Sports Insider by Frank Coppola: No Kidding: NBA playoffs are going to rock

February 19, 2008

No Kidding: NBA playoffs are going to rock

Well, our long national nightmare is over: Jason Kidd is officially a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

OK, maybe it was only a nightmare in Dallas and New Jersey, but this deal is great news for NBA fans, who have to be salivating at the thought of this year's playoffs.

The Western Conference playoffs alone are setting up to be something like we've never seen. Last year's huge upset by eighth-seeded Golden State against No. 1 Dallas may have been a sign of things to come, because it's going to be downright crazy out West this spring.

The blockbuster deal for Kidd is the third for a Western Conference power in the last few weeks, joining the Lakers' trade for Pau Gasol and the Suns' acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal.

Now Dallas jumps into the pool by getting Kidd, a future Hall of Fame point guard who is going back to his original team. Remember those dysfunctional "Three J's" Dallas teams of the mid-'90s with Kidd, Jamal Mashburn and Jimmy Jackson? I recall something about a love triangle with Kidd, Jackson and singer Toni Braxton being prominently involved. And you thought Spygate was a team distraction!

You've got to wonder where these deals leave the Western Conference's other top contenders, namely the Hornets, Spurs, Nuggets and Jazz. Let's not forget, it's New Orleans that's somehow leading the pack out West right now, led by All-Star point guard Chris Paul. And San Antonio is probably the last team on Earth that is going to make a panic move because of all these other trades.

Still, you've got to wonder if the Spurs' clock is ticking just a bit. The Lakers, Mavericks and Suns are going to be really, really tough to beat now, although injuries to Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum may slow L.A.'s title hopes.

San Antonio still has the bling, though, and Tim Duncan has four championship rings for a reason. Anyone counting out the Spurs now may regret it come June. San Antonio just completed a brutal nine-game road trip at 6-3, winning six of the last seven games.

The only loss during that stretch was a 98-90 setback to the Celtics on Feb. 10.

Speaking of the Celtics, whichever team comes out of the Eastern Conference may be the big winner in all of this. Those West teams are going to be seriously beat up and spent by the time the Finals roll around. In the East, the only serious contenders are the Celtics, Pistons and Cavaliers. Maybe the Magic if they got really hot. Like Scarlett Johansson hot.

Probably not gonna happen.

Frank Coppola can be reached at fcoppola@seacoastonline.com.

Posted by Frank Coppola at February 19, 2008 01:30 PM

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