S90 Town Hall 3

[Mike Lowry]

We have some pretty strong pace setters?
Will any team come from behind, over take the leader, and win the division?
Or will all the division leaders hold serve?
What will it take for either scenario to play out?
Why is this team/these teams primed to take/hold the division?

Rules: 1 point if you give thoughtful answers, which I will award after the timer ends for responses. The timer ends for responses at the moment the corresponding week's Sim is run.

Note: Use approximately 5 sentences as your bare minimum for 1 point. If you write 3 long, complex sentences, you'll still get a point. If you write 5, 3 word sentences, you will not get a point. Don't @ me.

Due: Deadline for Sim 5

[WigNosy]

We have some pretty strong pace setters?
Will any team come from behind, over take the leader, and win the division?
Or will all the division leaders hold serve?
What will it take for either scenario to play out?
Why is this team/these teams primed to take/hold the division?

Rules: 1 point if you give thoughtful answers, which I will award after the timer ends for responses. The timer ends for responses at the moment the corresponding week's Sim is run.

Note: Use approximately 5 sentences as your bare minimum for 1 point. If you write 3 long, complex sentences, you'll still get a point. If you write 5, 3 word sentences, you will not get a point. Don't @ me.

Due: Deadline for Sim 5

The Sonics are going to come back to the pack a little - their record is inflated because they've played 18 games at home and just 11 on the road - but they've built up enough of a lead that they won't be run down. Likewise, the Kings started hot, but they've faded a bit and the Spurs aren't going to let anyone chase them down in the Midwest. I expect both the Spurs and Sonics will be 70 win teams, though who gets the 1 seed in the West is unclear to me.

The East is likely to be a bit more competitive; the Olajuwon injury makes the Celtics vulnerable, and though the Nets' recent trade got them more young pieces, I don't think it hurts their competitiveness a bit - if the Celtics can't right the ship, the Nets can definitely chase them down. And even though I like the Bulls' moves and their start, you can't ever count out the Bucks.

[K-100]

Will any team come from behind, over take the leader, and win the division?
Or will all the division leaders hold serve?
What will it take for either scenario to play out?
Why is this team/these teams primed to take/hold the division?

I think the Bucks will overtake the Bulls by the trade deadline. They seem to be ready to shake things up and I expect them to make a splash via trade and make up the difference in the standings. I agree the Celtics will fall back now too but I'm not sure if the Nets have the cohesion necessary to build a big enough lead to stave off the Celtics once Hakeem returns and they start winning more games. I think the Spurs will wrap up the Midwest by Sim 10 and the Sonics should have it bagged up by the trade deadline. I think the East will offer more drama this season as we enter the second half.

[Mike Lowry]

Have to be honest, when I asked the question I felt more hopeful for a comeback story.
As I see it now, it looks like chalk.
The Nets were the only team with action at capitalizing on the Hakeem injury, but their move off Dale Ellis tells me that Fat is next and the towel has already been thrown.
I do really like how the Bulls are built and expect them to make a good run post season.
Doug is in unfamiliar, hot water, and I don't think he can afford to wait to reset.
Hornacek, Harper, and Benoit are good, but don't impact winning like Doc.
I expect one of them to move by the deadline and the Bucks to forfeit the division.
Sonics and Spurs need no introduction, and I can see Carlos making a big move to prepare for the playoff matchup in the Western Conference Finals.

[Darth Vegito]

Will any team come from behind, over take the leader, and win the division?
Or will all the division leaders hold serve?
What will it take for either scenario to play out?
Why is this team/these teams primed to take/hold the division?

Yeah we have some pace setters all right. NO PARITY IS HARMFUL TO THE LEAGUE!!

Pacific division is done. It is highly unlikely I catch the Spurs unless they catch a bad case of the injuries. The Sonics and Spurs own the West it seems. Who will win of the 2 in the playoffs? That remains to be seen. This sim and next sim will say a lot on who comes out of the West. The Sonics and Spurs play this sim in San Antonio, and the next sim will be the Sonics hardest sim of the year being on the road to face the Bulls, Kings, Blazers, Spurs, Celtics. Let's see how many losses come from that.

The East is much more fun. It's certainly not as clear. With the injury to Hakeem, I think the division is now open for the Nets. Even though it appears the Nets are trying to transition to a younger squad, they are still good enough to win games in the terrible Eastern conference.

I think the Central will come down to the wire. Quail finally has some worthy competition and I'm excited to see who takes the division. I still give the East to the Bucks UNTIL the Celtics can knock them off. I do think this will likely be the year...as long as Hakeem is healthy in the playoffs.

[BigDaddyd8720]

We have some pretty strong pace setters?
Will any team come from behind, over take the leader, and win the division?
Or will all the division leaders hold serve?
What will it take for either scenario to play out?
Why is this team/these teams primed to take/hold the division?

In the West, barring significant injury, I think the Spurs and Supersonics will hold on to the division leads. Kings got off to a hot start but fell behind. The Spurs won't fall behind with the two MJs and Mullin. The Supersonics look poised to finally make a deep playoff run and have almost a 10 game lead over the entire division. So again, barring injury, Spurs and Supersonics will probably hold the division lead.

In the East it gets interesting. The Celtics have a small lead but lost Hakeem for 40+ days. But the Nets also picked this time to sell off. And nobody else in the division really looks to try and take over. The Hornets and Bullets made some trades so maybe they can at least close the gap on the Celtics but they are still a very talented team so may be able to hold on until Hakeem comes back. The Bulls/Bucks race is going to be a lot of fun. The Bulls might need to make a move in order to keep the Bucks at bay, especially with the Bucks being involved in a four team trade today. But if the Bulls keep taking care of business, then the Bucks will have to be nearly perfect if they want to pass up the Bulls