This isn’t a complete article inasmuch as a series of notes and observations.  As such, some patterns, trends, or forecasts may not appear in these comments. 

Atlanta

Barely holding their heads above the Chicago Bulls, the Hawks simply don’t have enough guns on either side of the ball.   Steven Jackson has a nice scoring card with 18.85 chances on the outside.   Defensively, he’ll hurt the opposition with the 28 steal designation.  Jason Terry has 15.85 outside chances but no dazzler readings on his passing column.  It gets thin rather quickly on this roster.

Boston
Paul Pierce has terrific all-around scoring columns, particularly for open shots.   He does well on the outside with 14.45 scoring problems but also in penetration situations. Mark Blount really hurts this team with his “0” defensive rebound rating at center.

Chicago
Some bright moments exist in this sea of desperation.  Jamal Crawford provides the pace for the Bulls with 14.1 outside chances.   Eddy Curry has 14.9 inside chances but provides no assistance with his rebound numbers.  Actually, the team defense card isn’t that bad, at least compared to initial expectations.

Cleveland
There’s more to this team than meets the eye.   The Cavs should provide one of the more eventful replay possibilities in the set.  Carlos Boozer performs the role of menace at left forward with good rebounding totals and a healthy 14.9 chances in the paint.   The X-columns hinder his overall value.   Yet the real story belongs to the LeBron James card.   It’s all or nothing with James passing on the break, usually nothing.  

Dallas
This is a team in decline.   All pretenses of playing defense go out the window.   Excuse a personal observation about Antoine Walker – what were the Mavericks thinking?   The Dirk Nowitzki show has problems with 10.45 outside chances.  He’s much better on the inside this year with 14.2 chances.   Steve Nash helps his teammates with the 1-14 and 6-20 dazzler totals.   You want to run and gun with the Mavericks.   Nash has 21.6 fastbreak chances.

Denver
Rookie Carmelo Anthony has “0” ability for defensive rebounding.   He’s sufficient elsewhere though better shooting percentages help the cause.   Guard Andre Miller has 9.2 penetration chances, and that’s as good as it gets in the normal offense on his card.

Detroit
A solid, if unspectacular, collection of players working together can produce championships.  Let’s just hope the US Basketball Olympic Committee remembers this seemingly palpable and self-evident truth in four years.   Richard Hamilton has a sweet card except for the 3-point totals.   Chauncey Billups is a monster at penetrating and converting the foul shots.   Ben Wallace has a 16 block rating and a 28 steal.   That’s sweet.

Golden State
Not as bad as Dallas, but the Warriors have problems stopping their opponents.  Jason Richardson hits 15.65 on the outside.   Nick Van Exel has 17.9 chances on the fastbreak and a 6-12 dazzler.  Erick Dampier is a monster on the offensive boards.  Clifford Robinson serves as an example of playing defense.   Most of the other players didn’t take many notes in this area.

Houston
The Rockets underachieve through their incapacity at generating any flow offensively.  Yao Ming has 16.75 chances on the inside plus 8 F(2) readings.   That’s a requirement for double-teaming.  For a team that needs good ball distribution, Steve Francis serves himself, not others, as indicated by his paltry dazzler readings – 3 on normal, 10-12 on the break.  You’ll like Francis penetrating in open situations.  

Indiana
Seven games better than Detroit in the regular season, the Pacers have a number of question marks on this roster.   Jermaine O’Neal grabs the boards and does nicely with the 14 block but those empty scoring columns diminish his value.   He’s very solid on the X-columns except for penetration shots.  Yes Virginia, it’s difficult seeing so many replays on the Reggie Miller card.  Al Harrington has a nice card for a right forward with 13.85 scoring chances.

Los Angeles C
This team should provide many interesting ebbs and flows in a replay.  Corey Maggette loves going to the line.   13 F(2) chances in the penetration column will take a couple of opponents out of a game.   Elton Brand has 16 of those chances in his penetration column.   The X-columns prevent Brand from Strat greatness.  The Quentin Richardson card absolutely kills this team.  Thank goodness he’s only a “1” shooter.

Los Angeles L
The Kobe show is a menace in every column and rating.  There’s a healthy 47 F(2) chances on the overall scoring columns.  Shaq has 17.4 inside scoring chances and a 13 block.  Considering the abuse taken in the playoffs from the press, Gary Payton has a very nice card.  Malone has a fairly decent card, too.    You want great passing in this set?  Take a look at the Luke Walton dazzlers with 3-12 normal, 8-15 on the break.  Frankly, the Lakers have some very nice components on the team individual cards. 

Memphis
Despite their record, the Grizzlies offer a number of exciting games.  This is a fun team, especially when rooting for Bo Outlaw to score a bucket.  Pau Gosol has a welcoming presence in the halfcourt but that’s hardly sufficient in most cases given the other player cards.   James Posey has a 29 steal.   Bonzi Wells has a disappointing 11.2 on the outside.  This team has the opportunity for surprising in your replay.

Miami
This team finished second behind New Jersey.   More options on offense remain a huge concern.  Eddie Jones is a good resource for the three pointer.   Lamar Odom can bang the boards but you’d like a little more presence on the inside.  Let Dwyane Wade penetrate the opponent at every opportunity.  Brian Grant hurts with his foul numbers.

Milwaukee
Not a particularly strong team by any stretch of the imagination, the Bucks do well when staying out of foul trouble.   You don’t want to get very deep on this roster.   Rookie T.J. Ford has too many replays on his card.  Fortunately, Strat-O-Matic gives him a 0 shooting rating.   Ford does help with his passing:  Dazzlers for 4-19 normal, 7-20 fastbreak.  Desmond Mason has a nice, flexible card.   14 F(2) readings on the inside will create much havoc on opponents.   The outside shooting column is a bit weak, as is the three point rating.

Minnesota
Kevin Garnett has mega chances and ratings throughout his card.   The 25 steal and 3-8 dazzler for normal passes form the bonus.  As usual, the strength of the rebound ratings takes precedence.   Garnett fans will like the 14.6 outside and 15.4 inside scoring chances.  Sam Cassell helps out with the 1-10, 8-20 dazzler passing rating and a whopping 16.0 outside scoring chances.

New Jersey
Richard Jefferson has 13.6 outside chances but really does well with the 18.2 fastbreak chances.   Jason Kidd does everything exceptionally except shoot the ball.   5.25 chances on the outside simply don’t cut it.   8.85 chances in the penetration column barely mark any improvement.

New Orleans

Baron Davis is a real stud in this set.   A 28 steal and an 8-20 dazzler for fastbreaks provide a great deal of value.   His 18.35 fastbreak chances should spark this team.   Jamal Mashburn has a horrible shooting card.  11.8 outside and 3.8 penetration chances dig a hole very quickly.  The Hornets really need Mashburn for a full season in order to reach the playoffs.

New York
Turnovers often diminished the New York superiority in performance.  Stephon Marbury has 15.2 outside chances and a 2-15/9-20 dazzler ratings.  He’s a little iffy with 3.05 inside scoring chances though he will draw fouls.   Beware of running the break with Kurt Thomas on the floor.  The card has nothing but turnovers and blank readings.  Tim Thomas looks nice with the 2-5, 10 (8 replay) three-point rating.  Don’t be surprised if the Knicks blow a few games late in the fourth quarter.

Orlando
The Magic have a more porous defense than the Dallas Mavericks.  That’s not anything worth repeating.  Sniper Tracy McGrady has 14.7 outside, 10.1 penetration, and 18.45 fastbreak chances.   The penetration column also has 8.75 open and 8 F(2) chances.   The only non-scoring rolls are 5 (blank) and 9 (block).   Juwan Howard has a nice card with 12.7 inside chances.  

Philadelphia
Allen Iverson has good passing numbers but the shooting columns are a big bag of nothing.   While Iverson has 16 F(2) chances on the inside, the rest of that column contains 0.85 open chances.   That 3 shooting rating is a killer in combination with the scoring columns.  The rest of the team have their moments.  Eric Snow has an 8-20 dazzler on the fastbreak.  Glenn Robinson has 16.75 outside chances.  Good luck getting him the ball with Iverson on the court!  

Phoenix
Amare Stoudemire has a nice card with 14.10 inside scoring chances.   He’ll work well in the halfcourt despite the occasional foul difficulties.  Shawn Marion has 17.5 outside scoring chances.   That’s more than most of the elite scorers in the league.   Marion doesn’t have any fouls in his defensive column either.

Portland
Zack Randolph matures into a serious NBA threat on offense and defense.  He can go either way with the ball, too, going 14.05 outside and 14.60 inside scoring chances.  The 3/33 rebound at right forward, plus no fouls in his defensive column, provide the right balance.  More development in the X-chart numbers make Randolph an elite player.  The flexibility of Darius Miles provides a strength for the Trailblazers.  Very capable at right forward/guard, the 14.20 outside, 14.60 penetration, and 22.8 fastbreak scoring chances create havoc for opponents.  Unfortunately, Strat-O-Matic rates Miles as a 0 shooter, taking some of the sting out of his nibble. 

Sacramento
Peja Stojakovic has a punishing card, for opponents, not the Kings.   With 16.9 outside and 22.05 fastbreak chances, he’ll score frequently even with the 1 shooting rating.  Defensively, he’s fairly average but he doesn’t get into foul trouble.   Leave Stojakovic on the court for 44 to 48 minutes and opponents will have to work at stopping him.   Vlade Divac has seen better days.  The 7 block rating doesn’t cut it at the position.  He’ll spend a lot of time on the bench in foul trouble, too, although the 4-20 dazzler for normal does help matters.

San Antonio
This is a very serious and dedicated collection of player cards.  Don’t feign surprise if they win in your replay.   Tony Parker burns opponents with 16.3 outside chances.  Manu Ginobelli penetrates and hits the 3 very well.   Tim Duncan is a workhorse on the inside at both ends.

Seattle
Ray Allen menaces opponents with 15.85 (plus 7.4 open) outside chances.   Incredible from the foul line (2-10) or three-point area (2-5, 10, 12 with a 9 replay), it’s really hard not to like the Allen card, especially that penetration column.   Rashard Lewis has 16.10 outside and 17.2 fastbreak chances.  Ronald Murray chimes in with the open jumper from the outside, too.  

Toronto
Expect a lot of low scoring games with these cards.   The return of Vince Carter comes with 14.0 outside and 16.10 fastbreak chances.   The passing skills on the fastbreak hurt the Raptors.   Jalen Rose has 16.10 outside chances, plus a couple of dazzlers on his passing columns.  There’s a lot of empty scoring columns from others here.

Utah
The Jazz experience difficulty scoring points.   Andrei Kirilenko really rises to the occasion in this set.   The 29 steal and 15 block only hint at the possibilities.   This is a must-have card in this set, if for nothing other than the foul-generating ability.  Kirilenko has a total of 39 F(2) chances on his card.  Right forward Matt Harping isn’t necessarily a big name but 16.55 outside chances (plus 7.30 open chances) add points to the scoring totals.