See if you guys agree or get the feeling in your guts as I have that what I'm about to say is true. Over the next few games the Lakers play Clippers,Celtics,Magic,Blazers and then WArriors. THats probably 5 games that they should most likley win and I'm convinced if they do they lock up the 8th seed in the playoffs. Now before you knock me hear me out the Rockets have coming up the Warriors,Magic,Suns,&6ers,Nuggets,and then Blazers. I think Houston can win atleast 4 if not 5 of those 6 games. Now here comes my theory and I'd like you guys feedback in your replys that follow. The Clippers have lost 5 games in a row and while they are playing well in those games they seem to always fall short kind of like the 2001 and 2004 Rockets did. Stength of scedaule shows the Clippers have the 4th hardest series of remaining games in the nba including 2 with the Lakers who might pass them up soon and 1 with the Rockets. Which brings me to my point I think these next few games for the Lakers put them past the Clippers and a shoein for the playoffs but the Clippers have it just as hard as Houston in thier remaining games so I think the team Houston will pass to get the 8th seed is not the Lakers its the Clippers. Think about it I feel this so strongly in my gut. Go Rockets!!!
damn, u need to break up those lines. I feel like i'm reading hieroglyphics. But that is probably more due to my ADD. Clippers always fall short, you're right. Hopefully, Cassell sends Htown a little love and leads them to the 9th seed.
hahah. same here man. i keep reading the same lines over. i dont have ADD..ha no ..yes..what was i saying..ouu candy..rockets.
Yeah.. Lakers r playing extremly well lately.. they got their chemistry.. So they'll be in playoff for sure.. we need to knockout somebody else.. Clipper or New Orleans
But they're leading the division and it would be even worse if they fell out of the top 8 record-wise. That division's winner would be guaranteed a playoff spot even if they are in 9th place or lower.
Cat and Sam will drive the Clippers to the playoffs with Elton Brand. We need to knock off the Lakers or maybe the Hornets.
I agree that the Lakers will probably make the post season. I think the team the Rockets will have to over come is New Orleans though not the Clippers. Clips are a very good team with Sam, Cat, and Brand.... and lets not forget they have injured parts that are coming back........
Let's break it down a little bit. We're 1 game behind the Kings. We're 1/2 game behind the Warriors. We need to have better records than those 2 befor we even think of Lakers, Clippers, Hornets, etc. The Kings have a lot of games at home where they have been picking up some steam lately, that doesn't bode well. Warriors self destructed, so they definitely won't make the post-season. I think, if the level of energy stays up, and if the coaching staff makes good adjustments, we will end up winning all of those games. We beat the warriors, I'm sure we can beat Orlando, I'm not so sure about Phoenix, but there is a good chance (with a different strategy), 76ers, Nuggets, and Blazers are must wins that i'm sure we can win. We should have a better record than the Kings by the Nuggets game, that's for sure.
I see it this way: In addition to ignoring Minny, Seattle & Portland, we should also ignore Utah & Golden State. None of these teams will make the playoffs, therefore we should not be concerned about them. On the other side of the equation, we should ignore the top 5 teams, including the Clippers. None of these teams will miss the playoffs. The only way the Clips fall out is if Sam Cassell or Elton Brand is injured. The teams we should focus on are Memphis, NO/OK, the Lakers and Sacramento. IMO, Memphis will not fall off this year like last year and we can probably ignore them also. That leaves NO/OK and the Lakers. I think either or both of these two teams could fall off the map and let us and /or the Kings slip through. I don't know why, but I have a gut feeling the Kings are a 3 game losing streak away from falling apart. They are playing OK right now, but the chemistry on their roster is fragile. Unless Kobe is superman, the Lakers will definitely slide. Kwame is a complete bust, worse than Stro. They still don't know which Odom will show up each game. Regarding NO/OK, I think very little of Byron Scott. If they make the playoffs, he goes up a few notches on my respect meter. Maybe Chris Paul will hit a wall but doesn't look like it right now. Code: W L PCT GB 1 Dallas 43 11 .796 - 2 Phoenix 36 17 .679 6½ 3 Denver 30 26 .536 14 4 San Antonio 42 12 .778 1 5 LA Clippers 31 23 .574 12 6 Memphis 30 25 .545 13½ 7 NO/OK 29 25 .537 14 8 LA Lakers 28 27 .509 15½ Utah 26 28 .481 17 Sacramento 25 30 .455 18½ Golden State 24 30 .444 19 Houston 24 31 .436 19½ Minnesota 23 31 .426 20 Seattle 21 35 .375 23 Portland 18 36 .333 25
I am assuming that we are calculating the wins with TMac playing at full speed on our team. Hopefully he'll be back soon and playing at full speed. If not we are royally F*ed.
How can anyone seriously think or say that the Lakers will finish ahead of the Clip crew The Clippers have a stronger team top to bottom (before yesterday's win and after it). The Clipper do not even have Corey yet and the other guard whose name I cannot recall now. Tis the Lakers we have our eyes set on. They are a mediocre team and will come back to earth sooner than later.
What I hope is that the Rockets can sneak in and grab the 8th seed and Dallas holds onto the top seed in the west. Payback would be lovely.
