For the Rockets to make the playoffs, two teams to drop out of the playoff run. State your two teams and why. Denver - Melo injured, no defense, and inconsistent. 5-5 in last 10 games San Antonio (Long Shot) - With rumors of Parker being out indefinitely, I think the Spurs are destined to lose without him. This is unless Ginobili and Duncan go on a huge scoring run but I doubt that will happen. Spurs also 5-5 in last 10 games and are in a close one against Seattle now.
Denver and the Lakers. The Lakers are playing 0.200 ball without Ariza and Bynum. If they maintain that place for the whole 8 weeks without Bynum and Ariza, they will definitely be out of the race.
i don't know how to edit but if i can only pick 2, it would definitely be lakers and blazers. and then kobe will ask to join houston! jk haha but yeah, those 2 teams.
Too close to call. Any injurry can change the whole standing. Which teams have more tough remaining schedule?
Utah could end up in the top 4. If the Rockets make it, I'll say the Lakers and Blazers will miss out. Don't forget the Warriors are 27-12 since Jack came off suspension. I think the Lakers are going to hit the skids without Bynum. I don't like their body language the last few games and Kwame just isn't doing it. I doubt very much Bynum will return to form after 2 months off. The Blazers must have Brandon Roy and Travis Outlaw continue their clutch play late in games. They have too many young players in their rotation for my taste.
TO the OP: Denver is sixth in the league in defensive efficiency. I think you might want to throw that "no defense" notion out of the window now. They are a pretty darn good defensive team. Back to the question -- the teams most likely to miss the playoffs are, in order: Portland -- they had their great run through the soft part of the schedule. Now they're faltering against real competition. Great young team they've got up there, but I just don't see them having what it takes to make it down the stretch. Not in a WC this tough. Los Angeles Lakers -- They're already going downhill fast without Bynum, and they're not going to get him back in time to recover. Their defense (which was a big reason for their early season run) took a nasty hit with the injury to Ariza which is probably season-ending. They've fallen to 6th in the western conference and their schedule only gets much tougher from here with a 9 game road trip ahead. Golden State Warriors -- Too inconsistent, think they can come back against everybody by just jacking up shots without a conscience, horrible defense. It's not going to happen, not in this Western Conference. If they do get in, it'll be by a hair and they'll get obliterated in the first round by whomever they face. Houston Rockets -- Poised to make a great run and make their move. But if they don't take care of business in the stretch leading up to the All Star Break, it may well be over for them -- they could end up digging a hole too deep to climb out of. New Orleans Hornets -- Yeah, they're the best right now. Another of those annual ankle injuries to Chris Paul and they're done. San Antonio Spurs -- They're just too good to not get there. Everybody expects them to do their annual spring rodeo rally and roar into the playoffs again ... but it is undeniable: they just don't look the same this year. Something deep inside says that the reign of dominance is coming to an end. But then, I fully expect them to shake it all off and do their thing anyways. Manu has been unbelievably efficient this year.
Ooh, just read a report saying that the Spurs have been forced to sideline Tony Parker indefinitely because of the bone spur in his heel. He's been playing through the pain for a couple of weeks but it's getting worse. Now they're forced to start Jacque Vaughn, and may be playing for the Stoudamire sweepstakes. Either way, looks like the Spurs are in some real trouble this time. Parker's health has been a big reason for their faltering lately, and Spurs fans know that their team struggles when Parker isn't on top of his game. Still not writing them out, but they're definitely in some trouble now.
if Lakers lose to Knicks, then WC is really interesting. 7 teams within 4 games for 5 playoff spots. Injuries will be a major factor for the outcome.
