RK LAST WK
1 (2) BULLS 46-14
Even with Derrick Rose scoring a career-low 2 points on 1-for-13 shooting, the Bulls were still able to defeat the Heat 96-86 in OT. The Bulls success this season can be directly attributed to their defense. The Bulls are the NBA's best rebounding team at 46.4 per game and their stifling defense allows their opponents only 88.9 points per game, which is the second best in the league.
2 (3) THUNDER 44-16
The Thunder are winners of four of their last five games, but all four wins came against sub .500 teams. The one stat that would concern me if I were a Thunder fan is that Oklahoma City's 1.12 assist per turnover ranks last in the NBA this season.
3 (1) SPURS 42-16
With the Spurs sporting an 11-game winning steak, coach Popovich decided to rest his entire "big 3" core of Parker, Duncan and Ginobili. Well, as expected, the Spurs had their 11-game winning streak snapped by the Jazz followed by another loss in their very next game to the Lakers. Obviously the team won their last two games, but if the Spurs make it to game 7 of the Western Conference Finals and have to play that game against the Thunder in Oklahoma City, coach Popovich will live to regret his decision.
4 (4) HEAT 42-17
Urgency or lack thereof, is the second issue that's haunted the Heat this season, with Lebron taken a backseat when Wade plays being the first. Considering the way the Heat lost to the Mavericks in last year's Final, I expected them to be a lot better this season. Unfortunately, the Heat are playing like they can turn on the switch when the playoffs rolls around and for their sake I hope they're right.
5 (10) LAKERS 39-22
Okay let's be honest, despite the Lakers 4-1 record over their last five games, the team is definitely better with Kobe, who was out nursing a shin injury. The good news is Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace and Andrew Bynum have all stepped up in Kobe's absence. The biggest improvement has been the play of Metta World Peace. He went from 7ppg on less than 39 percent shooting to 17ppg on .516 shooting over the last five games. As for Gasol and Bynum, well they've played well, but I believe the recent play of Metta World Peace is the reason most Lakers fans are excited.
6 (9) PACERS 38-22
The Pacers have quietly handled their business by winning 8 of their last 9 games to solidly the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Point guard Darren Collison missed the team's last four games, which is the only cause for concern, but not to worry Pacers fans because he's expected to rejoin the team within a week.
7 (5) CLIPPERS 37-23
Chauncey Billups was asked on ESPN who he would want taken the last shot and I expected for him to say Kobe, Carmelo or Durant, but he said without a doubt he would want his own teammate Chris Paul taken the last shot. Obviously my first reaction was that of course he's bias, but after careful consideration, I had to agree. I would definitely put the ball in Paul's hand over any player in the league, because he's capable of making a play for his teammates, or getting in the lane an shooting a runner/floater like he did against OKC for the game winner. I don't expect Paul to win the MVP, but he certainly has the Clippers playing a lot better recently. The team is sporting a 3-game winning steak and are winners of 11 of their last 13 games.
8 (7) CELTICS 36-25
The Celtics have gone from looking like an aging team to being serious contenders and most of the credit has to go to Celtics coach Doc Rivers. By moving K.G. to the center position, the Celtics have four shooters in the starting lineup, which is why Rondo has had his way breaking down defenses and raising his assist totals, which now stands at a league leading 11.6 per game. Over the last 10 games Rondo averaged 14.2 assist per game and led the Celtics to a 7-3 record.
9 (8) GRIZZLIES 35-25
The Grizzlies came in winners of 7 of their previous 9 games before stinking up the joint against the New Orleans Hornets. Z-Bo scored a season low 2 points on 1-for-2 shooting and played in only 23 minutes due to foul trouble. I think after the Thunder, Spurs and Lakers, the Grizzlies are right up there with the Clippers and have a great chance of competing for a title. However, I think Z-Bo will need to get back to being a 20-10 machine in order for the Grizzlies to seriously compete for a title.
10 (6) HAWKS 35-25
Both Joe Johnson and Josh Smith are averaging 18.8ppg each to lead the team in scoring, but it's Smith who has taken over the scoring load in recent weeks. Over the Hawks last 10 games Smith averaged 22.9ppg on a very impressive .508 percent shooting. At times it looks like point guard Jeff Teague could be the third option, but then after performances like the last two games when he scored 2 and 3 points respectively, you have to wonder if he can be that guy. Ultimately, the Hawks will have a hard time making it deep into the playoffs without the likes of Al Horford, their starting center who is out for the season.
11 (17) NUGGETS 33-27
The Nuggets have moved up to the seventh seed in the West, because Aaron Afflalo has continue his very impressive play. For the season Afflalo is averaging 15ppg, but over the Nuggets last 10 games, has led the team in scoring at 19.1ppg on .486 percent shooting. Rookie Kenneth Faried has been another bright spot for the Nuggets of late. Faried over the last 10 games is averaging 11.2ppg, 8.9rpg and 1.2bpg on a whopping .565 percent shooting. You can pretty much count the Nuggets in the playoffs if they both continue playing at that pace.
12 (13) MAVERICKS 34-27
Of course I expect the Mavericks to make the playoffs, but just for kicks, they are only 2.5 games ahead of the Suns, the ninth seeded team in the West. In an effort to qualm distraction, Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban decided to place Lamar Odom - the winner of the NBA's Six Man Award last season - on the inactive roster. So far things seem to be working out. The Mavericks were winners of the previous three games before losing to the Lakers, because of two 3-pointers by Pau Gasol in overtime.
13 (12) MAGIC 35-25
Dwight Howard is expected to be out for two weeks due to back spasms. I'm not one to question Diwght's motives, but I'm sure if his heart was in it, he would probably be playing. I expect the Magic to milk whatever they can out the situation and advance as far into the playoffs as they can, and then probably move Dwight before the start of next season. Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy could also be on his way out too.
14 (15) KNICKS 31-29
Even in a loss, the Knicks Carmelo did all he could against the Heat in New York, scoring 42 points on 14-for-27 shooting. Over the Knicks last 10 games Carmelo has averaged 30.2ppg, 6.9rpg on .509 shooting. I think it's fair to say that Carmelo has no problem paying with center Tyson Chandler. I think it's Amare who's ultimately holding the Knkcks back.
15 (14) SUNS 31-29
The Suns are only a game behind the Rockets and look to me like the better team, especially after the their 112-105 win over the Rockets in Houston. The one thing that would concern me if I were a Suns fan is the schedule. Five of their last six games are against plus .500 teams, including the Thunder, Clippers and the Spurs. Good luck coming out of that with a 4-2 record, because that's what it's going to take at the very minimum to wrestle the eighth seed away from the Rockets.
16 (11) ROCKETS 32-28
The Rockets on the other hand have slumped their way into a contentious battle for the eighth seed by losing their last three games. The good news for them is that 3 of their last 6 opponents are plus .500 teams and two of those opponents will be playing them in Houston, so the schedule sure helps them. The ball is in their court, but whether they take advantage of it remains to be seen. I'm not sure they will.
17 (19) SIXERS 31-28
The Sixers will probably make the playoffs by default and that is because even though the team has slump miserable since their hot start early in the season, their 2.5 game lead may be too much for the Bucks to overcome. All the Sixers have to do to make the playoffs is finish with a 4-3 record and make sure one of those wins is comes against the Bucks in Milwaukee.
18 (16) BUCKS 29-31
The Bucks problem is they dug a hole too deep for themselves early on in the season and unfortunately for them, 3 of their last 4 games came on the losing end. The Bucks will pretty much have to run the tables or at least win five of their last six games, including a win over the Sixers in Milwaukee in order for them to make the playoffs.
19 (18) JAZZ 31-30
I can understand losing to the Memphis Grizzlies, but losing to the Hornets, is not something you want to do when you're trying to make the playoffs. Regardless, the Jazz are only 1.5 games behind the Rockets for the eighth and final playoff spot, so they definitely have a good chance. They only have five remaining games, with four of them in Utah and their only road game is against the Trail Blazer, a team they've beaten twice already this season. Quite frankly, of the three teams - Jazz, Suns and Rockets - vying for the eighth seed West, the Jazz has the easiest schedule. However, I'll stick to my early season prediction and say that they will miss the playoff by a hair.
20 (20) TRAIL BLAZERS 28-33
The Trail Blazers can win all of their remaining five games and it wouldn't make a difference, because they will not make the playoffs. Watching the Blazers has to be one of the saddest stories in the NBA this season, considering all the high expectations everyone had in them. Fortunately, the rebuilding process can start sooner than latter, because their season will be over on April 26.
21 (25) RAPTORS 22-39
The Raptors decided to shut down Andrea Bargnani - the team's leading scorer at 19.5ppg - which was a good thing, so I thought. I expected their losses to continue piling up so that they could increase their chances of landing the number one pick in this year's draft, but I guess the Raptors players had other plans as evident by their very impressive 2-game winning streak, with wins against the Celtics and Hawks.
22 (22) NETS 22-39
Say what you want about Chris Humphries and his 72-day marriage to Kim Kardashian, but one thing you can't say and that is Chris Humphries isn't worth his 1-year $8 million salary. Humphries has been the Nets second best player behind Deron Williams. For the season Humphries is averaging 13.6ppg and 11rpg.
23 (21) TIMBERWOLVES 25-36
Not too long ago the Wolves were 25-27, but that was before their current 9-game skid, with Kevin Love missing the last three due to a concussion injury. I expect the Wolves to shut Love down for the remainder of the season, considering the team has only five games left and no chance of making the playoffs. I guess Love will have to settle for his 26ppg and 13.6rpg season average, wow!
24 (24) PISTONS 22-38
Pistons are 28th in the league in both scoring and assist at 90.6ppg and 18.5apg respectively. The surprising stat to me is the team's assist totals. Brandon Knight was suppose to be the next coming of Isiah Thomas, but only managed to averaged 3.8apg in his rookie season. If I had to give him one knock, I would have to say he must improve his assist average dramatically in his next season in order for the Pistons to improve.
25 (27) HORNETS 18-42
Before you scratch your head in shock because of the Hornets 3-game winning streak, I think it needs to be pointed out that the Hornets record is not indicative of how good they would've been had the team had been at full strength this season. Eric Gordon, the high scoring guard whom the Hornets got in a trade from the Clippers missed most of the season. To be exact, he's only played in 7 games this season, including the Hornets last two wins in which Gordon averaged 21.5 points per game.
BOTTOM FEEDERS
26 (23) WARRIORS 22-37
The Warriors are going to miss the playoffs this season for two reasons, defense and lack of rebounding, which is also bad defense in a way. GSW is the 29th worst rebounding team in the league at 39.1rpg and 28th in opponents points allowed at 101.3 per. With a healthy Bogut next season, both of those numbers should improve dramatically.
27 (28) CAVALIERS 20-39
The Cavaliers may have already found a backup point guard name Lester Hudson, a D-League call up, who has clearly taken advantage of his opportunity. In 11 games with the Cavaliers, Hudson averaged 13ppg 4.1rpg and 3.1apg. Kyrie Irving is expected back this week after being out with a shoulder injury, though I wouldn't count on it with only seven games left.
28 (26) KINGS 20-41
After agreeing to a new arena deal with the city of Sacramento, the Maloofs - the team owners - recently backed out of the deal. There good news is they assured the King fans that they do not intend to relocate the Kings. To me that's all words, because without a new arena deal, I doubt that the Kings will remain in Sacramento beyond next season.
29 (29) WIZARDS 14-46
John Wall is averaging 12.4ppg on .39 percent shooting over the Wizards last five games, including a 2-point 1-for-6 performance against the Bobcats in 26 minutes. Seriously, John Wall? My message to Mr. Wall is, you are way too talented to be so inconsistent and I hope you spend the entire off-season working on your game.
30 (30) BOBCATS 7-52
The NBA's all-time worst record was 9-73 by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers for a .10975 winning percentage. The Bobcats have lost their last 16 games, but could still avoid NBA futility by winning 1 of their last 7 games. If the Bobcats lose their last seven games, they would finish with a winning percentage of .1060, which would be the worst winning percentage in the history of the NBA.
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