FINAL POWER POLL

Dallas defeated Miami to end what had to be the greatest season in NBA history.

I hadn't realized it until Bill Simmons wrote a few months ago what a great regular season it had been. I just took it for granted that I was going to sit down and watch an incredible game every night, even when not watching one of the top teams in the league.

Chicago and San Antonio surprised everybody by running out to the best records in each conference, only to silently bow out in the playoffs.

And Atlanta and Denver played above expectations (Denver in the regular season and Atlanta in the playoffs) and gave everyone something else to talk about in the closing months of the season.

More than a few people are writing that the regular season is meaningless after seeing the playoff results.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The regular season has plenty of meaning and tells much about what will happen in the playoffs.

You just have to know what to look for.

(1.) Dallas
(2.) Miami
(3.) Oklahoma City
(4.) Chicago
(5.) Los Angeles
(6.) Boston
(7.) Memphis
(8.) Atlanta
(9.) San Antonio
(10.) Denver


KYRIE IRVING POLL

It's looking more and more like Kyrie Irving will be the first pick of the 2011 NBA Draft.

As we all know by now, Cleveland won the lottery with the pick they got from Los Angeles in the Baron Davis trade.

Los Angeles should have never made the trade, ever. And it is so bad on so many levels, the most important being that Davis, at his worst, is still better than Mo Williams.

I'm not as intrigued by the talent in this draft as I was by the talent in last year's.

So my draft coverage will probably be pretty light in comparison.

(1.) Cleveland
(2.) Minnesota
(3.) Utah
(4.) Cleveland
(5.) Toronto
(6.) Washington
(7.) Sacramento
(8.) Detroit
(9.) Charlotte
(10.) Milwaukee

Comment or e-mail: thenbaoutsider@yahoo.com
Tweet