by Paul Coro - Sept. 17, 2012 07:38 PM
azcentral sports
Big-city basketball is twice as nice again in the NBA.
Nearly as predictable as a Los Angeles Lakers ascension this season, the NBA is about to enjoy its two-city metropolises' finest season in two decades. The Lakers, Clippers, Knicks and Nets have not made the playoffs in the same season since 1993.
That is almost a certainty this time. The Los Angeles teams have risen to be potential home-court playoff teams in the West while New York and -- still getting used to this -- Brooklyn are competitive second-tier playoff teams in the East.
Good teams in the largest markets are ideal for the NBA, although the league's allure has been just fine. A Western Conference finals series between teams in the 36th (San Antonio) and 44th (Oklahoma City) markets drew 16 percent more fans than Dallas-Oklahoma City did for the 2011 conference finals.
Summer personnel shifting pulled the Lakers in front of the Clippers, who resent such assumptions, and might have vaulted the Nets past the Knicks to the tune of "Hello Brooklyn."
The Clippers finished a game behind the Lakers last season. They added ex-Lakers to improve depth (Matt Barnes, Ronny Turiaf and Lamar Odom) but the present Lakers widened the gap with the jaw-dropping acquisitions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard.
This Hollywood plot is already tense. Blake Griffin told The Daily Oklahoman: "On paper, it (the Lakers' team) looks great. People said that same thing when we got CP."
Metta World Peace told Los Angeles' ESPN Radio that the Lakers are aiming for Chicago's 72-win record after saying, "I don't see anybody getting past us this year at all."
While that might raise eyes in Oklahoma City, Chris Paul won't allow the Clippers to be discounted. When Dan Patrick asked him if the Lakers' additions made him nervous, he said, "No, why should I be?"
A Lakers title is not a definite but anything short of it will be deemed a failure, especially after addressing serious bench issues by signing Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks. The Lakers can't be a sure thing while putting in a new offense that takes the ball from Kobe Bryant and Nash more often or by having a starting lineup with more bad backs than a chiropractor's lobby. They certainly are no lock with Oklahoma City being a year wiser with an MVP in waiting.
What the Lakers do have is six All-Stars, all whom have been the best player on a team, including three (Bryant, Nash and Howard) who had that role just last season. The Clippers need Chauncey Billups and Grant Hill to help mature Blake Griffin into a more complete and unflappable player.
In New York, a middle-of-the-East battle has never been so intriguing. The Nets stand to be the most improved East team after adding Joe Johnson to a roster including Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace.
This new borough battle already got good at the money level when towering Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov referred to Knicks owner James Dolan as "that little man" in New York Magazine. Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony dismissed the Nets as a budding rival but it is hard to ignore what is going on across the East River.
Brooklyn has a new arena, new uniforms and $300-plus million of new contracts. New York has a revamped arena, tweaked uniforms and the return of Raymond Felton to help make up for Jeremy Lin's departure. The Knicks also added Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas to make season-ticket holders feel young, but they still have to figure out the Amar'e Stoudemire-Carmelo Anthony dynamic.
The Knicks lost more than they won when the two started together last season, a year that Stoudemire was staggered by injury and his brother's death. Stoudemire and the front line could be the reason the Knicks outperform the Nets, whose backcourt and improved health could be reasons they catch up.
Like in LA, this is a new city rivalry with teams rarely competitive simultaneously. Unlike LA, this little brother pounds his chest.
Reach The Heat Index at 602-444-2470 or paul.coro@arrizonarepublic.com. Follow Coro on Twitter at twitter.com/paulcoro.
18 Sep, 2012
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Source: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/articles/2012/09/17/20120917new-york-los-angeles-return-prominance-nba.html
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