The only two teams I actually track in the NBA, even though they're never on TV in Atlanta, are the Blazers and the Wizards, and both of them are really sucking right now.
Portland has now lost 5 straight to fall 4.5 games behind the 3 teams essentially tied for 7th in the West. The Blazers' once-intimidating home court advantage is fading, as they are 3-4 since the middle of January at home and those 3 wins were by a combined 4 pts (or 10 if you count the OT margin) over the Knicks, Bulls, and Hawks (none close to .500). Looking ahead, the Blazers are in a world of hurt if they intend to catch up with the playoff hunt. They get the Lakers twice and the Celtics before the end of February, and 6 of their first 7 games in March are on the road where Portland is 8-18 this year.
Meanwhile, the Bullets have the luxury of being in the East, where .500 is good enough for a decent seed, and yet they're doing everything they can to exit the playoff picture. At 1-9 in the last 10, Washington is now 3 games under .500 after playing their 6th straight game without Caron Butler. The most frustrating part for the Wiz is that they have leads in the 4th and just can't close the deal (see the Knicks and Warriors games in the last week). The schedule is not favorable either. Two games with the Hornets among others make 2-6 in the next 8 very realistic. Washington needs to pull it together and get healthy prior to mid-March, when there's a good chance for them to make up some ground. On the positive side, 25-28 is good for the 6th seed in the East right now, and the Wizards should be able to hold off the Kidd-less Nets and the 76ers. Atlanta, Indiana, and Chicago are capable of making a run, but the Wizards should still make the playoffs.
Yes, this is the obligatory, requested NBA post.
8 Responses:
Juan Dixon is a Piston!
Steve Blake is a Trailblazer!
I mean he is now a Piston. This makes Detroit the hands down favorite to win it all. Don't you think?
I think his one minute per game will be decisive.
No, Big Tuna is right. This is the piece Detroit needs to compete with Boston. I think Juan can cover all five Celtics at once, freeing the others up to take a blow mid-game.
Heh, Thanks.
Isn't odd how many times Duke and Maryland players end up moving around in the NBA?
What I didnt know until Wednesday night was that D. J. Strawberry is a Phoenix Sun who actually gets bench minutues as a defensive replacement behind Nash and Leandro Barbosa. I never thought he was that great in college, so I was surprised to see him as the 7th man getting minutes for a good NBA team.
Unfortunately for the Suns, he still can't shoot.
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