With less then two weeks to go in this shorten 66-game NBA season, some teams are trying to hang on to their playoff positioning, others are making their final push to make the playoffs, and the rest have already booked their off-season "get away" trips and look forward to seeing their teams name on the NBA lottery show. As like last week, Boomer's "Slam Dunk" edition of the NBA will provide you with the standings from each conference (East and West), Games to watch for this upcoming week, and maybe...just maybe a dunk or two, so be on the look out for it. Now lets get into...Sssssss
1) Chicago Bulls 45-14
2) Miami Heat 40-17
3) Indiana Pacers 36-22
4) Boston Celtics 34-24
5) Atlanta Hawks 34-24
6) Orlando Magic 34-24
7) Philadelphia 76ers 31-27
8) New York Knicks 30-28
IN THE HUNT
9) Milwaukee Bucks 28-30
Impressive win last night by the Chicago Bulls over the Miami Heat, even with D. Rose in the starting lineup he wasn't much of a factor (1-13 from the floor), however, it was the rest of the Bulls (especially the guys off the bench) that provided the scoring and a nice 96-86 OT victory, that wrap up the Central Division for the Bulls as well as probably the #1 seed in the East. Boston looks to have a hold on the Atlantic Division, while the 76ers and Knicks try to hold off the Bucks from stealing one of their playoff spots. While the Pacers, Hawks, and Magic all battle for playoff positioning. Interesting to see how the final two weeks play out, to see which teams get what seed for the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
1) Oklahoma City Thunder 42-16
2) San Antonio Spurs 41-16
3) Los Angeles Lakers 37-22
4) Los Angeles Clippers 36-23
5) Memphis Grizzles 34-24
6) Dallas Mavs 33-26
7) Houston Rockets 32-26
8) Denver Nuggets 32-26
IN THE HUNT
9) Utah Jazz 31-28
10) Phoenix Suns 30-28
The Thunder and Spurs are in a deadlock race for the 1 seed, as the two teams have flip flopped with each other the past week. The two LA-based teams will be battling for the 3rd spot and could slip to the 5 seed if they stumble down the stretch, allowing the Grizzles to possibly jump into the Top 4 seedings. After Memphis, the Mavs, Rockets, Nuggets, Jazz, and Suns are all within 2.5 games of each other. The West is just going to be crazy to watch down the stretch as five teams battle for three spots. Tell me who's not ready for the Western Conference Playoffs, its going to be EPIC.
I TOLD YOU WATCH OUT!!! HE'S BACK!!!
The dude just knows how to dunk, imagine if he had a jumper to go along with his game.
Games of the Week
Tonight (4/13) FRIDAY THE 13TH
Hawks at Magic (7:00 PM EST) FSFL
- Both teams come into this game with the same W-L record (34-24), as the Hawks sit in the 5th spot, while the Magic are in the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference. Dwight Howard has a bum back and will not go in tonight's game. Both teams still have a chance to jump into the Top 4, as they are only two games back of the Pacers and Celtics (Celtics will be guaranteed a Top 4 finish if they win the Atlantic). This matchup is always fun to watch, and tonight will be no different.
Suns at Rockets (8:00 PM EST) ESPN
- One of many match ups over the next couple weeks to watch, due to the fact these two are in the conversation of being IN or OUT, out west in the Western Conference playoffs. The Suns are looking in from the the outside right now, but could steal and win tonight on the road and itch themselves ever closer to the 8th spot in the West. With a "W" by the Rockets it would give them a little breathing room from those two teams (Jazz as well), looking in from the outside. Possibly a elimination game here?
Tomorrow (4/14 Saturday)
Jazz at Grizzles (8:00 PM EST) SportSouth
- Another meeting in which a team on the outside tries to steal a "W" on the road from a team sitting inside the playoffs right now. The Jazz will be either coming off a win or lose to the NO Hornets, so it will be interesting to see what happens in this game, as the Grizzles try and jump one of the two LA-based teams down the stretch. The Grizzles have a pretty favorable remaining schedule as they only face one current playoff team in their final eight games (Season Finale vs. Magic).
Suns at Spurs (9:00 PM EST) ESPN
- Remember not to long ago, when these to twos got together it was "must-see" NBA tv. Since, the Suns have falling back and little bit, while somehow the ageless plus a little youth movement by the Spurs have kept them back at/or near the top of the Western Conference Standings. Despite what the Suns do tonight in Houston, will determine how they are feeling coming into this "must-win" game for the boys of Phoenix. With a Spurs win and a potential 0-2 Texas trip, that might just do in the Suns for any chance of making the Western Conference Playoffs this season and the last chance for Steve Nash.
Sunday (4/15)
Heat at Knicks (1:00 PM EST) ABC
- Could this be a preview of a first round Eastern Conference matchup? With the Heat coming off that letdown lose to the Bulls on Thursday Night, the Heat need to show that they can beat a playoff team on the road, or in general in the case. The Knicks could continue building some momentum with this one, as they try to hold off the Milwaukee Bucks for the 8th and final spot in the Eastern Conference.
Mavs at Lakers (3:30 PM EST) ABC
- What a year makes. The Lakers will try and go for the regular season sweep of the defending champions with or without Kobe Bryant. The Mavs sweep the Lakers out of the playoffs a year ago on their way to winning the NBA Title. Fast Forward to the present and the aging Mavs have had their share of post-championship blues/lows, with the latest spending reining 6th Man of the Year Lamar Odom to the inactive roster, putting an end to his lost season in Dallas. The Lakers have looked to their 7 footers (Gasol and Bynum) to provide the scoring while Bryant has sat out with a leg injury.
Rockets at Nuggets (8:00 PM EST) ALT
- A game between the current 7th and 8th seed out west, should be a entertaining and meaningful game for both teams as they both try to cling to a playoff seed. This game is the first of back-back games between the two teams, as they play in Houston Monday night, big swing game implications.
Monday (4/16)
Thunder at Clippers (10:30 PM EST) NBA TV
- In what could be a potential 2nd round matchup in the Western Conference playoffs, the top seeded Thunder will travel out to LA to face the Clippers on NBA TV Monday night. The Clippers got a nice win at OKC last Wednesday (100-98) and hold a 2-1 lead vs. the Thunder in the regular season. Who will Blake Griffin dunk on this time around?
Tuesday (4/17)
Celtics at Knicks (8:00 PM EST) TNT
-It is always entertaining when there two teams meet up with each other, and has always been an intriguing matchup for the two teams. While the Celtics' have been the hottest team in the Eastern Conference since the All-Star Break, the Knicks have had some impressive wins themselves during that stretch. Now I don't see the Knicks catching the Celtics in the standings, I like the Knicks at home in this one.
Spurs at Lakers (10:30 PM EST) TNT
- The just less then a week ago, these two teams got together, with the Kobe-less Lakers got a blowout victory in San Antonio, 98 to 84. The Lakers are 5 games back of the Spurs in the Western Conference Standings and depending on how the weekend works out the Lakers could be in position to catch the Spurs in the standings. The chances of that are slim, but this game will mean a lot for both teams, as the two teams will battle once more before the end of the regular season (seriously, Lakers/Spurs three times in April, thats a mini-series right there).
Wednesday (4/18)
Magic at Celtics (8:00 PM EST) ESPN
- These two teams always put on a good game, when they both go up against each other. While the Celtics have been one hot team since the All-Star Break, the Magic have dealt with a lot of drama, with their big man Dwight Howard. Howard is out during the weekend due to back issues, so it will be interesting to see if he plays in this one or not, and lets see if the C's can catch the Pacers for the three seed.
Thursday (4/19)
Bulls at Heat (8:00 PM EST) TNT
- Deja vu. Same two teams. Same time and channel. different week and venue. For the 2nd time in a week, the top two teams in the Eastern Conference go at it one more time. It's going to be the Heat's last chance to catch the Bulls in the standings and would give the Bulls some extra momentum, heading into the playoffs knowing they can beat the Heat on the road. I think everyone is just waiting for these two teams to meet up in the playoffs and go at each other. This one should provide us with another preview of that.
