The start of the NBA regular season is just days away. By opening night every drill known to the basketball world will have been run over and over, every set play will have been rehearsed ad nauseam and all the preseason chatter will finally end. But, you can never leave out the most important piece in preparing for a season, a game, or anything else in life for that matter. The motivational speech. Sports and motivational speeches go together like peanut butter and jelly, a staple for any man, woman and child who has ever played a sport or watched a sports movie. This is why for my preview of the Western Conference I have included a motivational speech every team needs to watch to help prepare them for the season ahead. I tried to find the most accurate speech for each team, leaning more towards the message of the speech than anything else. Most importantly, we will also look at how each team stacks up with the Portland Trail Blazers this year and how much inspiration coach Stotts will need to give his team for each matchup. Let’s begin with the Southwest Division.
Southwest Division Preview
This is hands down the toughest division in the NBA with 4 of the 5 teams making the playoffs last season. Three Southwest teams won at least 50 games last year including one team winning 62 and a fourth team winning 49. I shuffled around 3 of the 5 spots more times than I can remember in trying to predict this division that it nearly drove me mad. Only the top and bottom spot seem secure, but even that may not be entirely true. So, before I change my mind again, let’s take a look at the teams of the Southwest Division in order of worst to first.
5. New Orleans Pelicans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_NmCh42hZM
The Pelicans are in the league’s toughest division. They have a bona fide rising super star in Anthony Davis. If the Pelicans are going to have any chance in this division, Anthony Davis will have to carry this team on his back ala Samwise Gamgee, especially if the injury bug bites the Pelicans like it did last season when they lost Ryan Anderson, Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon. The good news is all of them appear healthy again and if they can stay healthy this team may be a surprise guest to the playoffs should one of the 8 teams from last year’s crop of playoff teams takes a fall. The addition of Omar Asik along with Davis will make their backcourt a potential nightmare for opposing offenses. The bad news, again, is that they are in an ultra competitive division. If Davis, who averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds and nearly three blocks a game last year, can put up a MVP caliber performance this coming season then watch out. Even if the Pelicans finish last in the division again this year, I have a feeling this will be the last season they do that for a long period of time.
How inspirational must coach Stotts’ speech be to beat the Pelicans?
This Pelicans team will give any team trouble with its size and ability to protect the rim. For now, however, the Blazers have a deep enough backcourt to contend with Anthony Davis and pals. The Blazers have more experience and fire power on offense than New Orleans. While the Pelicans are now quite there yet, the Blazers seem to be arriving and knocking on the door of elite teams. If Stotts can get the Blazers motivated enough to remind them of that fact, they should be fine matching up with this team. The Blazers go 3-0 against the Pelicans this year but it gets much harder the following years.
4. Houston Rockets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gfipuaIA68
This clip should have been shown to Dwight Howard years ago. He needs to be locked in a dark room somewhere with this on a constant loop because I’ve always felt Dwight Howard, despite his gaudy numbers at times, never has lived up to his full potential and maybe he doesn’t even want to. While his playful demeanor is good for the image of the NBA, he needs to get seriously mean if the Rockets are going to have any chance to advance in the playoffs. I wonder if Howard’s childish image might have had something to do with the Rockets failure in the offseason to acquire any highly sought after free agents including Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. The fact that the Rockets struck out on those players and then lost Chandler Parsons may speak volumes on how players view the Rockets and Dwight Howard. While the Rockets lost Parsons and Jeremy Lin, they did bring back Trevor Ariza who is a solid player and will help shore up a shaky defense. But, otherwise, this team did not improve while teams in front of them and behind them did. I hear whispers that this team is still talking title but I just don’t see it unless they have one more major move up their sleeve during the regular season. I see this team dropping in the standings; however they will still be good enough to make the playoffs. But, if Dwight Howard doesn’t get serious sometime soon, someone may need to send Ben Affleck over to his mansion for a little pep talk after another first round exit.
How inspirational must coach Stotts’ speech be to beat the Rockets?
Inspiration should come from within for a matchup against the Rockets and I wouldn’t think much of speech need to be given. That being said, a little kick in the rear wouldn’t hurt. The Rockets will be looking to push past the first round of the playoffs this year and once again the Blazers may be in their path. Portland has 3 games against Houston with 2 of them on the road. I think the Blazers steal one and go 2-1 against the Rockets. In a playoff scenario, just hit repeat of last year’s playoffs only this time I don’t think it will be as close. While the Blazers improvements may be seen as minimal, the Rockets will take a step back.
3. Memphis Grizzlies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6E4Oy6pFKQ
I’ve always admired this team. The Memphis Grizzlies have always been that blue collar, hard working NBA team that is unafraid to mix it up with the flashier teams in the league. Because of that, their motivational speech need not be anything more than what Shane Falco had to say in The Replacements. It’s all the Grizz should need because this team doesn’t need any long winded speeches to get motivated; they just want to go out and pound on you physically for 48 minutes and wear you down. The main problem, as always with the Grizzlies, is how they are going to generate enough offense to beat opponents. To help solve that problem they signed 37 year old Vince Carter who nearly hit 40% from three-point rage last season. Mike Conley should improve some put he isn’t a 20 point per game scorer and Zach Randolph is getting up there in age and I’m not even sure you can slip a piece of paper under him when he jumps. Defense will continue to be the strength of this team with Marc Gasol hopefully being healthy for the full season. A lot of people have the Grizzlies slipping out of the playoff picture this season but I think they have one more serious run in them. Just remember Grizzlies, chicks dig scars, so go out there give it one last go.
How inspirational must coach Stotts’ speech be to beat the Grizzlies?
You need to rev up the engines for a matchup against the Grizzlies and let your team know it’s going to be a physical battle to the end. Zach Randolph loves to have big games against his former team and Gasol is always a tough matchup. Portland and Memphis will be close in the playoff standings as the season wears on, so start warming up your most inspiring words coach Stotts! The Blazers will split a 4 game series with Memphis this year. In a playoff matchup, give me the Blazers as the hungrier team with a better starting 5 proving too much for the Grizzlies to handle.
2. Dallas Mavericks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZctCxAmzDs
Take it, it’s yours Dallas Mavericks! That should be the Mavericks rallying cry this year, to make every team remember how menacing they can be. Maybe no team had a better offseason, besides a certain city in Ohio, than the Dallas Mavericks. If you remember last year’s playoffs, the Mavericks were the only team to give the San Antonio Spurs any trouble during their run to the title. Since then, Dallas added Chandler Parsons, Tyson Chandler and Jameer Nelson to the roster. They also added Raymond Felton for halftime entertainment and low budget security. That particular signing aside, I like this team’s offseason moves. They look better on paper than they did a year ago and that team won 49 games. It will be interesting to see how the new pieces fit, how everyone gels together and how long that takes. Dirk Nowitzki is still a prime time player and he will once again prove a nightmare to guard. I think the Mavs made a step forward this year and should jump over Houston and Memphis to challenge our next team for the top spot in the Southwest division.
How inspirational must coach Stotts’ speech be to beat the Mavericks?
Inspirational enough to get the Blazers to win the season series. This particular matchup may be the most critical in terms of 2 teams battling out for home court advantage in the Western Conference. I see this series as a home and home split but if Stotts can motivate the Blazers just enough maybe they can win the series 3-1 by capturing an important road victory. In a playoff scenario, this would be a hell of a matchup. Watching LaMarcus Aldridge and Dirk Nowitzki go toe to toe would be worth the price of admission alone. Give the advantage to the team that grabs home court advantage to win in 7.
1. San Antonio Spurs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-iPiN_YHjY
I’m pretty sure Gregg Popovich has played this clip numerous times over the past decade because every year it seems like it could be the last year for the Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker era and each year it works and the Spurs remain a force in the West. What more is there to say about the San Antonio Spurs? One thing that can be said is that this group has never accomplished back-to-back titles, something that might lend a little more motivation to this group and something that should give other teams pause for concern. Kawhi Leonard, coming off his NBA Finals MVP, will be key for the Spurs if they are going to finally call in a repeat. Leonard is the rising star to this team full of fading, yet still very bright, stars. The Spurs are still clearly the class of the Southwest Division if not the whole NBA. Watching their offense is a thing of beauty, something that can actually make you weep with joy even when you are rooting against them. The Spurs will win their division; they will be a top playoff team in the West again capturing the 1 or 2 seed. The only question for the Spurs this year is will they finally win back-to-back titles and ride away with joy in their hearts.
How inspirational must coach Stotts’ speech be to beat the Spurs?
Something that will move the heavens and earth for 48 minutes. The Blazers may be better this season, but there is still a sizeable gap between these two teams and maybe next year that gap will be much narrower. As it is, the Spurs are still the Spurs and I think San Antonio wins the season series 2-1 with a late season win by the Blazers when their chemistry has had more time to gel. If they meet again in the playoffs, expect a closer series than last year but with most likely the same result.
Next Up: Pacific Division
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