Who Ya Got?
My friends, the West is as good as ever, check out this logjam in the standings:
| 1 | PHO | 33-14 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | NOR | 32-14 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | DAL | 31-15 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | UTH | 30-18 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | LAL | 30-16 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | SAS | 29-16 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | DEN | 28-18 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | GSW | 29-19 | |||||||||||||
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| 9 | POR | 27-19 | |||||||||||||
| 10 | HOU | 27-20 | |||||||||||||
The top ten separated only by 6 games in the standings. I think there are a few locks to get into the playoffs, but lots of variability left. Nearing the all-star break, which teams are falling out? The unexpectedly good Blazers? The surging Rockets? The surprisingly mortal Spurs? The flashy Warriors? The enigmatic Nuggets? The newly Pau-erful Lakers?
What do you think, my Moonie friends?
posted by Ironwood Flash at
5:42 PM
5 Comments:
Those standings are just a great argument for doing away with the conferences altogether and just putting in the best 16 teams seeded straight 1-16. Wouldn't you rather see Portland and Houston in there instead of Atlanta, New Jersey or some other team struggling to reach .500?
By
Knick33, at 9:39 PM
Even at 18-28 Chicago and Jim Boylan are only 1.5 games out.
By
HP All-stars, at 9:53 PM
Yes to getting rid of the conferences. It's crazy that some horrible eastern team is going to make it and two of those ten are not.
I guess I think the three most vulnerable teams are Golden State (Baron isn't really going to play 80 games, is he?), Denver (Camby isn't really going to play 70 games, is he?), and Portland, but you could argue that any of the 10 could miss the postseason w/some bad breaks.
It will be interesting to see how Pau fits in with the Lakers, or if they are able to flip Odom for another guard. That team should be very good. If we do wind up with Lakers / Celtics finals, was the fix in? Did Heisley and Taylor get a little something on the back-end from the Stern-bot?
By
Jason N, at 8:17 AM
Saw Houston struggle a little with the Wolves last night. As good as many of their pieces are, they never quite seem to get it together. I just don't see the team concept. Speaking of team, Blazers are ALL team. What a rotation. Even though their inexperience cost them last night vs. Denver, I hope they still sneak in. They deserve it, as does the city of Portland.
As for the Bulls being 1.5 out of the playoffs, that is the silver lining to my earlier posts about Wolves vs. Bulls. Bulls did lose one of those two, so I am forced to acknowledge that the Bulls are in some trouble. But Chi was without Deng and Gordon and Joe Smith (and still won the first of 2.) I say they still make it into the playoffs...but they'd have to really muscle up and have some little big men emerge to even win a playoff game. Meanwhile Wolves are on a tear, and won 5-7 before losing to Rockets last night. People are starting to worry about our draft pick. Boy oh boy does Miami look bad...
By
TVDave, at 9:10 AM
A great American poet once said, "the West is the Best." He also talked about killing his dad and boffin his mom in the same song, errrr, poem. Friggin poets.
I like the two conference set up. The East has been down for awhile, true. But the satisfaction I felt with Detroit and Miami's two upset Finals victories seems better than having to pull for most all of the Western Conference finalists since the Blaze crew made their run in 2000.
Call me stuck in my ways, but I would be sad to see the Conferences vanish.
I think Portland will be hard pressed to grab a playoff birth. The other hard luck loser is the Rockets. I agree with TVDave's assessment of Houston: Those guys still do not seem to click with one another.
The East is better, even if it hasn't be born out in the standings or head to head play. Boston, Detroit, Orlando and Cleveland are all powerhouses. Toronto is very solid and improving. Washington has done remarkable well without Gil.
The two sub .500 teams that would currently earn playoff spots are NJ and Atlanta. The Nets have been disappointing for sure. I could see them to continue to wallow in mediocrity and drop from the Top 8. But they do have some big time talent on the roster. Atlanta is a pretty fun team, and they have been getting better the last several games I've watched. I think Hotlanta wins 40-42 games and grabs the 7 seed.
As for the Bulls: Chicago better damn well make the playoffs. As bad as they have been, the Bulls remain a playoff worthy team. They have had some ugly losses and lackluster weeks. Never a great sign. But the talent and experience is there in Chi-Town. Maybe it is a testament to an improve East that Chicago will be a lowly 8 seed? How bout that, you conference haters?
By
The Green, at 2:25 AM
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