Well March is as good a month as any to start putting it together if you want to make some noise in the playoffs or you want to make it in the playoff. The team has done just that and March is shaping up as the team's best month of the season so far. I also expect April will be a further improvement. AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: FG% 47.7% - The best month before that was November at 44%. That kind of improvement is amazing and is very encouraging for the stretch run. 3pt % is an impressive 40%, and with the exception of Oct which had only one game, the best month previously was Dec, at 34%. 19.5 assist/game - The best month before that was 18.73 in Dec. 98.75 pts/game - Continuing the pace set in Feb, the improvement is over a point a game. 8.33 steals /game - The team has steadfastly improved over the season but the jump in March was the biggest, improving on Feb's 7.08, the previous monthly high. 5.83 bks/game was a rebound from Feb's 5.3 the lowest monthly performance. I would think that we could return to the Dec level of 6.67/game. If that is done, I like our chance of making some noise. Rebounding in March was the lowest and I am not sure what are the various things that cause that to happen. First our fg% is up and probably the same for our opponents plus MoT has been getting more minutes and we know what that means as far as rebounding. The numbers are definitely backing up what we are seeing on the court as the team chemistry and confidence are clearly building. Where will we be 4/16/03, that final night? Will we be crowned the most dangerous team going into the western playoffs? Will the Kings and the Spurs want to avoid us?
Honestly, I don't care who we see. But if I had to choose, it would be the Mavs. Yao has a clear advantage in the post over there, and he's now seen every single look they can throw at him. Whether it's Bradley, Lafrentz or the Najera/Nowitzki combo, he knows what's coming now, and he'll learn how to deal with it. I can see our C position dominating their C position mercilessly with Yao and Cato just abusing everything they bring out. The X-factor would be how well our 2/3 combo plays. Out of Mobley/Rice/Posey, if 2 of those guys can play decent ball, we have a damn good chance. I also like what I expect to see from Steve in the playoffs. One of his idols was Hakeem, and he saw how Hakeem came through in the playoffs. Also, judging by the Lakers and Sacramento performances this season, he does seem to rise to the challenge. It really is intruiging what he may come up with. Overall, it's the experience that counts. We get swept, that's fine. We know what it's like to be there and what it takes to get there. We also would know how it feels to go home early in the first round. We also find out who the real players are and who chokesi n the playoffs. As long as we're there, it's a positive experience.
