The NBA (2013-14): Pleasant Surprises

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It's great to be back blogging again.  We're excited to once again be engaged in the world of sports.  Let's get to it!  

The 2013-14 NBA Season is already at the 25 game mark, which means there has been more than enough time to develop some interesting story lines.

Eastern Conference Surprises:

Boston Celtics

I have to be completely honest.  If someone were to tell me that this year's Boston Celtics would be 11-14 at the 25 game mark I would have laughed at them.  I expected that the loss of Garnett and Pierce paired with a rookie head coach would be too large of an obstacle to overcome.  Instead the Celtics have not only been respectable but they've taken advantage of a weak Atlantic Division and cling to top spot.  Coach Brad Stevens has impressed many C's fan and once again has made General Manager Danny Ainge look like a mastermind.  Boston's best player hands down has been Jeff Green, who boasts 16.9 points per game.  Guard Jordan Crawford has been a key piece of the puzzle, averaging 13.7 ppg to go along with 5.5 assists per game.  The Celtics look like the frontrunner in their division barring the Raptors continue their mediocre play.  Long gone are the days of the Big-3, and that seems to suit these Celtics just fine.  There is a bright future in Boston basketball again after a couple years of underachievement.


Western Conference Surprises:

Portland Trailblazers

The most pleasant story line of this season thus far is the play of the Trailblazers.  Their starting five have an average age of 26!  Enough said.  Phenom point guard Damian Lillard is averaging a career best 20.1 points per game.  LeMarcus Aldridge has grown from a fairly strong power forward to man-child over the offseason and it reflects in his 10.9 boards per game and 23.5 ppg.  Nicholas Batum and Wesley Matthews have become a formidable three point duo, while Robin Lopez is continuing to develop his post game.  The Blazers appear to be for real and it will be intriguing to see how far they can go in the playoffs this year.

It's fair to say that most fans probably had Portland somewhere in the top 8 in the Western Conference but I'd venture to suggest that no one saw them holding the #1 seed after 25 games.  In my opinion, the Blazers will lose this spot over time to the Spurs or the Thunder, but they'll still be in good shape come mid-April.

Phoenix Suns

Longtime Jazz sharpshooter and current Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek has his Suns playing an up-tempo brand of basketball.  Phoenix are one of the league's hottest teams at the moment, winning there last 5 contests.  The play of guards Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic have allowed the Suns to get out and run their way to a legitimate shot a playoff spot in the rugged Western Conference.  The Morris bros. have banged around hard in the paint along with freshman Miles Plumlee, and this has added a much needed nasty dimension to the team. 


The common theme throughout all of these surprising teams is youth.  This movement suggests an optimistic future for the league with some rising stars making names for themselves this year and in those to come.

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