Top 10 NBA storylines of 2013

1. Miami twice

Funny thing about a three-peat is you must win two titles first. And the Spurs, up five in points and 3-2 in games, were just over 20 Game 6 seconds away from stopping the Heat run at one. But Popovich elected to go small and Duncan twice was on the bench when Miami controlled offensive rebounds leading to a James 3-pointer at :20.1 and the game-tying 3-pointer by Allen at :05.2 (the Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard went 1-of-2 at the line in between). The Heat won in OT and James cemented his legacy in Game 7.

2. E.R. and Chicago Hope and Boston General and…

The year 2013 could go down as the Year of the Injury as some of the game’s greatest suffered extended infirmary stays. Atop this list was Derrick Rose, who missed the entire 2012-13 season with a torn left ACL only to return and injure his right knee in November. Kobe Bryant’s double trouble began with a torn Achilles in April before the postseason. He returned Dec. 8 – and broke a bone in his knee Dec. 17.

The sickening list goes on: the Thunder lost Russell Westbrook (knee) in the second game of the playoffs; Boston didn’t have Rajon Rondo (knee); the Cavs never had a chance for the playoffs with the time missed by Kyrie Irving (finger, facial bone); Knicks center Tyson Chandler (neck) was limited in the playoffs; the Nets have lost Brook Lopez (foot) likely for the season. Pick a team, find a nasty injury.

3. Experience desired, not required …or do well, get fired

The end of 2012-13 and the start of 2013-14 saw a staggering 13 new head coaches in place, nine of them handling their first-ever NBA head coaching assignment. Perhaps the most intriguing hire was Jason Kidd, who went from retired Knicks player to hired Nets coach in nine days. No matter, he hired Lawrence Frank in a relationship that became like brothers: Cain and Abel.

Three coaches who led their teams to the best regular season records in their franchise’s NBA history were left unemployed: George Karl (57-25, Denver), Lionel Hollins (56-26, Memphis) and Vinny Del Negro (56-26, Clippers). Del Negro’s removal led to the high-profile switch of Doc Rivers from Boston.

4. Those Pacers are pretty good

Before the second-round series between the Pacers and Knicks that provided one of 2013’s defining plays with Roy Hibbert’s Game 6 block on Knick Carmelo Anthony, a veteran coach summed up Indy: “It’s like way back when ABA players came into the NBA and people said, ‘I didn’t know this guy, this guy’s good.’ That’s what I think about Indiana.” Well, people know the Pacers now, specifically Paul George, who has become a two-way stud. Overmatched against Miami two playoffs ago, he was a legit star in the 2013 postseason and this season has flashed MVP form. 

5. California dreamin’/screamin’

In Los Angeles, the ugly stepchild Clippers finally ruled over the Lakers, who ended 2012-13 by getting swept out of the playoffs as their Dream Team vehicle of Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol was more Edsel than Cadillac. The Clippers also went out in the first round — but after 56 wins. Still, neither the Lakers nor Clippers — and certainly not the Kings — ruled California. That honor went to Mark Jackson’s fun Warriors bunch with rising stud Stephen Curry. The Warriors ousted Denver, then lost to the Spurs in the West semis in only their second playoff appearance in 19 seasons.

6. The battle of the boroughs

OK, maybe “The Knicks win a playoff series…” won’t go down with “The Giants win the pennant…” but THE KNICKS WON A PLAYOFF SERIES. That had not happened since 1999-2000. The Nets made the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and lost in the first round. So the Nets lavishly dipped into owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s billions, acquired Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, and through December, stunk only slightly less than the also-remade Knicks . The rivalry between the teams led to David Stern brokering a lunch for Prokhorov and Knicks owner James Dolan so they could play nice – after all, Manhattan and Brooklyn will share hosting duties for 2014 All-Star Weekend. 

7. Man Bites Dog: Dwight Howard takes less with Rockets

Like relatives who visit over the holidays, the “Dwightmare” seemed never-ending. Finally the former Orlando star who once dreamed of Brooklyn but went to the Lakers, where he dreamed of lots of other places, agreed to a four-year free agent deal with the Rockets rather than a five-year deal in L.A. Don’t cry for Dwight. He pocketed $88 million and an early opt-out clause.

8. So the last stand probably was the next-to-last stand

There’s not much really to count on in life – except the Spurs. The failed run against Miami last June was going to be the last stand for the Spurs of Tim Duncan (37), Manu Ginobili (36) and young ‘un Tony Parker (31). But the Spurs are back big in 2013-14, right where they usually are, atop their division.

9. Surprise, surprise, surprise

All those who figured Portland to have the best record in the league on Dec. 22 now all swear they realized New Coke was a bad idea right away. The Blazers, who ended 2012-13 with a 13-game losing streak, rode athleticism, LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard to a 23-5 start. Then there is Phoenix, a team many figured for 20-something wins, starting 16-10. One last surprise? NO ONE could have predicted the pathetic top-to-bottom condition of the Atlantic Division, which through Sunday was a wretched 48-86 (.358). Three fifty eight! Terrific for Miguel Cabrera, crappy for a division. 

10. Go. No, stay. Sorry, Seattle.

Kings ownership, the Maloof family, wanted to sell. A Seattle ownership group, including billionaire Chris Hansen, the owners of Nordstrom and Microsoft’s CEO, wanted to buy and relocate. In a story with so many twists it was harder to follow than Lindsay Lohan’s legal scrapes, NBA eventually rejected the move. In May, the Kings were sold to a Silicon Valley group for $535 million, insuring they would remain in Sacramento. Seattle settled for Robinson Cano.