NBA 2013-2014: Same Old Same Old

It's finally 2014, and if the casual fan hasn't noticed, the NBA season is now a little over two months old.

But for the casual fan, what will really happen during the rest of the regular season that will actually mean anything?

The Eastern Conference is as bad as it's ever been, and barring a miracle, the defending champion Miami Heat will be playing Indiana once again for the right to advance to the NBA Finals.

The only three teams over .500 entring the new year are the Heat, Pacers, and Atlanta. No one figured Chicago would be 12-18, but Derrick Rose was injured again. Brooklyn brought in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, and everyone said they would be contenders. At 10-21, they're anything but, and the big mistake was giving Jason Kidd the head coaching job 'way before he was qualfied to become a head coach. And then there are the Knicks. The unwatchable, over-rated last year Knicks. New York always talks a good game, but at 9-21 there's no talk this season, and even if they win the putrid Atlantic Division, they'll be a quick out in the playoffs.

The West is a little more up for grabs as Oklahoma City, Portland, San Antonio, and the Clippers are the favorites.

The rest of the season in the West will be more for seeding to avoid a matchup with Houston in the first round. The questions will be whether the older Spurs can stay healthy, whether Russell Westbrook can come back for the Thunder and be himself again, whether the Blazers can keep their amazing season going, and whether the Clippers can improve to where coach Doc Rivers thinks they can be.

So it all means that a lot of people will pay a lot of money for some great moments and matchups but for a lot of meaningless games.

It all starts over again in April, and barring a big upset -- which usually doesn't happen in the NBA -- there will be the usual number of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Paul George, and Tony Parker sightings on television well into the month of May.