Agreed, but I don't think it's that much of a long shot. I would swap the Mavs and Hornets because I think the Hornets will win one or the Mavs will lose to the Rockets. That makes the Mavs #7 and the Hornets #6. Even if we're #3, I think we can take the Nuggets without home court in the second round. But that's as good as it gets. We are in a bracket with the Nuggets, Mavs, and Hornets. We should advance to the WCF. The Lakers face the Jazz and then probably the Blazers. They could get knocked off, but even if they don't, they're a bit bruised up before reaching the WCF. It's definitely a credible path to a title run, and I think it's quite likely to be seeded this way.
I can't see the Jazz staying 8 unless Lakers beat them. If they win out against both LA teams then they are a lock for at least 7th. NO- 49-31 DAL- 48-32 UTH- 47-33 Each have two games left. We can't afford to not win, so something has to give...which kind of sucks. If we beat NO, assume DAL and UTH beat the Clippers and Timberwolves, then the records will reflect 49-32, 49-32, 48-33- going into the final game. If the Jazz win that Lakers game then NO must beat SA to stay in front. If we beat Dallas then we swap them with the Jazz. Also if Denver loses to Portland, we would get the second seed and thus play the Jazz yet again in the first round. It is kind of cool, for the Mav haters out there, the implications of that final game- we could be sendng the Mavs straight into an early fishing trip in what could at maximum be a 5 game series between the Mavs and Lakers. So in short... we win out ='s Jazz must lose one to be 8th. Our wins come at NOH and DAL's expense. In a perfect world, Jazz lose to the Lakers (Lakers don't want to show weakness or give a mental edge by playing to avoid the Jazz), NO beats SA. Portland v. Denver game will determine our first round opponent. We will also know the results of the Jazz game before we play Dallas, though that is a must win anyways I believe. -V
the Jazz just failed at home against the Warriors and people are STILL worried about them beating the Lakers and facing us in the Playoffs? we will crush the stinking Utah Jazz if we met in Round 1.
No. Spurs only need to win one of the two road games (Kings, Golden State) and the last home game to challenge SW division title. As long as they win one road and one home game, we can only secure SW division by wining both DAL and NOR. Win both of the two road games doesn't help them at all. so why bother?
Yep, this is probably the only way we can win a title this season, avoiding the Lakers and Jazz in the playoffs. I don't fear any of the eastern conference teams. We match up superbly with Cleveland and Orlando, Boston is hurting so I dont think they will make it. This is turning out to be quite a season.
I swear to you guys there's some bs going on right now in the league. The Refs missed a bad bad call tonight. The ball was still in Finley's hands with 00 on the clock and still let the three pointer count. I can't believe this crap. Sac-Town was screwed.
i was watching that game, hoping spurs lose to the kings... well, stern will not let rox win a division title easily
No this crap just makes me real pissed off. Just like last night with Golden State and Utah. DWilliams like hooked Bires(I know I'm not spelling it right) and still called a foul on GS. Just makes me real mad how this stuff is going anymore
Eh, like the other guy said, they still would've had to have lost to the Warriors for it to mean anything in the division race. I'm not calling a conspiracy against the Rockets yet. It screws the Trailblazers out of a potential 4th seed though.
Agreed. Now the Spurs-Warriors game tomorrow night is completely meaningless to the SW division title race.
so compared to 24 hours ago, seeds #2-#8 are still as clear as mud? i know some odds changed, but we have the same amount of possibilities at hand (incl. we playing utah in the 1st round). can't wait for wednesday.
<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 64-17 7-3 0-4 None L 43-8 L No*<B> 14</B> 2 Nuggets 53-27 8-2 3-1 None W 34-16 T Yes*<B> 3</B> 3 Spurs 52-28 6-4 2-2 None T 9-6 L 34-16 T No<B> 3</B> 4 Rockets 52-28 7-3 8-6 34-16 5 Blazers 52-28 8-2 2-1 None W 30-20 W Yes*<B> 2</B> 6 Hornets 49-31 5-5 2-1 1H W 9-5 L 30-20 W Yes<B> Exterminated</B> 7 Mavericks 48-32 6-4 2-1 1A W 6-9 W 27-23 W Yes*<B> Bridled</B> 8 Jazz 47-33 3-7 2-2 None T 32-18 W Yes<B> Silenced</B> * Indicates the Tie Break is final <B>Clinched the #5 seed</B> Here is the latest batch of Magic Numbers after all games were played on <B>April 12</B>. The big news of the day is that Yao is fine and will play tomorrow. I’ve been on pins and needles since Yao missed the Warriors game. Otherswise, it was kind of a quiet day in the NBA before the action kicks back into major gear on Monday. The Rockets dropped to #4 in the standings, but can reclaim #3 tomorrow with a win. Mavs at Hornets The big game of the day was Mavs-Hornets II: Cuban’s Vengance. Two nights after losing in Dallas, the Hornets played the Mavs to a standstill through 3 quarters. Then it became the Chris Paul show. Paul almost had a triple double in leading the Hornets to a crucial victory. The win nearly guarantees the Hornets won’t finish #8 and gives them the inside track for #6. Their Magic Number over the Mavs and Jazz is 1. The Mavs can knock their Magic Number over the Jazz to 1 with a victory over the Wolves tomorrow. Chris Paul had another MVP-worthy night with 31 points, 17 assists, and 9 rebounds, and David West added 31 points and 6 rebounds for the Hornets. Dirk put up 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Mavs. We all need to put on our Laker hats and root for LA on Tuesday. If they beat the Jazz, Utah will almost certainly open up as the #8 seed. The Rest of Sunday’s Games The beat up Spurs were without Duncan as they played in Suckramento. Maybe the cowbells rang heavy on the Spurs' old ears, because the Kings led for most of this game. The Spurs tied it up late and won the game on a controversial Finley 3 that clearly was not off before the shot clock expired. San Antonio gets a major break as they keep pace with Houston, Enver, and Portland. Tony Parker had 25 points and 9 assists, and Roger Mason scored 22 points for the Spurs. Spencer Hawes had 24 points and 8 rebounds for the Kings. Suckramento couldn’t pull this one off, but they can throw a huge monkey wrench into the top of the bracket with an upset in Enver tomorrow night. I don’t expect it, but it’s the Nuggets and you never know… The Lakers were in a must-win situation if they wanted to edge out the Cavs for best record in the NBA, and Kobe eats rare bear meat for breakfast. That didn’t fare well for the Grizz, who visited LA. This was a pretty predictable game, and the Lakers hammered Memphis. Andrew Bynum looked good with 18 points and 5 rebounds, and Darth Mamba scored 16 for the Lakers. The Cavs clinch the top record with just 1 more win. Hopfully the Pacers can take them down tomorrow night and give the Lakers incentive to play all out on Tuesday. O.J. Mayo scored 20 for the Grizz. Magic Numbers #1 Overall Cavs: @Pacers, 76ers Magic Number over Lakers: 1 (-1) Lakers: Jazz Magic Number over Cavs: 3 (-1) Magic Numbers #2 - #5 2 Nuggets: Kings, @Blazers Magic Number over Rockets: 2 Magic Number over Blazers: 1 Magic Number over Spurs: 1 3 Spurs: @Warriors, Hornets Magic Number over Rockets: 3 (-1) Magic Number over Blazers: 3 (-1) Magic Number over Nuggets: 4 (-1) 5 Blazers: Thieves, Nuggets Magic Number over Rockets: 3 Magic Number over Spurs: 2 Magic Number over Nuggets: 4 Magic Numbers #6 - #8 6 Hornets: @Rockets, @Spurs Magic Number over Jazz: 1 (-1) Magic Number over Mavs: 1 (-2) 7 Mavs: Wolves, Rockets Magic Number over Jazz: 2 Magic Number over Hornets: 4 8 Jazz: Clippers, @Lakers Magic Number over Mavs: 3 (-1) Magic Number over Hornets: 4 Showdown with the Hornets We’ve got Yao back, we’re playing at home, and we face a Hornets team who hasn’t been playing well in several weeks and is coming off a game today. If this Rockets team is going to make a deep run, this is a game they have to win. There is simply too much at stake for them to blow this game. Chris Paul will have a good game, but we need to keep David West and crew from killing us. I feel very good about this game and will be quite surprised if we lose. A victory puts us back at #3 and just 1 game away from the Southwest Division crown. Also on tap for Monday: Wolves at Mavs, Kings at Nuggets, Clippers at Jazz, Thieves at Blazers, Spurs at Warriors
Wednesday is going to be the franchise's most important day in a very long time. Our chances of advancing deep into the playoffs hinge on our first round match-up and our seeding.
