Exciting night for non playoff teams

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Finally fans of losing teams having something to look forward to for the first time since October. Tonight is not only the night of the first game of the Western Conference finals. It is draft lottery night. As excited as fans may be about acquiring a franchise player some fans will be disappointed after the lottery is all said and done. The Lakers could possibly lose their pick to the Sixers. The Sixers could end up with 3 picks in the top 11. And the most unlikely of all the Thunder have a .5% chance of winning the number one pick. A lot of these losing teams are banking on the possibility of getting a franchise player. I'm most interested in seeing where teams like the Heat, Magic and Pacers land in the lottery. A high pick for any of those teams could be what gets them in the playoffs.
Here is a break down of each teams odds and there record from last year.

• Minnesota Timberwolves (16-66): 25%
• New York Knicks (17-65): 19.9%
• Philadelphia 76ers (18-64): 15.6%
• Los Angeles Lakers (21-61): 11.9%
• Orlando Magic (25-57): 8.8%
• Sacramento Kings (29-53): 6.3%
• Denver Nuggets (30-52): 4.3%
• Detroit Pistons (32-50): 2.8%
• Charlotte Hornets (33-49): 1.7%
• Miami Heat (37-45): 1.1%
• Indiana Pacers (38-44): 0.8%
• Utah Jazz (38-44): 0.7%
• Phoenix Suns (39-43): 0.6%
• Oklahoma City Thunder (45-37): 0.5%

The lottery will be on tonight at 8 o'clock eastern time on ESPN. The lottery will be followed by game one of the Western Conference finals between the Warriors and Rockets. This should be a good night for NBA fans.

Rockets or Clippers?

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Tomorrow the Rockets and Clippers will play a game 7 in Houston. The winner will advance and face the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals. The Rockets have all the momentum going into this game. After being down 3-1 in the series Houston has won two in a row to stay alive. In game 6 it looked like the clippers were going to put the nail in the coffin and finish off the Rockets. The Clippers were up by 19 points in the third quarter and were dominating the Rockets. By the time the third quarter came to a close the Rockets were still down by 13. With James Harden on the bench, most people thought the game was over. That's where everyone was wrong. In the fourth quarter the Rockets outscored the Clippers 40 to 15 and went on to win by 12. Hard to imagine the team down by 13 going on to win such an important game by 12. It's even harder to imagine when their best player didn't play the whole fourth quarter. That's right! James Harden didn't log a single second in the final quarter of game 6. So who fueled such a hefty scoring fourth quarter? The credit goes to Josh Smith, Corey Brewer and Jason Terry. Dwight Howard contributed, but those role players all stepped up and at the right time to help the Rockets force game 7.
In game 7 I'm going to stick with the Rockets. They are the hot team right now and they put a lot of pressure on the Clippers. I think it will be hard for the Clippers to put that game 6 loss behind especially considering it was their second opportunity to finish off the Rockets. Also game 7 will be in Houston which definitely plays in the Rockets favor. I expect to see the best James Harden and a healthy Dwight Howard after two days of rest.
This will be a close game though. The Clippers have a very deep team and have multiple ways of attacking the Rockets defense. The Clippers can spread the floor and shoot the three, but they can also run a deadly pick and role with either Jordan or Griffin. Griffin also is a great passer from the post so look for him to kick out to the three point shooters or dump it off to Jordan. For the Rockets they are going to need Josh Smith, Corey Brewer, Jason Terry, Terrance Jones and Trevor Ariza all at their best in game 7 to overcome the depth of the Clippers. This should be a closely contested game and possibly the best of the playoffs so far. Tune in to ABC Sunday, May 17 at 3:30 for tip off.

Two Honorable Mentions for this years MVP Race

Let me start off by saying that this year's MVP race does not have a clear cut winner like there have been in the past. This year there are five lagitiment candidates along with some honorable mentions. I'll start off by naming two honorable mentions.

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First up is Marc Gasol. I'm giving the first honorable mention spot to Gasol because of the season his team has had. The Grizzlies have held the two seed for most of the season and have only recently slipped to three behind the Rockets. The Grizzlies success this season is mostly thanks to Gasol. Gasol is averaging a career high 17.5 points per game (ppg). He is also has 7.9 rebounds per game (rpg) and 1.6 block per game (blkpg) to go with his 17.5 ppg. Gasol deserves some more praise. His stat line doesn't shout MVP material, but he could easily put up a double double on any night. He is also probably the only center in the NBA that can dominate on both ends of the floor. Gasol could make a jumper from the top of the key on the offensive end and then could get a block the very next play. Not many centers in the NBA can do both of those things. Many forget he was the defensive player of the year in 2013. Gasol is a threat on both ends of the floor, something that is missing in the NBA today.

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The second honorable mention goes to LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge is averaging a double double for the season with 23.5 ppg and 10.4 rpg. He is also averaging 1 blkpg. Oh yeah. Did I mention he is doing all of this with a torn ligament in his thumb? He tore a ligament in his thumb back in January and has decided to play through it. Thanks to Aldridge and Lillard's outstanding play the Blazers currently sit in the fourth seed in a tough western conference. I think Aldridge should be brought up in MVP conversation more often, but this year there are so many candidates he fall out of the top 5.

Has it become the Wild East?

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In the Eastern Conference it has become a dog fight for the last two playoff spots. Over the last two months six teams have been leaping over each other and changing positions in the standing. Detroit, Indiana, Miami, Charlotte, Boston, and Brooklyn all have been struggling to hold on to one of those two spots. Miami seemed to have a good grip on the seventh seed, while the other five were trying to snag the eight seed. Then Miami lost Chris Bosh and with him they started to slip.
Two weeks after the all star break it looked like the Nets were going run away from the pack taking the eighth seed and looking to take Miami's seventh seed. Detroit fell down a few spots, but were still in striking distance, while Charlotte and Boston hit some speed bumps. During it all Indian quietly raised through the ranks.

Tim Fuller USA TODAY SPORTS

Fast forward two more weeks to today and things have drastically changed again. The Detroit Pistons had a good fight while it lasted, but loosing there last eight games they have blown there opportunity at a playoff spot. It's not entirely there fault. They lost arguably there best player Brandon Jennings for the rest of the year and without him they were going to struggle.

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The Nets seem lost. The had a 4-2 stretch against the NBA's top teams including wins against Dallas and Golden State. It looked like the Nets could be a threat to a top team with the reemergence of Deron Williams and newly acquired Thadeus Young. Two weeks later and the Nets look flat. They've lost there last five games and two of them came to Charlotte and Miami, two teams they needed to win against to build a cushion for the eighth seed. Being four games out of eighth with only 19 games left the Nets really need to get it together. I would say there chances are slim, but with games against Indiana, Boston and Charlotte still left on the schedule they aren't out yet.

Charlotte is playing very inconsistent. They can go in one night and beat a good team or win an important game by 20 or 30 points and then lose the next game to a lottery team by 20. With this kind of inconsistency I wouldn't expect Charlotte to make the playoffs. Especially with there schedule. Its not favorable that they win any of there up coming game.

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Boston has to be the most shocking team in the playoff race. They were bound to be a lottery team this season and have gathered many picks to draft well for the future. They also traded Rondo early in the season and then waived or traded the guys they got for him. It looked like a tanking in progress. But anything is possible in the east. The Celtics have a pretty favorable schedule coming up. They have some games against weak teams and they also have Miami, Brooklyn, Indiana, and Charlotte all circled on their calendar. Don't forget they added Isaiah Thomas at the trade deadline. I think the Celtics have a legit shot at making it.

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Indiana is a sleeper team. Many people expected them to fall into the lottery this year and have a quick rebuild for next year. Just like the Spurs did in 1997. After losing Robinson for a whole season the Spurs added Tim Duncan with the number overall pick. Robinson and Duncan won two championships together. Well it doesn't look like Paul George will be getting a new running mate next season. Instead he is planning on coming back this season and helping his team make a playoff push. Indiana is in a great spot right now. If they make the playoffs they'll have George on the court and if they don't they can get a young prospect in the draft. The Pacers have six must win games coming up. Two against the Nets and Celtics and one against the Heat and Hornets. If the Pacers win all those games and the games against teams below .500 they will be a lock for the playoffs. They are 8-1 since the all-star break with no signs of slowing down. The Pacers are definitely a team that everyone should keep an eye on.

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Miami is the last team of the six. Currently in the the eighth seed a half game back of Indiana and a half game ahead of Charlotte. Miami could go either way at this point. They won an important game against Brooklyn last night, but there schedule is unpredictable. If Wade and Dragic stay healthy and Hassan Whiteside keeps up his level of play they should make the playoffs as an 8 seed. It's unfortunate what happened to the Heat. It looked like they formed another big three then Bosh was ruled out for the season by blood clots in his lungs. I really don't know what to think of the Heat. I think they can either fall in the standings or rise all depending on the health of the team.

Could Deron Williams Become Himself Again?

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Deron Williams has been a huge disappointment thus far in his tenure with the Brooklyn Nets. When he signed his brand new contract in the summer of 2012 he was number nine in ESPN's player rankings. I still can't believe it. Nine out of the 500 or so players. I mean nine! Since then his play has been nothing impressive. In fact it's been mediocre at best. In game two of last years playoffs he scored 0 points. This had to be Williams lowest point. In the off season he had surgery on both his ankles hoping to come into this season the healthiest he's been since his last year in New Jersey.

Williams looked promising putting up numbers good enough to notch him eastern conference player of the week for week one. Since then his production has gone down. He has also dealt with injuries along the way. Heading into the all-star break Williams was only a shell of his former self. 

After the all-star break Williams has played in a way that I haven't seen since his last year in New Jersey. He was putting up decent scoring numbers while tallying up double digit assists each night. It seemed like Williams was finally contributing to the team again. Then he went into Dallas and put up 25 points. He went 4 for 6 from three. Not only did he shoot well, but he shot in rhythm. Each shot he took looked like it was going in. Also his body language was good. He looked comfortable taking shot and was willing to shoot. Something that I haven't seem in Williams in a long time. His crossovers were smooth, but also very explosive. He was able to take guys off the dribble to the rim. And once he got that going he was able to pull off hesitation moves to get an open jump shot. 

I hope that Williams continues to play this way and make a great playoff push. 

I've been waiting for Williams to have game like last night because sometimes all it takes is the ball going through the hoop to get your confidence back. Even if he doesn't have the best shooting night tomorrow, I want him to continue to shoot. As we all saw last night he still have the explosive and quick dribble moves to get his defender off balance now all he needs is some shooting confidence. 

Nightmare in Oklahoma

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'It can't be possible.' 'Are you serious?' 'No way!' That was every persons reaction in Thunder nation last night. I am not even a Thunder fan and it was a sad sight to see, but low and behold Russell Westbrook left the game in the second quarter with a broken right hand. The season is slowly looking worst and worst for the Thunder.
The only positive to make of Westbrook's injury is that the upcoming schedule for the Thunder is relatively easy. This means the team might be able to stay a float if they can string a few wins together and stay above the .500 mark until Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant come back. That also means bench players and some younger guys will get more minutes and be able to develop.
The goal for this Thunder team this year will no longer be achieving the top seed in the east. Instead they could be fighting for a playoff berth when March roles around. I say this because I don't know if the team will be able to win games with out Westbrook and even when he comes back they will still be missing last years MVP Kevin Durant.
Everyone thought trading Harden was a mistake a couple of years ago was a mistake, but right now it sure would have helped to have him on the roster. No one can go back in time and change that. For Scott Brooks he knows the challenges this team faces ahead and hopefully he can find a rotation that works and a unit that produces while on the floor together.
Injuries have been a big part of this season so far and we are only 3 days into the season. It is something that no NBA fan likes to see. All I want to see is a season where every major player is healthy because that will be some of the best basketball to watch. I'm going to wish all the injured guys a speedy and successful recovery.

Bold Prediction Time

As we all know the Western conference is much better than the Eastern Conference. Every year it seems as if the last team out of the playoffs deserves an honorable mention. Last year it was the Phoenix Suns. The year before that it was the Utah Jazz. (Wow look at what happen to them!). And even in the lockout shortened season the Houston Rockets missed the playoffs by two games. All these teams had winning records and, aside from the lockout season, the 9th seed in the west would have made the playoffs had they been in the Eastern Conference. With all that said there will be another team that misses the cut again this year that would have been deserving of a playoff spot.

Now let me state that this prediction is made solely by what I see on paper. My prediction is that the Rockets will not make the playoffs this year and here's two reasons why.
Number One: There Division

Anyone who follows basketball knows the toughest division in the NBA is the southwest division. The teams in the division consists of the Spurs, the Mavericks, the Grizzlies, the Pelicans, and of course the Rockets. Now the Rockets have to play 4 games against each of these teams during the season. And every team in the division has gotten better, whether its players returning from injury or the addition of some new players. I like the Spurs because they brought back the same team as last year and that team crushed everyone, but the Mavericks, on there way to the Championship. Speaking of the Mavericks, they have added some more talent to the roster that already had a lot of depth. They stole Chandler Parsons away from the Houston Rockets. They got back Devin Harris healthy. They acquired Jameer Nelson through free agency. They also added Raymond Felton to the roster for even more depth at the guard position. They also brought in veterans Rashard Lewis, Richard Jefferson, and Charlie Villanueva. And they still have Monta Ellis who can still produce on offense. Also in the Rockets division are the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies still have the core of Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley. They also added Vince Carter to the team to stretch the floor and provide a scoring punch. They also have defensive specialists in Tony Allen and Tayshaun Prince. They also have stretch shooters in Quincy Pondexter and Courtney Lee. And the Pelicans are an up and coming young team that will be about .500 or above, but won't make the playoffs. With all that said the Rockets don't have a great roster. They have severely downgraded since last season.
Number 2: The Suns

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The Phoenix Suns should be really excited about this season. I have them being the 8th seed in this years Western Conference and here's why. The Suns have a much easier division than the Rockets. The Suns will finish in third place in the division behind the Clippers and Warriors. The other teams they will have to compete against is Kings and Lakers. I am not high on the Kings this year as I feel they are still in rebuild mode and the Lakers, whether Kobe likes it or not, are in rebuilding mode. Now is the time for the Suns to some noise and if they could trade for one more solid veteran player it would be hard to not put them in the playoffs. I've already talked about they Suns in a previous article and I still think they improved on what they did last year.
It's hard to move any of last years playoff teams out of the top 8, but if one really stood out to me it would be the Houston Rockets. The Rockets can prove me wrong though. I have them missing the playoffs by one game. Now if they made a roster that fits around Dwight Howard very well they could be a contender. Just look at the 09 Magic. I honestly have no idea how that team made it to finals with the talent on the roster, but it worked because they surrounded Howard with the right pieces. Simply put shooters around Howard and they become a contender which seems to be what the Rockets are doing. The question is will this roster be more successful than last year. It's hard to say it will with the departure of Lin and Parsons. Another reason they can prove me wrong is because who would bet against Howard and Harden combo.
This is a bold prediction and I will probably be proved wrong. It's all the matter of opinion. For anyone who watched Grantland's count down last season they had the Suns ranked 30th. The suns almost made the playoffs. Anything is possible in the NBA and injuries and trades change the landscape all the time.