every time scribo goes into his personal life, it's more hectic than before lol. i really appreciate the nightly updates. i can imagine how hard it is to keep up.
haha, seriously. last time, if i recall correctly, he was talking about how he had a sick, pregnant wife who he had to tend to. now he's writing up legal briefs with his neighbor over God knows what. what's next? he has to go save a town from an impending volcano or something? lol. scribo, we owe you big time. thanks for doing this!
I'm not that far from Mount Rainier, which is an active volcano, so you never know... My life is usually not that crazy, although there is a certain amount of insanity built into having children. I am having a great time with the Magic Number updates. The updating of the Numbers is actually pretty easy. Most of it's automated with just a few minor things I need to update daily, and I usually write late at night regardless. If I'm not working on these updates, I'm working on my novel. I think the forced deadline of these posts is helping me beef up my writing muscles. I've gotten some good work in on the book lately, and I think it'll really take off when the regular season ends. Only a month to go, and we get a 1 day break for the NCAA Championship!
Haha, when you save the town, maybe they'll make a movie where Pierce Brosnan plays your character.....they can call it "Dante's Peak 2: This time, it's serious". And your book can't take off when the season ends.....we're planning on having a deep playoff run, remember?!? You're gonna be too busy writing up our victorious post-game recaps. So can you tell us the genre or plot-line of this novel, or are you gonna hold out on us?
<B> Games H2H Div Con Overall Magic </B> <B> Team W/L L10 H2H Left TB Div TB Conf TB TieBreak Number Diff</B> 1 Lakers 53-14 6-4 0-3 1A L 36-7 L No*<B> 25</B> (-1) 2 Spurs 45-22 6-4 1-2 1A L 9-4 L 29-12 L No<B> 17</B> 3 Rockets 44-25 7-3 7-6 28-13 4 Nuggets 43-25 5-5 3-1 None W 26-14 W Yes*<B> 13</B> 5 Blazers 42-25 7-3 1-1 1H T 22-19 W Yes<B> 14</B> 6 Hornets 41-25 7-3 2-1 1H W 6-4 L 23-15 W Yes<B> 14</B> 7 Jazz 42-26 7-3 2-1 1A W 28-11 L Yes<B> 13</B> 8 Mavericks 41-27 6-4 2-1 1A W 5-7 W 22-20 W Yes<B> 12</B> 9 Suns 36-31 4-6 2-0 1A W 22-17 W Yes*<B> 7</B> * Indicates the Tie Break is final For more information on the Magic Number Chart or about seeding or tie break rules, read the FAQ <B>Clinched the #9 seed</B> Here is the latest batch of Magic Numbers after all games were played on <B>March 17</B>. It was a bad night for the Rockets. No losses for any of our main competitors. More importantly, let’s all hope for a speedy recovery for Carl Landry and be grateful that a scary situation didn’t result in anything more serious. A short-handed Pistons team traveled to Dallas. Sheed was automatically suspended for his league-leading 16th technical, and Rip Hamilton was out with a persistently sore groin. But they got the added benefit of being without AI. Even though they were down a couple of key guys, the Pistons battled hard, but ultimately Cuban’s boys pulled off a close win. Dirk had 30 points, Erik Dampier added 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Jason Terry had 18 points for the Mavs. Tayshaun Prince had 28 points and 7 rebounds for the Pistons, who play in Houston tomorrow night. I had overly optimistic hopes for the Wolves-Spurs game when I saw Duncan was out. It was the second night of a back-to-back, the Spurs are old, and the Wolves led for much of the first half. But this is the Wolves we’re talking about. They improved their lottery chances as Tony Parker led le resistance to victory in Minnesota. Parker finished with 24 points and 6 assists, and Roger Mason added 15 points for the Spurs, who move 2 full games ahead of the Rockets. Kevin Love and Sebastian Telfair each had 17 points for the Wolves are 6 games ahead of Sacramento for the worst record. Now Washington is a team with excellent chances to win the lottery. They started the night with the second worst record in the league, only 1½ games from catching the Kings. Even better they traveled to Utah, who is pretty hard to beat at home. Predictably, the Jazz built a big lead and coasted to the easy win, snapping their 3 game losing streak. Deron Williams had 12 points and 8 assists, and Kyle Korver added 15 points for the Jazz, who are just a ½ game back of Portland for the Northwest Division lead. Unfortunately for the Wizards, Suckramento also lost tonight. I’d hate to be the Magic Numerologist for these teams. You’d have to set up an inverse system to win the lottery. The Kings lost, all Magic Numbers go down. Bonus the Grizz beat the Clippers, they lose an extra point. It's just sad. The Lakers were cruising to victory over the 76ers with a 14 point 4th quarter lead when Phili deviated from the script. Donyell Marshall sparked the 76ers to a 20-2 run, capped off by Andre Iguodala’s game-winning 3 at the buzzer. Iguodala finished with 25 points. Pau Gasol had 25 for the Lakers, who lost a Magic Number. After a chaotic off day, the Rockets return to action when the Pistons come to town. Detroit is on the second night of a back-to-back, but Sheed didn’t play yesterday. I’m not sure about Rip Hamilton’s availability. We need to protect our home court after uninspiring losses to the Lakers and Spurs. Detroit is a borderline Contender, but they’re only 16-16 on the road. We should have Yao back, and that should be enough to help us hold onto the #3 seed another day. Also on tap for Wednesday: Blazers at Pacers, Wolves at Hornets, Nuggets at Grizz, 76ers at Suns
Are you sure about the Sheed suspension thing? He had 16 but the NBA rescinded 2 of them in late February. By my count, he's had 1 since then to bring his total to 15. He's missed the last 4 games with a calf injury.
lets hope both sheed and rip miss this one too. i also like the pacers and grizzlies chances for the upset at home. more so the pacers.
The following is a recent article by J. Feigen on sohu.com: http://sports.sohu.com/20090318/n262869963.shtml The Rockets had stormed past the Hornets to a certain win, with the final minutes reduced to a celebration of a win as stunning for the triumph over a division rival achieved without Yao Ming as for the comeback it required. With the game in its final minutes, Chris Paul lost the ball in the lane, where Kyle Lowry retrieved it and sent Von Wafer on his way to a breakaway slam that took the Rockets’ lead to 14. Right then, with the Rockets’ win in New Orleans on Monday moments away, thoughts leaped ahead to the post-season. The Rockets’ shaky grip on third in the Western Conference grew one game tighter. The Hornets’ second-consecutive defeat, following a blowout loss in Chicago, dripped them to sixth. If the playoffs were ready to begin, the Rockets would be opening in Houston against the Hornets, a team they had beaten in two of three meetings so far. As potential match ups go, the Rockets would seem capable of finding much worse. Their latest win, however, does not make New Orleans the ideal choice among few attractive alternatives. Not that the Rockets can pick and choose their playoff opponent, but the Hornets might not be the best choice, even if every win over a potential playoff foe does not bring thoughts of the post-season to come. “We always talk about how far we’re going to get in the playoffs, how much we’re going to be a championship contender,” forward Luis Scola said after the win in New Orleans. “Well, these types of games is just what those types of teams do. These kind of games are going to put you up there or right in the mix. It’s huge.” That does not qualify as a statement of preference, but it is difficult to not consider the first-round possibilities. As teams the Rockets would want to play, we can safely assume they would not want any part of the Lakers and likely won’t have to meet the certain top seed in the first round. They might like the eighth-place Mavericks, but that does not seem terribly likely, and it seems safe to assume the Suns won’t get into the playoffs to be an option. After that, the choices seem as difficult to separate as they are in the standings. That brings us back to New Orleans. It is close. Short flights. Same time zone. The Rockets have a pair of wins to inspire some confidence. Even with the addition of James Posey this season, the Hornets’ lack of depth has seemed to be a major shortcoming that would stop them in the post-season, and a big part of the Rockets’ win. There also seems to be a tendency toward hot-headedness. When things go wrong, Tyson Chandler and David West often seem to let their tempers diminish their play. Beyond that, the Hornets’ relative lack of post-season success makes them seem like a team that another team with a lack of post-season success (guess who) might be better off seeing in the first round. The Hornets, however, are led by one of the league’s best players. Playoff games are close. At the end of a game, when execution is everything, would the Rockets want any part of Chris Paul ducking around a high screen and maneuvering through their defense, to an alley-oop lob to Tyson Chandler or pull-up jumper? There has to be a better option that that. Portland has less post-season success than the Hornets. They have depth, but relatively few stars. Greg Oden may not play again this season and there is no telling whether he could bother Yao Ming. Most young players that rely on size take a few whippings from Yao before they get an idea of how to deal with Yao’s offensive talents. LaMarcus Aldridge is an underappreciated force, but the Rockets have done a good job against him. There is, however, the issue of Brandon Roy. As with Paul, you get him at the end of a close game and he makes plays, or have the Rockets forgotten his 31-feet rainbow in Portland this season. More than that, he makes good decisions, the sort that win close games. The Rockets have looked good at times against the Spurs, but they are the Spurs. No team has their championship experience, no one knows better how to execute under pressure. They are the sort of team you play as late as possible, not in the first round. The Jazz? The Rockets know better. Nothing has changed. Mehmet Okur still brings the beef to defend Yao with the shooting range that forces Yao to match up elsewhere. The Jazz still whip the Rockets on the offensive boards. The Rockets still hate playing in Salt Lake City. The Rockets would understandably want to beat no one more than the Jazz in the first round, but that cannot be the opponent they would choose. Poetic as it would be, this is not where anyone would prefer to start the post-season. Win a round, and then try again against the Jazz. That leaves the Nuggets. They do have a smart and greatly experienced point guard. Chauncey Billups still looks like the guy that was a Finals MVP, and there are all sorts of talents around him. The Nuggets have athletic power forwards, Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen, a full-sized center, and scorers, Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, that can light it up with anyone. Yet, the Rockets play the Nuggets well. The Rockets have reclaimed their defense, and can limit teams that rely on their scoring. As much as Yao respects Nene and hates playing in Denver’s altitude, he scores well against Nene and the Nuggets. The Denver defense often leaves openings for the Rockets sometimes shaky offense. The Rockets probably would not look forward to a series against the Nuggets, but that’s the way it is in the west. None of the choices seem too inviting. There might be a temptation to consider the young and still-flawed Hornets or Trail Blazers a better way to start, but the Nuggets might be the best matchup. Then again, maybe it does not matter. If the Rockets’ season has demonstrated anything it is that it might not matter who they play as much as how they play. They have shown themselves able to beat anybody, taking wins over every Western Conference team but the Lakers and each of the Eastern Conference powers. They can lose to anyone, too. They have had 11 consecutive seasons end before the second round. There is no obvious choice for a preferred first-round opponent, and even if they thought Denver might be the best option, the standings are too tightly packed to predict choose. They would be better off getting to the point they are playing well enough to finally win a playoff series, rather than to try to determine whom they would play.
At this point, I think it's hard to think about potential first-round match-ups when home court isn't even a certainty. Right now, all the Rockets need to do is focus on winning.....win at ALL costs. The more games you win, the better position you place yourself in the post-season, plain and simple. Our schedule through the rest of this year is essentially filled with post-season match-ups as it stands, and every game is just as pressure filled. Now, in the article, it says we wouldn't want to face the Hornets because of Chris Paul, but I beg to differ. I think the Hornets would be a great match-up for us because we match their strengths with our strengths perfectly, and we have better depth than they do. Most importantly, it's been proven that when you turn PGs like Paul, Nash, and Deron Williams into the primary scorers, the team generally loses....and we do a fantastic job of making sure Paul doesn't get anybody else involved. If he is to have a good game, it is because he is doing it on his own.
Yep, in fact, I am optimistic with our chances against all these four teams: Blazers, Mavs, Hornets, and Nuggets. Utah is tough because its bigs tend to exploit Yao's lack of speed, but if chance will have it that we match up this year, bring it on! Can anyone tell I am excited about the playoffs?
<B> Games H2H Div Con Overall Magic </B> <B> Team W/L L10 H2H Left TB Div TB Conf TB TieBreak Number Diff</B> 1 Lakers 53-14 6-4 0-3 1A L 36-7 L No*<B> 24</B> (-1) 2 Spurs 45-22 6-4 1-2 1A L 9-4 L 29-12 L No<B> 16</B> (-1) 3 Rockets 45-25 7-3 7-6 28-13 4 Nuggets 44-25 5-5 3-1 None W 27-14 W Yes*<B> 12</B> (-1) 5 Blazers 43-25 7-3 1-1 1H T 22-19 W Yes<B> 13</B> (-1) 6 Hornets 42-25 7-3 2-1 1H W 6-4 L 24-15 W Yes<B> 13</B> (-1) 7 Jazz 42-26 7-3 2-1 1A W 28-11 L Yes<B> 12</B> (-1) 8 Mavericks 41-27 6-4 2-1 1A W 5-7 W 22-20 W Yes<B> 11</B> (-1) 9 Suns 37-31 4-6 2-0 1A W 22-17 W Yes*<B> 6</B> (-1) * Indicates the Tie Break is final For more information on the Magic Number Chart or about seeding or tie break rules, read the FAQ <B>Clinched the #9 seed</B> After a chaotic past couple of days, the Rockets were due for some breaks. None of their competitors did them any favors tonight, so the Rockets needed to win to stay atop the scrum. Carl Landry was out for the Rockets, but the Pistons were without Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and AI in addition to playing the second game of a back-to-back. Despite atrocious rebounding and our too customary late game metal lapses, the Rockets outlasted the Pistons in double overtime. I will definitely take the win, but we continue to play without any discipline in the closing minutes. Yao is a beast and needs to get the ball more. Rick please make it happen. Still tonight’s victory was over a Contender, and we had dropped our last 2 at home. All Magic Numbers drop 1, and the Rockets maintain the #3 seed. Greg Oden finally returned for the Blazers as they played at Indianapolis, who had Danny Granger starting for the first time in over a month. The Pacers have taken down some good teams this season, but not tonight. Portland had big 1st and 3rd quarters and cruised to the easy win. Brandon Roy had 20 points and 6 assists, and Joel Przybilla had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Greg Oden had 4 points and 7 rebounds in his return. Danny Granger had a much better individual performance, putting up 35 points and 10 rebounds in the Pacer’s loss. The Wolves gave the Hornets a tough game. It went back and forth in the final minutes, but Chris Paul capped another stellar game with a game-winning assist to David West for a wide-open dunk with 12.6 seconds left. New Orleans seems to be in a funk. They’ve barely beaten bad teams of late, and they’ve dropped a number of games to Contenders. This doesn’t bode well for them, but still they got the victory. Chris Paul continues to make a case for MVP with 26 points and 10 assists, and David West had 14 points and 8 rebounds for the Hornets. The Grizz seemed like they had an upset over the Nuggets all locked up. Despite leading the entire game, Memphis cratered in the closing seconds and allowed Enver to escape with a victory. It’s the fourth straight win for Enver, but this was a very unimpressive win, attributed more to horrid Memphis play down the stretch. It also snaps a 6 game road losing streak and allows Enver to stay atop the Northwest division by ½ game. Carmelo had 35 points, including a closing seconds 3 point play, and Chauncey Billups added 18 points and 12 assists. The Suns were going for their 3rd straight victory and drew a hot 76ers fresh off their dramatic last-second win over the Lakers. As is custom in the Seven Seconds or Shaq era, Phoenix lit up the scoreboard. It was a close game, but Phoenix finished strong and prevailed in a shootout. Steve Nash had 24 points and 10 assists, and Shaq rumbled to 26 points and 11 rebounds. Andre Miller had 23 points and 8 assists, and last night’s hero Andrew Iguodala managed just 11 points and 7 rebounds for the 76ers. The Suns remain 4 games back of Dallas for the last playoff spot. On tap for Thursday: Mavs at Hawks, Blazers at Cavs, Warriors at Lakers
I am concerned that we may not be in 3rd place after next week. The spurs always seem to step up their game right before the playoffs and Utah always seems to have our number. And, we're playing both of them away.
If we lose to the Spurs, we will have the same number of losses as 7th seed Jazz. That's a crazy drop from 3rd to 7th.
The good news is that we are only going to be playing 4 games in next 2 weeks. So Landry having to sit out for few weeks will not be too bad (assuming that he'll be able to come back in 2 wks.) We'll be playing Minnesota, SA, Utah, and Clippers. We should win against Minnesota and Clippers. If we win at least one between Utah and SA, I would be happy (especially if we win against SA).
Is it still 1,2,3 for the division winners or did they finally change it and just go by record. Because if it's the old we're either 2 if we catch the Spurs or the 4th seed.
If you win your division, you're guaranteed a top 4 seed. But if you're first round opponent has a better record, you don't get the home court advantage. That's what happened to the Jazz last year. Houston and Phoenix had better records but the Jazz won their division so they got the #4 seed with the Rox #5 and the Suns #6. But since the Jazz got matched up against the Rockets (who had the better record), Houston got the home court advantage instead of Utah. It's possible to be the #2 or #3 seed if you don't win your division. New Orleans won the SW Division last year and got the #2 seed. San Antonio didn't win the division and got the #3 seed. If the Rox don't jump the Spurs, they can still be the #3 seed.
