www.CostaRicaTicas.com

It's that time of year again...the point at which the best sports in the world all converge...baseball is ending, football is in mid-season form, the real football (soccer) is starting to heat up across the pond, and our beloved basketball tips off. Although my opinion is obviously filled with bias I cannot foresee many forces standing in the the way of the "purple and gold" this year. The Celtics are obviously the most formidable adversary but can they withstand another 100 game season on tired and worn legs. An injury or two in long overdue for the celts, and how devastating would a loss to the one if not two of three stooges be? The Suns are hopeless, the spurs are getting old, the hornets might not be ready, and Utah...well they just don't have what it takes. Lebron could be ready but I think the big green machine has his number.

More importantly the Lakers add another top-notch force in the middle with Bynum. Although Gasol and Bynum will ultimately share few minutes together (IMHO), the fact that they will play in place of each other gives us a solid 40-45 minute blanket of world-class presence in the paint. We were able to keep most of our young talent that the rest of the league would love to own (Jordan, Sasha, and Trevor) which gives us more depth coming of the bench than other teams could dream of.

Moving on to the over-disputed best player in the league, Mr. Bryant. He's proven to basketball fans all over that he can alter his game to accommodate the four other players fortunate enough to surround him at any given time on the court. Although hesitant at times he still has the ability and the killer-instinct to take over a game at any moment (even amongst fellow stars, check out gold medal game against spain). He still has some learning to do, but let's face it...Jordan didn't come into his own until relatively deep into his career. He's been a selfish prick in the past, and he's made his share of mistakes but he seems to be improving and certainly is on the right path.

I began the post with mention to my bias, but I truly believe (my huge wagers on NBA futures would attest to it) that we are in the drivers seat this year barring any kind of disastrous injury. The Cavs pose a threat to the Celtics east coast dominance, and the west is obviously deep from top to bottom, but I think we can only beat ourselves come May or June.

Let's hear what fellow CRT's think about this upcoming season and the task of predicting the future...

_________________
Tudo bem!

Haven't seen you around in a minute, what's up bro..?

Yea, provided the Lakers stay healthy they could win it all. Extremely tough conference the west is not to mention now you have to worry about teams like New Orleans... wtf?

The NBA has lost it's luster with me with the departing of true legends like MJ, Magic, Bird, etc...

But I will continue to watch the conference finals and finals every year. Lord knows the playoffs in the NBA last nearly all summer


Cujo

_________________
"Pain is the fuel that fans the flames of my pyre. A battle plan is only as good as the general carrying it out on the field. This is my war son, and I have the biggest bombs and the smallest conscience"...

Yeah bud, just working hard out here in LA to realize my dreams in CR come Feb. I've been working a new strategy with the women out here and its keeping me real busy when added to work. Adding a few elements to your game can give you new projects to complete. I went from content (after getting back from CR) to starving (a couple weeks ago) so I've been searching for any and all leads.

Haven't been working on the lengua enough but it's most certainly going to increase. I hope/know you're ready to do it big in Feb. I can't truly join the community until I meet all you guys in person come '09, share some experiences, drinks, and most certainly chicas. Take care brotha!

ps...you're most certainly right about NO...

_________________
Tudo bem!

For my 2 cents....Who really got better than the Celtics? IF they stay hungry, they are damn solid again. Their role players certainly got plenty of experience last year. Certainly the Boston 3-Party, (great ESPN ad), is another year older and injuries will detemine their fate. Plus the Celts can coast through most of their Eastern schedule.

All that said, do you guys really watch the NBA anymore? I find it borderline unwatchable in the regular season. There is NO way I can watch more than a couple of minutes. Even the last 2 minutes of a game are so filled with time outs and fouls it is incredibly aggravating..IMO. For me, the NBA is relegated to highlights on ESPN.

Over / Under on the Heat winning 35 this season?

NO way they win 35!! Way too young.

lakers making me forget about the dodgers real quick
that second team with odom/ariza/farmar/sasha/bynum can run and is better than a lot of first teams.
staying healthy is the key and if they do that no one can touch them this year. its early but with the way they are playing d they have potential for 70 wins imo

WOW 70??? Guess who drank the Kool-aid

coming soon to an arena near you. then we see how much you laugh.

70 is certainly not out of the question...will be a lot tougher for us then it was for the bullies.

I agree about the second team...so much energy, so much pace, and now Ariza can shoot?...the starters on opposing teams cringe when they see the bunch come out bc they know they're going to have to hustle their arses off.

_________________
Tudo bem!

After losing to the knicks last night I have to believe the o/u has to be set probably at 30...I might still take the under.

_________________
Tudo bem!

I smell a side bet

5 to 1...Lakers win 70 games... those are my odds.

_________________
Tudo bem!

8-1 and not exactly playing well. sure 70 is a long shot.

54 w 28 l and they will be watching the championship at home