30 Teams in 30 Tweets: Volume 4

Man, a whole year has gone by since we wondered if LeBron could make his homecoming one for the ages...and so much has changed. Steph Curry ascended to the throne, taking the MVP and the Larry O'Brien trophies home with him to the Bay. James Harden took the mantle from Steve Francis and was truly "Franchise like a Houston Rocket", just missing the MVP himself. Russell Westbrook matched his crazy threads with a crazy scoring streak, and we lost HOF caliber guys like Durant and Bosh for way too long during the year.

So here we sit, the dawn of the 2015-2016 NBA season and there are, as always, more questions than answers...and we'll enjoy every minute from now til June as we get those answers. Until that time though, let's revisit the annual Ball So Hard tradition - 30 Teams in 30 Tweets.

As always, feel free to leave your feedback in the comments and Happy NBA Season to all!

Atlanta Hawks:  Big surprise with Budenholzer. East's  #1 seed? Doubtful, but another deep run makes sense.

Boston Celtics: Best coach in NBA after Pop. Stevens will get everything out of this deep, star-less roster. Atlantic title isn't as crazy as it sounds.

Brooklyn Nets: The Pierce/KG trade is looking really good for Boston - Brooklyn is destined to watch the ping pong balls this May.

Charlotte Hornets: When the highlight of your season is Frank Kaminsky's roster photo, join the Nets in your Lottery excitement. 

Chicago Bulls: Can D-Rose stay healthy? I wrote this last year. And the year before. If he does, they're playing late into June. 

Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron might finally understand saving himself, and a healthy roster, will get him and Cleveland that title. Watch out.

Dallas Mavericks: The team that lost DeAndre Jordan. Losing will be a theme. All. Year. Long. 

Denver Nuggets: Could be a tough year for the Nugs. Mudiay is interesting and will be fun to watch. Sneaky 8 seed at best. 

Detroit Pistons:  Stan has done work in Detroit, and quickly. This team will be a bit better than expected and could see a Round 1 playoff series. 

Golden State Warriors: Repeating is tough. The pressure is already on. Be happy everything lined up last year, Dubs fans, won't happen this year. 

Houston Rockets: They got close last year. They should again. Deep roster and Harden has something to prove - he wants that MVP.

Indiana Pacers: The East gives them the chance to bounce right back into the mix. They won't. Hickory uniforms will be their season highlight. 

Los Angeles Clippers: The uniforms are horrible. The roster is not. Doc won't have to worry about covering LAL banners after this year, they'll have their own. 

Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe is back. The Lakers...not so much. Russell and Randle are a nice start though. They are LA's "other" team now. 

Memphis Grizzlies: Always expect them to drop, and they always hang around. Still a mid-seed and capable of a surprise. West just seems too tough to tame. 

Miami Heat: Winslow was a huge draft day steal. Bosh back healthy will be big. They are much better than last year. 

Milwaukee Bucks: Parker will be back. Kidd was impressive. This team came out of nowhere. Will they live up to higher expectations or take a step back? 

Minnesota Timberwolves: #RIPFlip - sad start to the year. KG has a star to mentor and now he'll play even more inspired. Sentimental playoff pick. 

New Orleans Pelicans: Playoffs were a nice bonus for a young team with a budding superstar. Davis will make MVP noise, but team still feels a year out. 

New York Knicks:  This team is becoming a circus on and off the court, beginning with their head coach. Porzingas could be really good - the Knicks won't. 

Oklahoma City Thunder: KD's last stand? Westbrook's year to claim OKC as "his" team? They should be playing in June. But we say that every year. 

Orlando Magic: This is the team that could do what the Bucks did last year. Don't be surprised if they're a high seed in the East.

Philadelphia 76ers: RT from 2014: Year 2 (now 3) of Tankapalooza. They’ve got some pieces and potential, but its going to be ugly this year. 

Phoenix Suns: I just can't figure this team out. They look like they might sneak in, then they fall off. I am sticking with lottery for PHX this year. 

Portland Trailblazers: Losing Aldridge hurts. Lillard is a star, but can he be THE star? Might be a bit of a drop off, which is death in the West. 

Sacramento Kings: Cousins. Rondo. Karl. What could go wrong? One of those 3 won't last the season. Easily the most dysfunctional team in the league. 

San Antonio Spurs: Too easy to pick them. They have reloaded without ever having to rebuild. Won't be a shock if they win it all, but just short seems right. 

Toronto Raptors: The good news is they don't have to play Paul Pierce until the Finals. The bad news is they'll never get there. 

Utah Jazz: One of those years where you just want to see some positive steps forward while you wait out the big guns and rise in the West. 

Washington Wizards: This could be Beal's breakout year. Probably staying in the playoff mix, but expectations are lower. 

Playoff Predictions:

Eastern Conference Playoff Teams: 1. Chicago 2. Cleveland 3. Atlanta 4. Boston 5. Miami 6. Orlando 7. Toronto 8. Washington

Western Conference Playoff Teams: 1. San Antonio 2. Oklahoma City 3. LA Clippers 4. Golden State 5. Houston 6. Memphis 7. New Orleans 8. LA Lakers

ECF: Cleveland over Chicago - There's just too much talent on that Cavs roster if they're healthy. And if LeBron doesn't have to do everything himself, they're going back to the Finals.

WCF: LA Clippers over San Antonio - Kills me to have OKC on the outside looking in here, but it is the Clippers time. Plus, we get the Spurs/Clips series we all want.

NBA Finals: LA Clippers over Cleveland - Sorry, Bron Bron. You're a bridesmaid again. Its time for the other LA squad to get their banner. With the vet leadership of Paul Pierce, just like in 2008, Doc is getting a ring. 

Awards:

MVP: Russell Westbrook

6th Man: Isaiah Thomas

Def. POY: Kawhi Leonard

Coach: Brad Stevens

Rookie: DeAngelo Russell

30 Teams In 30 Tweets: Vol. 2

On the eve of the 2013-2014 season, muddled by all the LeBron 3-peat, Melo-drama, D-Rose/Kobe returns and taking chatter, one major question remains: where is the 30 Teams in 30 Tweets column from Ball So Hard Sports?! Rest easy, kids, all of the projections, predictions and insanity are here and back in full force! This promises to be one of the most entertaining and competitive seasons in recent memory and what better way to lay out predictions than in our favorite 140-character, quick-hit style?

As mentioned last year, of course you can grab your in-depth, put you to sleep analysis of this season at all of those other sites (whom we love dearly and read as well), but in the land of social media dominance, the tweet-length predictions and outlooks for every team will be just what you need to be ready for the opening tip tomorrow.

Without further adieu, here are the Ball So Hard Sports "30 Teams in 30 Tweets" for the 2013-2014 NBA season, followed by our NBA Playoffs and awards predictions as well. Enjoy and let us know whether you agree/disagree in the comments below.

2013-2014 NBA Previews:

Atlanta Hawks:  New season, same outlook, with or without J-Smoove. Bottom-half seed, 1st round exit. Welcome to Atlanta, where mediocre plays. 

Boston Celtics: Hate losing Pierce & KG but business is business. Love the Stevens hire. Don't rush Rondo, take your lumps. The pieces to rebuild are here.

Brooklyn Nets: Stay healthy, raise a banner. League's best starting 5, great bench, 2 hungry new leaders in Pierce & KG. One of the major contenders.

Charlotte Bobcats: They're getting there, slowly but surely. Big Al was a nice signing. Still a lottery team, but at least they seem like it isn't OK anymore.

Chicago Bulls: If D-Rose plays like he has in preseason, all is forgiven. Guys might start tearing ACL's just to come back this strong. Title/MVP possible.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Does Bynum play? Was Bennett #1 worthy? Is this Irving's audition to play with LeBron? A lot of questions, a year away from answers.

Dallas Mavericks: This team just feels like its fallen by the wayside. Window closed, locked and boarded. Time for Cuban to make a splash.

Denver Nuggets: Losing Iggy is a dagger. Needed to get better, took a step back AND traded Karl for a rookie Shaw on the bench. Middle of the pack at best.

Detroit Pistons:  Lots of new pieces in Motown. Jennings and Smith could make the team fun. Looking at a 7/8 seed and a 1st round sweep. Sound familiar, Josh?

Golden State Warriors: The chic pick to win the west. Iggy definitely puts them on the short list. If Curry's ankles are OK, expect big fun and bigger results. 

Houston Rockets: Is the Dwight drama over? Are they a player away? Is Harden OK with dropping back to 2nd fiddle? A year away from knowing, but promising.

Indiana Pacers: They answered the questions last year about being ready. Can they stay at this level and eventually push forward? George & Hibbert = yes.

Los Angeles Clippers: Can Doc work his magic with vets again? If so, they'll go from covering up the other LA team's banners to finally raising one of their own. 

Los Angeles Lakers: Which number is going to be higher: number of games Kobe misses or number of games the Lakers win? Gonna be a long year for the Lake Show.

Memphis Grizzlies: Made noise but fell short late last year. Same old story. Guessing they drop a bit this year before making a charge down the road.

Miami Heat: LeBron's last ride in South Beach or the title that cements his legacy & keeps him in MIA? Too many contenders, prepare for The Decision 2. 

Milwaukee Bucks: One of a handful of teams whose fans will be watching Kansas highlights more than their own team's. Lottery is a necessity for Bucks. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: Can they keep Love healthy and make a playoff run this year? Hopefully, otherwise it may be time to ship Kevin elsewhere.

New Orleans Pelicans: A year older. Tyreke is a nice add. Probably another year away but don't be surprised to see this team in a first-round matchup.

New York Knicks:  Officially NY's "other" team. MeloDrama will distract them all year. Bottom half of the bracket, 1st round exit, chaos when Melo leaves.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Will Westbrook rush back or take the D-Rose route? If he returns stronger like Derrick, this could be KD's turn to take the crown.

Orlando Magic: Enjoy Victor Oladipo, Magic fans. Then hope you can pair him with Wiggins next season. 

Philadelphia 76ers: Nice youth movement in Philly, even if it meant a step back. Stash Noel away, maybe win the lottery, be a major player in a few years. 

Phoenix Suns: Last year: at least they weren't the Bobcats. This year, before the first tip, it is safe to say that the Phoenix Suns are on the clock...

Portland Trailblazers: Do they keep Aldridge? They are a borderline playoff team either way. With a loaded draft & Lillard, a step away isn't a bad move long term.

Sacramento Kings: Sacramento won the battle to keep their Kings. Neither will win much else this year. The #1 pick would be nice karma and best case scenario.

San Antonio Spurs: Can they follow up last year's epic run with another? Kawhi needs to step up for it to happen. Never count Pop, Duncan & Parker out. 

Toronto Raptors: An intriguing squad this season. Ujiri is doing things right and should sneak into the playoffs. Will be fun to see if they make it.

Utah Jazz: Lottery seems inevitable but there's a young Thunder feel to their rebuild. You never know with bigs like theirs, but 2-3 years to be sure. 

Washington Wizards: It is time for John Wall to rise to the occasion. Playoffs or bust for WAS and they should do just enough to squeak in to a bottom 3 seed. 

Playoff Predictions:

Eastern Conference Playoff Teams: 1. Chicago 2. Brooklyn 3. Miami 4. Indiana 5. New York 6. Detroit 7. Washington 8. Atlanta 

Western Conference Playoff Teams: 1. LA Clippers 2. Oklahoma City 3. Golden State 4. San Antonio 5. Houston 6. Memphis 7. Denver 8. Portland

Eastern Conference Finals: Brooklyn over Chicago. After dethroning the Heat I'm the Conference Semis, Brooklyn will follow Boston's 2008 blueprint into the NBA Finals with KG and Pierce, leaving D-Rose just shy of a storybook comeback.

Western Conference Finals: LA Clippers over Golden St. I really wanted to pick the Warriors here. Love the Iggy signing and think they can go all the way, but probably 1 year away. With Kobe down & out for a year, this is the Clippers' time to make a run. 

NBA Finals: Brooklyn over LA Clippers. If you told me last October that Doc, KG and Paul Pierce would be in the Finals, I'd have been thrilled. Cut to a year later and they very well could be, but as opponents. Doc does wonders with a vet ball club and the Dynamic Duo knows they have 1 or 2 shots at another ring. I think they meet up with their old coach in June and reach their goal of retiring as champions.

Awards Predictions:

MVP: Derrick Rose. I've seen all I needed to this preseason. He's back. Sorry LeBron.

6th Man: Andrei Kirilenko. The only issue is if Jason Terry is really the BK 6th man.

Coach: Erik Spoelstra. The kid will get his due this year. After 2 titles, he will have to keep this team hungry and focused with all the "will he/won't he" LeBron distraction.

Rookie: Kelly Olynyk. A silver lining in this Celtics season. He'll have plenty of minutes and a chance to shine.

Defensive POY: LeBron. He wanted it last year. He'll make sure he gets it this year.

There you have it. Outlooks for all 30 teams, ranked playoff predictions and award projections for the 2013-2014 season. As always, let's hear it in the comments if you agree or disagree and we'd love to hear your predictions as well. Happy Hoops Season, everyone!

NCAA East Region: Hurricane Warning

Ball So Hard Sports is breaking down each of the 4 regions before giving you our Final Four and title picks as well as unveiling our full bracket for you to compete against. We've already covered the Midwest and West Regions and now come back East, where Indiana holds the #1 seed.

This region feels like the one where nobody is really overwhelming, some teams have disappointed and fell into low seeds here. Others got seeded a bit better than they should but are here as well. You'd like to think one of the top 2, Indiana and Miami, would view this as a weak draw and roll through to Atlanta, but you can't help but think one of the lower seeds or a real Cinderella could come out of this one and not just because the new King of Cinderellas, Butler, is here either.

Favorites: Indiana has to be on the top of most prediction lists. They were at or near the top of the polls all year long, they have Victor Oladipo and Tyler Zeller, quite possibly the best duo in the country and after a steady rise, Tom Crean has the Hoosiers ready to return to glory. Miami, led by Jim Larranaga (who knows a thing or two about NCAA Tourney runs) has come from the unknowns this year to run through the ACC with regular-season and tournament titles. Syracuse has had its ups and downs, but they're always a threat in march with Boeheim manning the sidelines.

Sleepers:  NC State was a chic pic early in the season to do exactly what Miami did. While they sputtered all year, they are playing well now and could pose a big problem for the Hoosiers in round three. Butler is hoping the third time is the charm with coach Brad Stevens. Illinois is being talked about simply for being a Big 10 team and the dominance of the conference this year. While not region winner worthy, Cal, Bucknell, Montana and Davidson all could provide some first round upsets to mess up your bracket.

Best First Round Game: UNLV/Cal was my pick, simply because UNLV is playing with a chip on their shoulder as they hear they were over-seeded and have to play Cal in San Jose, but the best game to watch in this region is going to be the Davidson/Marquette contest. A lot of people picking Davidson in the upset and if it happens, watching a 14 over a 3 will be a highlight of your day, unless you have Marquette, of course.

Best Potential Late Round Game: Indiana vs. Butler. While I don't have this match-up in my bracket, you have to love the potential of this rematch. Indiana getting a shot at revenge and the Final Four by beating a Butler team who beat them on a buzzer-beater and would be heading to their third straight Final Four. Full of drama that we'd all love, but I don't think either will be playing on that day.

Ball So Hard Sports Pick:  Miami. I think point guards are going to be critical in this tournament. Shane Larkin is one of the best in the country and he's going to get a chance to show everyone that, as well as show that Miami isn't a fluke by bringing them to the Final Four. Hell, Miami is currently the capital of the basketball world, so why shouldn't the Hurricanes be our pick?