What A Race
By Coup
And I ain’t talking about NASCAR. We’ve got ourselves some bonafide races going on here as an injury-plagued, semi-lackluster season comes to an end. 6 days from now none of that will matter as we settle in to watch the heaven and glory only known as the Playoffs.
Let’s start out East. All 8 spots are clinched (so sorry Indiana) taking the intrigue out of ‘OMG who is gonna make it? to ‘OMG who is playing who?’
Detroit, Toronto and Miami have the #1, #3 and #4 seeds locked up respectively. The rest is still up for grabs.
#2 Seed – Chicago controls its own destiny (49-32) with their last game at New Jersey. It certainly will not be an easy win considering the Nets have their own dilemnas. Chicago clinches it with a win. The only way Cleveland (48-32) can snag the #2 seed is with a Chicago loss and them winning the rest of their games. Luckily they are playing Philly at home and then at Milwaukee.
I’m going to give the edge to Chicago, it is a slight one, but I’m still going to give it to them. You almost have to after their systematic destruction of the Washington Wizards.
#6, 7, 8 Seeds – Alllllll up for grabs like a jump ball baby. That’s the way uh-huh uh-huh, I like it uh-huh uh-huh. Washington is the current owner of the #6 seed (40-40), but they’ve gone 1-6 minus Agent Zero and Caron, and unfortunately they aren’t playing Atlanta until this fall. Plus they got beat so bad by Washington that Stern might actually be either a) trying to find a loophole to kick them out of the playoffs or b) find a way to get their series booted down to Telemundo or c) expose his magical powers and heal Gilbert and Caron. New Jersey currently has the #7 seed (39-41) with Orlando at #8. NJ is 1 behind Washington with Orlando 1 behind NJ.
New Jersey owns the tiebreaker over Washington after sweeping them 4-0 in the season. NJ has New York and Chicago left on their slate while Washington has Orlando and then at Indiana. I say NJ splits while Washington drops both.
#6 Seed goes to NJ at (40-42). #7 to Washington and #8 to Orlando.
Out West.
1-6 are locked up like Akon. 7 & 8 are a different story. It looks as if my dream of the Clippers and Warriors both making the playoffs is in a deep coma thanks to Sacramento. The Clippers and their Achilles heel (inconsistency) showed up today as they came out very sluggish in the first half and it cost them. They tried to sleep walk through and it looks like it is going to cost them a shot at the playoffs. The best the Clippers can get is 40-42 at this point and that is if they beat the Hornets (no way they beat the Suns). Golden State has Dallas at home and then at Portland, and even if my precious Blazers can play spoiler, the Warriors own Dallas. Add the fact that Avery is resti…I mean ”giving his players pauses” they’re going to get that one. That puts them at 41-41 at worse. That brings us to the Lakers. If they win tonight against Seattle, in my eyes they are in. They lose…I don’t think they are winning at Arco on the last night of the season.
So currently I’ve got Lakers at #7 and Warriors at #8.
Posts like these make me wonder exactly what the hell I’m gonna talk about when the L is done.
(The Answer; I’ve got till June to figure it out…and then I could always talk about the Draft. Don’t you worry..I’ll always find a way to talk about basketball, even if it means covering the WNBA)
(…..*looks right*…..*looks left*….DAMN)