record, lost to the LA Lakers in 7 games in a highly controversial Western Conference Finals.
Reason for Hope: If Sacramento had made it to the NBA Finals, they almost definitely would have won the NBA Championship as the Lakers swept New Jersey. Sacramento's winning percentage had been increasing in each of the last four season, and many believe that they were the real best team in 2002. There was no reason to believe the Kings couldn't sustain their success as they were led by 28-year old Chris Webber, who put up numbers of 24.5 PPG and 10.1 RPG. Their next two leading scorers were Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby, both who were under 25 years of age.They also had some young first rounders off the bench in sophomore Hedo Turkoglu and Ferald Wallace.
What Happened: Injuries to Chris Webber would really hurt the team over the next two years. In 2003, despite Webber missing 15 games, Sacramento still managed a 59-23 record. In the second round, despite not having home-court and Webber only playing the first two games, the Kings went the distance against the Dallas Mavericks. The following season, Sacramento finished 55-27 with Webber only playing in 23 games. Home-court may have played the difference, as Sacramento lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round in 7. They lost Game 7 in Minnesota by a score of just 80-83.
Time for a New Direction: In 2005, Webber was still a 20-10 force, but microfracture surgery caused a slight decline in his skill. By this time, prominent members of the 2002 Kings team like Vlade Divac, Bobby Jackson, and Doug Christie were either old or gone, and it had become clear that Sacramento had fallen behind San Antonio, Phoenix, and Dallas as the West's elites. Midway through the season, Webber was traded to Philadelphia, but this wouldn't help the team as they would easily lose to Seattle in the first round, and by 2007, wouldn't even make the playoffs.

2007 Cleveland Cavaliers


Statement Moment: Made it to the NBA Finals by getting past Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals, though they would get swept by San Antonio.
Reason for Hope: Cleveland's trip to the Finals was seen as a signal that the King (LeBron James) had arrived. Though their showing against San Antonio was awful, by beating four straight a Detroit team that had made the Eastern Conference Finals five years in a row, Cleveland showed that they were among the bests of the East, and they could definitely get better. James, at just 22 years of age, posted a stat line of 27.3/6.7/6.0 and already showed he was one of the best in the NBA. Cleveland also had a lot solid players who were 25 or younger, in Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejao, and Daniel Gibson.
What Happened: In the following seasons, James would get better, but none of his fellow young teammates would emerge as a true star alongside him. Aside from Mo Williams, James would have to rely on older veterans like Shaquille O'Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Antawn Jamison to help him out. Cleveland had the NBA's best record in 2009 (66-16) and 2010 (61-21), but didn't make it to the Finals either year. After sweeping the first two rounds in 2009, Cleveland had difficulties matching up with Orlando in the ECF. The following year, a supposedly old Boston team beat them in 6.
Time for a New Direction: Following their playoff failures, James left for Miami. In 2011, Cleveland ended up with a 19-63 record and it was time for them to start anew.

2009 Orlando Magic


Statement Moment: Reaching the NBA Finals after defeating the 66-win Cleveland Cavaliers in the ECF, and beating the defending champions Boston Celtics in the second round.
Reason for Hope: Orlando had improved from 21 wins in 2004, 36 wins in 2005 and 2006, 40 wins in 2007, 52 wins in 2008, and finally 59 wins in 2009. By beating both Boston and Cleveland, they proved themselves to be among the top tier of Eastern Conference teams. Better yet, the stars of their team were younger than that of their opponents. Dwight Howard averaged 20.6 PPG and 13.8 RPG at just the age of 23, and Jameer Nelson made his first All-Star team as a 26 year old. Rashard Lewis, 29, also made the All-Star and was in his prime, and Orlando had several young pieces like Courtney Lee, Marcin Gortat, and JJ Reddick.
What Happened: 2009 would be the only season that Orlando had an All-Star besides Dwight Howard. Following an injury during the 2009 season, Nelson would not return back to his All-Star form. Lewis would not prove to be worth his huge contract and declined each year. The team's third leading scorer, Hedo Turkoglu, would leave the team after the season and sign with Toronto. Still, with the addition of Vince Carter, the 2010 Orlando Magic ended up with an identical 59-23 record. After sweeping the first two rounds, and controlling home-court against Boston in the ECF, Orlando looked poised for a return to the Finals. Unfortunately for them, Boston would win the first three games and win in six.
Time for a New Direction: With no one stepping up alongside Dwight Howard, and the rise of Chicago and Miami, Orlando had fallen from the upper echelon of the East in 2011. Both Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis were traded during the season. Orlando dropped to a 52-30 record, but to make matters worse, they lost in the first round of the playoffs to Atlanta. With another first round exit in 2012, and Howard wanting a trade, Orlando won't be winning a championship anytime soon.

Best "Wow...Look at this!" moments

First of all, Happy 4th of July! I love America so this is a special day for me, though I guess it's not too obvious considering the extent of my celebration today was drinking some Vanilla Coke. From my home, I'll be watching the fireworks go off. These fireworks celebrate the birth of our nation, though to people in Los Angeles, they'll interpret it as celebrating the signing of Steve Nash. We'll get back to that some other time.

For now, I want to continue my season review by going over the top "Wow...Look at this!" moments. This is  a category that I kind of randomly came up with, but I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the more impressive or memorable moments from this past season. It's really difficult to provide a criteria for this category, but here's kind of what I'm looking for:

• Something that is impressive and really catches your attention.
• At the same time, I want something that makes people want to find our more about it. I'm not looking for a super good game, but an amazing streak or moment that needs to be replayed again and again.
• As well, what makes something memorable is the fact that I didn't expect it to happen, nor do I expect it to happen too often in the future.
• Moments that a lot of people knew about and were talking about.
• I also want to focus on positive things that happen; there's too much negativity in sports
• Basically, whatever made you go to someone and say "Wow...Look at this!"

10. The Philadelphia 76ers become the fifth 8-seed to beat a top seed in the playoffs

Okay, so while Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah both got injured during the season, I still expected Chicago to pull of the series win. Philadelphia was just 15-18 in the second half of the season, and Chicago still had the likes of Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson, Luol Deng, and Rip Hamilton. I guess I was wrong...

9. The LA Clippers' 27-point comeback against Memphis

The Clippers made the playoffs for just the second time in the last 15 years and were the slight underdogs against a dangerous Memphis Grizzlies team. In Game 1, Los Angeles appeared as if they weren't ready for the postseason, as the Grizzlies were stomping all over them at Memphis. In something we probably won't see for a while, the Clippers came back from 27 down to win the game, and eventually win the series in 7.

8. Oklahoma City defeats the LA Lakers

This has two meanings. It could either refer to Oklahoma City defeating Los Angeles in 5 in the second round of the playoffs, or it could refer to OKC's 119-90 win against them in Game 1. Either way, OKC's success against LA sort of showed a passing of the torch. Oklahoma City was the team of the future, while Los Angeles was the team of the past (or are they...)

7. Boston Celtics come one win away from the NBA Finals

I watched Game 5 of the ECF with a friend, and after Boston pulled away for the win to take the series lead, I looked at him and said, "You can never count out Boston." Boston was considered old and many expected New York to pull away with the division crown. However, despite starting 4-8, Boston rallied to end up 39-27 and win the division. Still, they didn't have home-court against Atlanta, and lost Game 1, but managed to win the series. They lucked out with the Rose injury, and faced the No. 8 Philadelphia 76ers. They beat them, though it didn't look too good that it took 7 games. This didn't matter, though, as they took the series lead against Miami, before dropping the last 2 games. Somehow, Boston is always in the mix...

6. Shane Battier lights it up in the Finals

Fact: Shane Battier is old. He was 34 years old when the season started. Fact: Shane Battier didn't shoot well in the regular season. His shooting line was .387/.339/.622. Yet, in an NBA Finals where I thought the OKC role players were greatly superior to the Miami ones, Battier stepped it up big. He found the fountain of youth, scoring 17 points in both Games 1 and 2, while hitting 9 threes in those games. For the series, he shot 61% from the field and 58% from three.

5. Blake Griffin dunks over Kendrick Perkins

We all know that Blake Griffin is an exciting dunker. Whether he dunks over a car, Pau Gasol, or Serge Ibaka, he gets some kind of attention. However, his dunk over Kendrick Perkins in a game against the Thunder this year took the internet by storm. Dubbed the best dunk of the year, it was the talk of basketball fans everywhere for days.

4. Kyrie Irving impresses in his rookie season

Kyrie Irving was the No. 1 pick in the draft, so I figured he would be good, but I didn't know he would be this good. He posted great numbers across the board, averaging 18.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. What makes this more impressive is that it happened in just 30.5 minutes a game! Rookie guards also tend not to shoot well, but Irving put up an excellent shooting line of .469/.399/.872. The future sure is bright in Cleveland.

3. San Antonio Spurs go on a 20-game winning streak

Coming off a season where they lost in the first round, the future for an aging Spurs team looked a little bleak. However, the Spurs surprised everyone, tying for the season's best record at 50-16, and earning the No. 1 seed out West. San Antonio only seemed to get better as the season progressed, as they won their last 10 to end the season, before sweeping Utah, the LA Clippers, and taking the first two games against OKC. Though they couldn't make it to the NBA Finals, their 20-game win streak was the most dominant any team was the entire season. Before losing to OKC, I had thought to myself that if San Antonio won the NBA Finals, could they be considered among the best NBA teams ever?

2. LeBron James finally gets his first ring

Even though the Miami Heat were the title favorites heading into the season, they finished with a somewhat unspectacular 46-20 record. While that equates to about 57 wins in a normal season, it doesn't exactly scream dominance. Heading into the playoffs, it was Chicago who was the East's No. 1 seed, and San Antonio who was on the double-digit win streak. Miami wasn't quite the most intimidating team once they made the NBA Finals either, having to go the distance against an aging Boston team. They were the underdogs going up against an OKC team that seemed destined to win, having beat the teams that made up the last 15 Western Conference Champions. Yet, LeBron James stepped up this time around, and after dropping Game 1, won four in a row to get him his first NBA Championship.

1. Linsanity 

What makes Jeremy Lin's rise to prominence the top "Wow...Look at this!" moment of the 2012 NBA season was that it wasn't just a basketball phenomenon, but a cultural phenomenon. Here, we had a guy who was basically a nobody and became, temporarily, the face of the NBA. When the New York Knicks were plagued with injuries, they needed Lin to step up, but I don't think anyone imagined he would average 26.8 points and 8.5 assists in his first six games as a "fill-in." New York was greatly struggling and underachieving the entire season, but when it was Lin's turn to steer the ship, they won their first seven games in a row. The high point came when he scored a career-best 38 points as he outdueled Kobe Bryant and the Knicks beat the Lakers. Lin was feel-good story for many because he defied stereotypes. Here was an undrafted Asian from Harvard playing as if he was the best player in the NBA.

Check-in for the remainder of my season review:

Part I: Looking back at my preseason predictions

Part II: Best NBA Memes

Part III: Best "Wow...Look at this!" moments

Part IV: Best NBA Teams

Part V: Best NBA Players

Best Memes of the 2011-12 NBA Season

When reflecting back at an NBA season, one aspect that people usually don't talk about are memes. They really aren't all that important to the game or the season itself. However, for whatever reason, memes became a huge craze in pop culture, and infiltrated basketball too. It seemed like almost every day, I would find myself checking NBA Memes on Facebook for a good laugh. In fact, I was probably more likely to check out NBA Memes at the end of the night than to look at highlights for a game. Memes are great because not only do they give us a good laugh, but because they do tell us a story of how fans viewed the NBA season and what stood out.

I don't know how long this fad of memes will last, but I thought they were important enough to this past season for me to devote a post too it. I'm going to unveil what the best memes of 2011-12 were, but this isn't going to be my opinion, but PUBLIC OPINION. Tastes and humor vary to much from person to person for me to select my own personal list of the best, so I wanted to pick a list of memes that NBA fans (or meme fans) really enjoyed.

Methodology:

My methodology for doing this had a couple steps to it. First, I went through ALL the wall photos on the NBA Memes Facebook Page, and selected ones that had more "likes" than the ones that came out during its time. Since there were more fans of NBA Memes now than their were in February, the memes that came out earlier had a lot less likes. So I had to use my own discretion to pick memes that had an unusually high number of likes than those that came out around the same time it. 

Once I had selected what I dubbed "exceptional" memes and recorded their number of "likes", I put the data into a scatter plot. The y-axis were the number of likes, and the x-axis corresponded to which memes came out first. For instance, the first meme was x=1 and the second meme was x=2. The points followed an exponential path, so I inserted an exponential line of fit and Microsoft Excel produced an equation for that line. 

Using the equation, I was able to project how many "likes" each of the exceptional memes were expected to have, based on when they came out. Using the formula (actual-expected)/expected, I was able to determine how much each meme exceeded the expected likes for an exceptional mean for its time. With that, I was able to have a ranking of the best memes!

Okay, so I'm sure no one came to this post to read this rather long explanation, so without further ado, here are the Best Memes of the 2011-12 NBA Season!

#10.

RATING: 40.4%

Poor, Chris Bosh. I saw him on Jimmy Kimmel last night, and he seems like a really nice guy. Too bad people say he looks like an ostrich or dinosaur or whatever. What I like about this meme is that it makes fun of Bosh without Bosh actually being in the picture. And by making fun of LeBron, it also compliments Bosh...

#9.

RATING: 40.5%

One of the more popular meme topics this year had to do with Luke Walton and the bench. This isn't the most unique Walton meme, but it works so well just because of Kobe Bryant's reaction. 

#8.

RATING: 41.2%

Another subject people like to make memes about? The Bobcats sucked. The best memes are the ones that take double jabs rather than one. Not only does this meme make fun of the Charlotte Bobcats, but it also laughs at High School Musical too.

#7.

RATING: 42.3%

Memes are kind of like caricatures, in that they don't necessarily show reality but rather exaggerate or show stereotypes. Kobe Bryant did average 4.6 assists a game last season, but people like to think of him as someone who doesn't pass the ball. What I like about this meme is that it SHOWS Kobe not passing, instead of saying it.

#6.

RATING: 47.6%

Here is an example of the NBA and current events mixing together. This meme makes light of a rather serious event, alluding to the notorious man-eater of Miami back at the end of May. I'm not a big fan of this one, but with over 60,000 likes, it was one of Facebook's most popular.

#5.

RATING: 58.9%

This is another example of memes not quite accurately depicting reality, as Dwyane Wade has even said that the Heat have become LeBron's team. However, the excellence from this meme comes from just how perfect the pictures are!

#4.

RATING: 84.5%

It's a little bit lengthy, but it gets the message across. LeBron James can't (now it's couldn't) win a ring. Kobe Bryant doesn't pass.

#3.

RATING: 90.2%

With over 76,000 "likes," this was the most liked meme on Facebook. The facial expressions are absolutely priceless, especially James Harden. Throw in a caption of something that really isn't all that exciting, and you've got an amazing meme. Perhaps this also makes fun of the Thunder's youth?

#2.

RATING: 111.7%

I think this meme just shows how much America dislikes Justin Bieber. I got to admit, I don't like him that much either. This meme has nothing to do with any NBA player or stereotype, but just throw in Bieber, and it's a hit!

#1.

RATING: 113.3%

I was afraid that the best meme would be the Justin Bieber one, which wouldn't be right because it's not too basketball related. However, this one barely edges Bieber out. I can say this, that NBA Memes won't be as interesting next year without all the LeBron ringless jokes. Maybe seeing all these memes is what motivated him?

Check-in for the remainder of my season review:

Part I: Looking back at my preseason predictions

Part II: Best NBA Memes

Part III: Best "Wow...Look at this!" moments

Part IV: Best NBA Teams

Part V: Best NBA Players

Looking back at my preseason predictions...

Today brings about the 2012 NBA Draft and the official welcoming of college players into the NBA. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of college basketball, so to try to make a mock draft and pretend I know what I'm talking about would be pointless. The only thing I can say is that Anthony Davis is going to be the number one pick. From what I've read, I'm going to go with Thomas Robinson second, but I'll stop right there.

In a way, the NBA Draft marks the beginning of the new season. With that said, I think it'd be nice to look back at a short, but still terrific, 2011-12 NBA season. Before every season, I make predictions for the upcoming years in way of standings, playoffs, and awards. Of course, the great thing about sports is that something unexpected happens every year that makes fans look like an idiot.

How the heck did they get that good?!?!

Credit: Jack Dempsey, AP

To start off, there were three teams that I underestimated that I probably shouldn't have. I thought the Indiana Pacers would improve, but considering how bad their record was in 2011, I didn't think they would make it to the upper echelon of the East. I pegged them to finish with a 35-31 record, which was 7 wins less than they actually accomplished. The other team I missed on was San Antonio. They had lost in the first round, they were old, and Tony Parker had even said the best days were behind them. I gave them a 4th seed and 42 wins, but as they always do, the Spurs made it to the top with a West-best 50 wins. Finally, there was the Denver Nuggets. I felt their lack of superstars, plus their loss of JR Smith and Kenyon Martin would cause them to fall to 31-35. Yet, by winning 38 games, Denver made the playoffs and George Karl had his TWENTIETH straight season without a losing record.

Now, the one team I think NO ONE expected to be good had to be the Utah Jazz. After the departure of Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan, the Jazz absolutely sucked. I expected much of the same this past season and had them tied with New Orleans with the worst conference record at 18-48. However, Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap had borderline All-Star seasons and the Jazz doubled my projection.

You couldn't have done just a little bit better...?

Credit: Streeter Lecka, Getty Images

With the subtraction of Tyson Chandler, I thought Dallas would suffer a little, but I thought the acquisition of Lamar Odom would make up for that. I thought changes to the core of Dallas and age would cause them to dip a little bit to a 44-22 record, but I didn't expect them to be fighting for their playoff lives. Another team that frustrated me, and probably many others, were the New York Knicks. They ended the 2010-11 regular season strong, so I thought they were bound to get it together this year. Unlike some ESPN experts, I didn't have them winning the Atlantic (I had them a game behind Boston), but I felt they would get the 4th seed with a 42-24 record.

Every year, it seems that I pick Portland to be a dark horse contender, but they always let me down and this year was no difference. I had them at 40-26 (I actually had them with more wins in an earlier draft), but everything just seemed to go wrong for them this season. I had Golden State contending for the playoffs, but just missing at 32-34, but Stephen Curry missing over half the season had them closer to the cellar. Finally, I knew Charlotte would be bad, but did anyone think they would be that bad?

Making me look good!

Credit: Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

Of the 30 teams in the league, there were 7 teams that either had the exact record or were within one game of my projections for them. These teams were Chicago, Philadelphia*, Milwaukee*, Oklahoma City*, LA Clippers, Houston, and Sacramento*. All the ones I starred had the exact same record I projected. 

My crowning achievement, and probably everyone's crowning achievement, was having the Oklahoma City with a 47-19 and losing in the NBA Finals. The only thing I missed with them was that they didn't get the first seed.

Coming up in the clutch!

Credit: Robert Mayer, US Presswire

They say stick to your first instincts, and that's what I should have done. Prior to the season beginning, I had an NBA Finals of Miami over Oklahoma City in 6. Unfortunately, before the playoffs began, I changed it to Chicago over San Antonio. Oops. Aside from being right about the Finals, there wasn't really much else I did get right. I did have Miami beating New York in 5, but I had them matched-up in the second round and not the first. Also, I had the LA Clippers, Dallas, and Chicago all making the second round as well.

Not getting awards for my awards pick...

Credit: Mike Segar, Reuters

There were two awards that I actually did get right: LeBron James for MVP and James Harden for 6th Man of the Year. I feel like picking James for MVP is kind of the safe thing to do, so I don't really get brownie points for that. The Harden was exactly rocket science either because he's a young guy who played great after Jeff Green was traded at the end of the 2010-11 season.

For Rookie of the Year, I picked Kemba Walker. Why? I don't know. I don't really follow college basketball. Considering Dwight Howard was the 3x defending DPOY winner, I had him winning again this year, but Tyson Chandler was a worthy choice. However, I still think Howard should have won. For Coach of the Year, I pegged Frank Vogel, and though he had a great year, Gregg Popovich definitely deserved the award. Finally, I selected Serge Ibaka for Most Improved. I'm just waiting for him to become the next Dikembe...

Check-in for the remainder of my season review:

Part I: Looking back at my preseason predictions

Part II: Top NBA Memes

Part III: Top "Wow...Look at this!" moments

Part IV: Top NBA Teams

Part V: Top NBA Players

Congrats, Miami! Thoughts on the Finals!

I'm not sure where that picture above originated from, but I stole it from one of my Facebook friends and thought it was appropriate for how I was feeling throughout the championship series. While Oklahoma City is no doubt a great team and will definitely keep me in fits for several more years, I am satisfied at being able to say that the title of best team in the 2011-12 season goes to the Miami Heat! 

Aside from the not wanting to the team formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics to win, I have to admit that I'm also grateful for Miami winning because they redeemed me from being 0-3 in championship round predictions this year. I had the Patriots beating the Giants in the Super Bowl, and Kansas over Kentucky in the NCAA Championship game, so by listening to my head and picking Miami over OKC, I showed that I do know a thing or two about sports. 

The trends of history repeated itself in that experience did prevail. It didn't really happen in the way I expected, though. In my preview, I had written that I trusted the OKC role players a lot more than the ones for Miami, and boy, was I WRONG! Shane Battier was brilliant throughout, and Mike Miller's immaculate performance in Game 5 made sure Miami did not have to get back on the plane to  Oklahoma.

When we look at the stars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook really impressed me with their Finals play. From what I saw, I felt like those two played with the poise of veteran superstars, despite Westbrook's errant foul on Chalmbers at the end of Game 4, and despite Durant not getting enough touches in the end. Those two were simply amazing.

Still, the series belonged to the guy who solidified the opinion that he is the best player in the NBA, and that is LeBron James. James was the best player in the league in 2011, and he completely flopped against Dallas. Back to compete for his first ring for the third time in his career, James raised his game. He showed that he had learned from his past Final experiences, and now showed just how truly special he is. Heading into this series, I had considered LeBron James one of the 10 greatest players of all-time, even though he never had a ring. Now, I have absolutely no hesitation saying that he is one of the 10 greatest ever to put on an NBA uniform. James was simply too good to have gone another year without winning the title.

Finally, I want to talk about something that transcends playing the actual game itself, and that is sportsmanship. I feel that a good portion of the passion that stemmed from this Finals among fans around the country stemmed from hatred. I'm guilty of this myself. Cleveland felt betrayed by James and backed OKC, and Seattle felt betrayed by Clay Bennett and backed Miami. While the competition of sports stirs many emotions, both good and bad, it's important to remember that it's just a game. At the end of the day, it's important to carry oneself with class and grace. With that said, I share this video that I urge everyone to watch:

NBA Finals Preview: Miami Heat vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Credit: Richard Rowe, US Presswire

After about a month a half, we are finally down to the last two teams. Throughout my life, I've always been said to stick to my first instinct, and I definitely should have done that here. Before the season began, I predicted a Heat-Thunder Final, but before the playoffs began, I switched it to Bulls-Spurs. Oops. 

For anyone in Seattle, this is probably the worst match-up imaginable. From the East, there's the villains of the NBA; the team everybody loves to hate. Coming from the West, there's Seattle's former darlings, the team that left us in misery and is now basking in glory. Let me just say, I personally hate the Heat, but they'll have my full support going up against the Thunders.

If you've been reading my previews from past rounds, you might've noticed that I haven't quite decided on one consistent way of comparing two teams. What I've decided now is that I'm going to do a comparison of the best player at each position for both teams, followed by why each team could win the series.

POSITION COMPARISONS

Point Guard-Russell Westbrook (OKC) vs. Mario Chalmers (MIA)

Over these past two years, Westbrook has proven himself to be one of the best players in the NBA, while just this past season, Chalmers has solidified himself as a decent, but not spectacular player. There's no doubt that Oklahoma City has a big advantage here, but Chalmers could serve as an important X-Factor. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will draw a lot of attention when penetrating to the basket, leaving shooters open beyond the arc. During the postseason, Miami has never lost when Chalmers has made at least two three-pointers in a game (7-0).

Edge: OKC

Shooting Guard-James Harden (OKC) vs. Dwyane Wade (MIA)

At the 2, we have a match-up between one of the NBA's rising stars, going up against one of the best players in the league. While there's no doubt in my mind that Wade is the better player of the two, in the playoffs, it's been Harden, and not Wade, who's stepped up. Harden has come up big in the postseason, especially against the Spurs, where he shot 61% from behind the arc. On the other hand, Wade hasn't unleashed a monster game (except from Game 6 against Indiana) and has mostly been overshadowed by James, and he hasn't been shooting that efficiently either (27.6% from three, 71.4% from the stripe). Still, Harden has not had to face someone with the defensive acumen of Wade, and I expect the former Finals-MVP to step up in his third trip to the Finals.

Edge: Miami

Small Forward-Kevin Durant (OKC) vs. LeBron James (MIA)

This is probably one of the greatest Finals match-up in the history of the league. For the first time since 1997, the two best players in the league will be pitted against each other hand in the NBA Finals. Unlike 1997, though, these guys actually play the same position (Michael Jordan and Karl Malone was who I was referring too before). Not only that, but we've got two guys here we completely different reputations. In Durant, we have a clutch fan-favorite who has led the league in scoring each of the past three seasons. With James, we have a villainous three-time league MVP who has been mocked for not having won a ring yet. Both players have played spectacularly this postseason, but I've got to give the edge to James. When Durant is on, he's able to win close games for OKC, but when James is on, the games not close by the time the fourth quarter comes around. I feel that James is definitely going to step up from how he played against Dallas last year, but it'll be interesting to see exactly how much he'll step up. Durant has become the darling of the NBA this past month, but now he'll face a real challenge, going up against the best defensive small forward in the league.

Edge: Miami

Power Forward-Serge Ibaka (OKC) vs. Chris Bosh (MIA)

This is a really intriguing match-up because it pits one of the best defensive players in Ibaka and one of the most skilled big men in Bosh. I feel that people have tended to overhype Ibaka a little bit, because even though he's a great defensive player, his 10.7 points in 29.1 minutes a game this postseason isn't overly impressive (though when you have Durant, Harden, and Westbrook on your team, it is kind of hard to score), and his 5.9 rebounds is pretty underwhelming. Coming off of an injury, Bosh is kind of a question mark. Are we going to see a Bosh who is invisible playing with James and Wade, or are we going to see a Bosh that puts up 20-10 and shows us why he's been an All Star each of the past seven seasons. Here's something to note: In the playoffs, Miami is 6-1 when Bosh plays at least half the game.

Edge: Miami

Center-Kendrick Perkins (OKC) vs. Udonis Haslem (MIA)

Perkins and Haslem are both two players who are better and more important than their numbers show. They're not called on to do too much, except to play good, hard defense. However, I've been much of a Perkins fans. Besides being a big body to through on the defensive end, I've never felt he's really done much over his time with OKC. At least Haslem can rebound.

Edge: Miami

Role Players-Derek Fisher, Nick Collison, Thabo Sefolosha (OKC) vs. Shane Battier, Mike Miller, Joel Anthony (MIA)

One of the big reasons that Oklahoma City has been successful is that they've excelled at surrounding their stars with quality role players. Fisher has once again stepped up in the playoffs, Collison continues to be the guy who does the little and dirty stuff while making few mistakes, and Sefolosha is a very good defensive stopper that could be thrown at Wade. Miami has a nice group of veterans, but they don't provide the same support the OKC role players do. Shane Battier hasn't been able to make a shot the entire season, Miller can make the long balls but doesn't play defense, and Anthony... is just kind of there.

Edge: OKC

Why Miami Will Win: As I've said many times before, in a close series, and I do expect this will be a close series, the best player will usually decide the winner. LeBron James is easily the best player in this series, and I truly believe that he'll step it up this year. We've already seen how dominate the Heat can be when James alone has a big game. During the postseason, when James has scored at least 30 points and has double figures in rebounding, Miami is 8-1, and has a margin of victory of +14.2 points. Throw in satisfactory performances by Wade and Bosh, and Miami becomes nearly impossible to beat. With Bosh healthy, Miami possesses the only elite offensive post player in the series, and history tells us that that is necessary for a title. For this year, I'd rather have the Heat's Big 3 than OKC's, and that matters in a championship series that usually is dependent on stars. 

I also want to make a point of the difficulties of the teams that Miami and OKC have had to go through to get to the Finals. People make a big deal out of Oklahoma City having had to go through Dallas and Los Angeles in the first two rounds, and Miami only having to go through New York and Indiana. If we look at these teams from a statistical vantage point, then one could make the case that Indiana and New York were both better than Dallas and Los Angeles. Dallas and Los Angeles had point differentials during the regular season of +1.0 and +1.4 respectively, while New York was at +3.2 and Indiana at +3.3. Even though Miami have lost more games so far during the playoffs, they still have had a larger margin of victory +7.9, compared to Oklahoma City's +6.7

Why Oklahoma City Will Win: 

I found this meme on NBA Memes on Facebook, and it was exactly what I was thinking. Miami and Oklahoma City have each lost one more game in a round than they did the round before, so with that trend, the OKC Thunder will beat Miami 4-3! Oklahoma City just seems destined to win the NBA Championship. They're a young team who has beat the last 13 Western Conference Champions in order to make it to the NBA Finals. To be a champion, you've got to beat the champion, and they dealt with the Dallas Mavericks pretty handily. Then they had to deal with Kobe Bryant and the tremendous size of the LA Lakers, and they only dropped one to them. They followed that up by beating the San Antonio Spurs in four consecutive games, despite the fact San Antonio had previously won 20 straight. Let's also not forget that Oklahoma City has yet to lose a game at home this postseason, and they do have home-court advantage.

If these two teams are as evenly matched as I, and many others, think it is, then we'll see a lot of close games. When it comes to making killer shots in the clutch, Durant has definitely proved better at doing that than James or anyone else on the Heat. During the postseason, in the last 2 minutes of a one possession game, Durant is 6 of 10 from the field, compared to James' 3 of 7. Close series also tend to rely on the little things, and the role players. I trust Fisher, Collison, and Sefolosha to contribute more than Battier, Miller, or Anthony will. As well, I feel Scott Brooks is much more of a competent coach than Erik Spoelstra.

Conclusion: My heart tells me that Oklahoma City will win this, but my mind is leaning towards Miami. Oklahoma City just seems destined to win it all. They're a young and upcoming team who's beat teams who made up the last 13 Western Conference Champions, and Kevin Durant's clutchness and OKC's homecourt really makes me nervous. On the other hand, I like to pay attention to history. History says the best player will carry his team (LeBron James), championship teams need an offensive post player (Bosh), experienced teams prevail over young ones (Durant, Harden, and Westbrook are all 23 or younger) and defense beats offense (Miami ranked 4th in defense and OKC was 11th).

I also feel that it's important not to buy into hype too much. Last year, everyone's obsession with LeBron James and Miami caused people to overlook Dallas in the Finals. In 2008, the Lakers return to the NBA Finals made people pick them over a Celtic team that won 66 games. In the end, I expect James to have a tremendous series and to finally get his ring.

Verdict: Miami in 7

Credit: Mike Erhmann, Getty Images