Eastern Conference: Who's going to the playoffs?

[Demographic Shift]

3 outta 6.. great night at the plate in baseball.. not so great in prognosticating....

Pelicans visit Chicago They need a M*A*S*H unit tonight in Chicago. Anthony Davis will dress and play tonight after getting cheap-shotted by Kyle OQuinn. Likely not at full speed but close. The Bulls list Butler as questionable and Mirotic won't play. If Butler can play he won't be at 100%. Wade played heavy minutes in NY in a loss. The Bulls who still can't shoot when healthy are hurting more than the Pelicans. Nawlins steals one tonight. x


Joel Embiid goes to Washington Joel is driving the Hinkies closer to respectibility... but not to the playoffs. He is a fun guy to along with his basketball skill... but it won't be enough to beat the Whiz on their home court tonight. A win for the Whiz moves them to 6th. ✓

Orlando travels to Mormon Country The Magicians pulled a bunny out of their collective hats last night in Portland. Didn't see that one coming. Tonight its a B2B and they draw the now healthy Jazz who are also on a B2B but is a home and home B2B. Liking the Jazz who slept at home last night after demolishing the Pistons where the Magic lose and hour and likely got in pretty late. Jazz by double digits. ✓

Two outta 3...

Whats on tap for today

The Mecca goes to Toronto The Raps opposiiton arrives in town in their usual state of disarray. A suspect front office. A pair of disgruntled stars. Trade rumours swirling. No.. its not Sacramento ! Its their twin from the east, the laugh a minute New York Knicks. No Zinger today. Carmelo says he has a bum shoulder. Noah is struggling on offense and Derrick Rose is a big distraction. This has all the makings of a trap game for the Raps but Lowry and Derozan put up 50 plus between them and the Raps make it closer than it should be but still post the W.

Bucks visit Hot'Lanta Atlanta let Boston get way out in front twice and then reeled them all the way back in twice. It took a last second 9.8 degree of difficulty shot by Isiah Thomas with less than 5 seconds to play to finish the Hawks off. With that loss the Hawks sit only a game and half in front of the Bucks for home court and 4th. The Bucks come in with a healthy Alphabet and their 3rd year man Jabari Parker showing why he was 2nd overall pick a couple years back. This should be a great battle inside with Howard and Millsap countering Parker and Antenkoumpo. Remember when we used to talk about Greg Monroe being a factor ? How the mighty have fallen. The difference tonight may rest with guard play and the Hawks get the edge with Schroeder over a very good rook in Malcolm Brogdon. Its close but Atlanta wins a close one by virtue of being at home.

Da Bulls visit Graceland Walking into Memphis come the Bulls. Jimmy Butler is back after battling the flu but Dwayne Wade is out tonight as his knees/back/shoulder etc need to rest. Mirotic is questionable. Rondo is still in the doghouse. Its a B2B and your starting PG is Micheal Carter Williams. Talk about not having the high ground. Memphis's front line of Gasol and Randolph should hold sway over Lopez and Gibson. Mike Conley has a decided edge on the abjectly poor shooting turnover prone Carter Williams. Tony Allen lives for games against guys like Butler and Derozan and the Grizz are at home. The bear slays the bull. Memphis W.

Pistons meet the Lakers Losers of their last 3 the Pistons are limping into the Staples Centre to take on the Lakers who are going south faster than Justins popularity polls in Alberta. Winners of 4 of their last 15 the Lakers are on the ropes and reeling. Is it by design (to perhaps try to hang on to a protected 1 through 3 draft pick) or do they just suck that bad ? Regardless of how you feel about the Lakers the Pistons who are 1 and 3 on their western swing need to win this one to salvage the trip and to show they still are worth talking about as a playoff team. They are. Pistons win the last game of the long roadie and pull to within 1.5 of the last playoff spot.

[Demographic Shift]

Two outta 3...

Whats on tap for today

The Mecca goes to Toronto The Raps opposiiton arrives in town in their usual state of disarray. A suspect front office. A pair of disgruntled stars. Trade rumours swirling. No.. its not Sacramento ! Its their twin from the east, the laugh a minute New York Knicks. No Zinger today. Carmelo says he has a bum shoulder. Noah is struggling on offense and Derrick Rose is a big distraction. This has all the makings of a trap game for the Raps but Lowry and Derozan put up 50 plus between them and the Raps make it closer than it should be but still post the W. [B]✓

Bucks visit Hot'Lanta Atlanta let Boston get way out in front twice and then reeled them all the way back in twice. It took a last second 9.8 degree of difficulty shot by Isiah Thomas with less than 5 seconds to play to finish the Hawks off. With that loss the Hawks sit only a game and half in front of the Bucks for home court and 4th. The Bucks come in with a healthy Alphabet and their 3rd year man Jabari Parker showing why he was 2nd overall pick a couple years back. This should be a great battle inside with Howard and Millsap countering Parker and Antenkoumpo. Remember when we used to talk about Greg Monroe being a factor ? How the mighty have fallen. The difference tonight may rest with guard play and the Hawks get the edge with Schroeder over a very good rook in Malcolm Brogdon. Its close but Atlanta wins a close one by virtue of being at home. [B]✓

Da Bulls visit Graceland Walking into Memphis come the Bulls. Jimmy Butler is back after battling the flu but Dwayne Wade is out tonight as his knees/back/shoulder etc need to rest. Mirotic is questionable. Rondo is still in the doghouse. Its a B2B and your starting PG is Micheal Carter Williams. Talk about not having the high ground. Memphis's front line of Gasol and Randolph should hold sway over Lopez and Gibson. Mike Conley has a decided edge on the abjectly poor shooting turnover prone Carter Williams. Tony Allen lives for games against guys like Butler and Derozan and the Grizz are at home. The bear slays the bull. Memphis W. x


Pistons meet the Lakers Losers of their last 3 the Pistons are limping into the Staples Centre to take on the Lakers who are going south faster than Justins popularity polls in Alberta. Winners of 4 of their last 15 the Lakers are on the ropes and reeling. Is it by design (to perhaps try to hang on to a protected 1 through 3 draft pick) or do they just suck that bad ? Regardless of how you feel about the Lakers the Pistons who are 1 and 3 on their western swing need to win this one to salvage the trip and to show they still are worth talking about as a playoff team. They are. Pistons win the last game of the long roadie and pull to within 1.5 of the last playoff spot. [B]✓

3 of 4... Hate the GD Bulls now... almost as much as the Leprechauns...

A fast n dirty summary as its MLK day and there are plenty of afternoon games.

Hawks taking on the Knicks… Likethe Hawks.. Mostly because I hate the Knicks and love watching that smug jackass Phil Jackson look like he couldn’t run a two car funeral. That and the Hawks are up by 1 as I write this.. Hawks win. Hear that sound in MSG. Thats the sound you hear as an elevator breaks a cable and is hurtling towards the basement.

Blazers in Washington…. Like the Whiz in this one. They need the win and are up by pantload as I write this one… Would have picked them anyway as the Blazers are really struggling now. If your in a battle for the playoffs with Excremento.. your bad.

Philly goes to Milwaukee… The Bucks are a far better team than the Hinkies. As was pointed out the other day Joel Embiid still doesn’t play B2B’s so he is ready for this one but it won’t be enough. Bucks rack up win a nd continue to move up the eastern conference ladder.

Nawlins goes to Indy. Paul George vs Anthony Davis. PG has a better supporting cast. Indy with the win.

Orlando in Denver. Orlando is slowly becoming irrelevant in the race. Lose tonight and you can almost write them off. Orlando matches up well. Think they get a win in mile high city and hang around a bit longer before they become the centre of trade talk. Or not.

Charlotte in Boston. The Buzz haven’t been playing well and have already lost 2 to the Celts this season. They currently sit 9th. While it isn’t a crucial one it certainly is one they need to win. Don’t think they have enough though as Isiiah Thomas is currently el fuego

Cavs at GSW. The Lebrons are due to lose one to the Warriors after taking the last 4 in a row.

[tDotted]

Brooklyn/Philly back to back is usually a cakewalk but it might not be now. The Sixers are on a roll with Embiid out there, who's looking like a top 5 center in the league already

[KeonClark]

Brooklyn/Philly back to back is usually a cakewalk but it might not be now. The Sixers are on a roll with Embiid out there, who's looking like a top 5 center in the league already

He's looking like the best player in the world in about 3 years. Dude is stupid good

[Demographic Shift]

The Lebrons are getting beat pretty good right now by the ass shimmy'er. Up 19 with 3 to go in the 1st half..Curry is 3 for 9 .. its the bench of GSW that has done the damage as they are 11 of 13 for the half..
Maybe we are going to pick up a half game on Cleveland tonight... Makes those games against the Nets and Sixers mean more if Raps keep winning with the tougher part of the Cavs schedule yet to play out.

Edit.. wow.. just flipped back from something else.. its +29 at the half for the Warriors on the Lebrons....

[KeonClark]

The Lebrons are getting beat pretty good right now by the ass shimmy'er. Up 19 with 3 to go in the 1st half..Curry is 3 for 9 .. its the bench of GSW that has done the damage as they are 11 of 13 for the half..
Maybe we are going to pick up a half game on Cleveland tonight... Makes those games against the Nets and Sixers mean more if Raps keep winning with the tougher part of the Cavs schedule yet to play out.

Edit.. wow.. just flipped back from something else.. its +29 at the half for the Warriors on the Lebrons....

That's 3 losses in the last 4 for the bronaniers..here's hoping we're a loss or 2 from a thinly veiled diss tweet or an snippy comment about love or irving in the press

[Demographic Shift]

We are at the half way pole in the marathon that is the NBA season. For all intents and purposes separation has occurred and there are 6 teams fighting for 4 spots.

The locks (at least today):The Lebrons, Your Toronto Raptors, The Leprechauns, and Team Beige the non-descript Hawks
Fighting for the last 4 spots: Pacers, Whiz, Bucks, Hornets, Bulls, Pistons
It'd take a miracle: Orlando, Knicks
Already looking at draft night: Heat, Nets, and despite claims by Joel Embiid the Hinkies.

On tap tonight

Trawna at Brooklyn The Raps sit 2 games behind the Lebrons with a chance to get within 1.5 with a win tonight. Brooklyn bless em just don't have the talent to hang with the likes of the Raps for 48 minutes. There will be some stretches where the 3's will fall for the Nets but just like Wyle E.Coyote, they might get close, but won't catch the Roadrunners that are the Raptors. Raps W.

Houston in South Beach How the mighty have fallen. No Lebron. No Wade. No Bosh. No chance. Houston wins comfortably.

Bulls welcoming Big D As the urban myth goes, after a nuclear incident the only things left alive would be, Keith Richards, cockroaches and the Chicago Bulls chances in the East. ESPN's Tom Haberstroh did the math, and the Bulls play like a 10-72 team without Jimmy Butler. Yet here they are, hanging on to a playoff spot. My disdain for the Leprachauns only marginally outpoints that for the Bulls who tonight face the Mavs in the United Centre.

Butler has recovered from the flu, Nik Mirotic makes his way back to the lineup tonight and Wade who might have embalming fluid in his viens also suits up after taking the night off on a B2B in Memphis. The other starters are a finalist in the Sideshow Bob lookalike contest in Robin Lopez and the possibly even poorer shooting than Rondo Micheal Carter Williams at PG. McDermott and Mirotic come in off the bench to supply what passes for 3 point shooting which is dead last in the league in terms of percentage (20%) and makes (6 per game). It will be hard to tell if they are hot or cold. How is this team is even at 500 is anyones guess.

Dallas with Bogut hurt will go small with Dirk and Josh Powell up front as the bigs and then Carlise will rotate a mix of Williams/Barrea/Barnes/Mathews/Harris and try to shoot the lights out. It worked in Minny the other night and Minny is younger and faster and shoots better than the Bulls.

I have picked the Bulls to lose the last 3 times out ...and ...have had to eat my words. These guys are hard to kill even though they have nothing but Jimmy Butler and a 35 year old part time player. However both are playing tonight. So like vinegar passing over cut lips...I am taking the Bulls to win tonight. I just so want to be dead ass wrong.

[Demographic Shift]

1 outta 3 but how sweet it is to have been wrong on the Bulls....

The 10th place Pistons are but 3 1/2 games back of the 5th place Whizzers. So yeah... its still packed tight in the East.

Blazers visit the Hive Both teams are scuffling. The Buzz have lost 7 of their last 10 and have fallen from 5th to 9th in 10 days. The Blazers are on game 2 of a 4 game roadie and have lost the last 2 times out and just like the Hornets sit 9th. The Hornets with a win get back above the playoff line and depending on how the Bucks do tonight can wind up in 7th. Look for the Hornets front line to handle the Blazers up front. Kemba and Batum will hold their own with Lillard and McCollum and..... The Hornets get off the shneid tonight.

Raps vs The Hinkies Who is playing and who isn’t tonight ? On the Raps side.. Ppat / DD / Bebe / could all sit due to a combination of injury and scheduled rest. On the Hinkies side its Embiid / McConnell / Noel who are questionable. All in all.. the Raps are a better and deeper squad. Talent usually wins. Raps W.

Grizz vs Whizzers The Whizzers have righted the ship and are playing pretty good ball overall and are particularly good at home where fortuitously for the Whiz this game is scheduled for tonight. Conley and Wall will have a good go at each other.... Tony Allen will make life miserable for BBeal ……Gasol and the Polish Hammer will duke it out in the middle and Otto Porter will draw Zbo. The aging vet will pay the price against the more mobile Porter tonight. The Grizz can’t shoot from the outside where the Whiz can. Taking the Whizzers to win their 3rd in a row and keep putting distance between themselves and the Bulls.

Melodrama vs Chowderheads Can both teams lose ? The Leprechauns do a good job of beating teams who are below them in the standings. Not so much against teams who are above them… and a cursory glance at the standings show the Knicks as a team the Chowderheads will beat at home. The Knicks won’t play Zinger again tonight. Its seemingly all stacked against the Knicks. However the Knicks rebound well and have enough size to give the smallish Celts trouble inside. Rose is due to play the one out of five games he plays like the old Derrick Rose and will hold his own against Isaiah Thomas. Carmelo, if he is pissed enough at Phil and the NY press, may come out guns blazing and if he does he will eat Crowder alive. Its sports .. the knicks win one tonight against all odds and logic.

Magic at Nawlins Two sinking teams meet up in the Smoothie King Centre. Milk shakes all around. The Magic need something as they are on fumes at the end of a 6 game in 10 day roadie. After this one which they will lose... Orlando limps home to meet the Warriors and then the Bucks. Cue the Fat Lady on the Magics season.

Hawks visit Motown Team Beige.. the non descript Hawks hold down 4th spot in the East. With a win and a Celts loss the Hawks can pull to within a game of 3rd. The Pistons come home off a 2 and 3 road trip and need to make up some of the ground they lost during the past week and a half. Drummond vs Dwight on the boards. Schroeder vs Jackson on the point. Harris vs Millsap and without Caldwell Pope it’ll be Stanley Jackson on Bazemore. Hawks beat’em by 7 points 3 weeks ago and do it again. Hawks win.

Bucks at Houston Houston lost last night in Miami when every one of Dantoni’s outside shooters save for Harden was cold. Not happening again tonight at home. Rockets win and the Bucks tumble from 7 to 9th.

Pacers make a house call on Boogie Slowly but surely the Pacers are finding their rhythm. The Kings doing the sunset drill…slowly fading from sight in the West. Pacers and PG13 have lost 1 in their last 7 and that was in NBA’s European game in London. Look for the Pacers to put another nail in the Kings playoff hopes and keep pace for 5th with the Whiz.

[Demographic Shift]

6 for 8...pretty good for the sporting Nostradamus.

My inspired pick of the Knicks knocking off the Leprechauns was balanced off by the Hinkies upsetting the Raps. Didn't think the Pistons would dismantle the Hawks the way they did either. With the Hawks loss and the Whiz and Pacers winning there is now a developing race for 4th and homecourt as the Hawks lead the Whiz and the Pacers by only a game and a half.

Orlando with their loss has put themselves in a position where they are going to be battling the Hinkie juggernaut for 12th.

Only 1 game tonight that features teams in the playoff hunt. The other games feature the Heat who are playing out the string already and the Lebrons hosting Phoenix. Phoenix is the first team the Lebrons face after losing by 35 to Golden State. Poor bastards.

Whiz are in the Mecca: Both teams are on a B2B and both had about an hour or less to travel from their prior game sites so thats a wash. The Whiz are 10 of their last 15 and have won 3 in a row. They are playing well and they have a shot at 4th if they keep doing what they are doing. Wall and Beal are co existing and putting up points. Markieff Morris has kept his nose clean and his name out of the police blotters and is giving the Whiz good minutes. The Polish Hammer is getting his on the PnR with Wall. Things are good in normally choppy Whizland.

The Knicks on the other hand are kinda holding on and waiting for the next shoe to drop in the ongoing Melodrama. To add to the dramatic tension that is life in the Mecca we find today that J.Noah is hurting and needs an MRI and won't play again tonight . Neither will the Zinger. The win over Boston gets the Knicks but a days reprieve from the hangmans noose.

The Knicks go down tonight.

[Demographic Shift]

A sterling one for one... The Whiz are movin on up and the Knicks are heading due south.

Tonight

Raps visit Kemba and Co. A day off to recoup from the 3 games in four nights gift from the schedule makers sees the Raps in the Hive. Gone are the we can't win here against this team ghosts. Lineup is in flux as Ppat is unlikely to play and so is Bebe. No idea on Carroll. Edit Carroll plays tonight per Suns Ganter 4:51PM Thats three rotation guys and two of them are bigs making the Raps thin as bebe's calves up front. The Hornets have been scuffling but put a win on the board with a victory over the Blazers. Still they have lost 7 of their last 10 and struggle to put points up by someone other than Walker. Close game. Look for the Raps to squeak this one out to make up for the Philly game and for Kyle to cement himself as a coaches add to the ASG.

Bucks are in Disneyland Bucks are one below 500 and could use a win. With a win they move into the top 8.. at 8 mind you.. but its top 8 and a chair to sit on in the game of musical chairs for who gets into the playoffs. To get that win they get an Orlando team limping home from a 1 and 5 roadtrip over the last 11 days who have pretty much played their way out of contention. Trade talk is starting up yet again. I'd say it really is over in Orlando. Bucks win.

Da Bulls are in Atlanta The gang that can't shoot straight travels to Hot'Lanta. The Hawks once firmly ensconced in 4th place are now looking in the mirror that says "objects may be closer than they appear" with both the Whiz a game back and the Pacers 1.5 back. Only thing worse than finishing 4th and staying in the Lebrons side of the bracket is to finish 5th and have to play the 4/5 matchup as the visitor and you still stay on the Lebrons side of the draw. The Hawks should be motivated and are at home. The Bulls for my money are doing it with mirrors. They are a lab experiment that isn't working all that well and will be fortunate to win 40 games on the back of Jimmy Butler. Tonight Thabo will play Jimmy tough and Millsap will draw Taj out of the paint giving Dwight lots of room to put up a double double. Schroeder is hit and miss but he is better than Williams and Rondo. Hawks win.

Indy up against the Lakers The Lakers are sinking as fast as the Knicks. Losers of their last 5 and 21 of their last 26 games it looks like the Lakers want to hold onto their pick this year which is protected 1 through 3. Currently they are tied for 3rd last. Behind them are only the Suns/Nets and Heat. The Pacers with a win stay close to 4th place and put more ground between themselves and the Bulls and Pistons. Brandon Ingram will get to face Paul George at some point tonight. Welcome to the NBA kid. Pacers win.

[Demographic Shift]

An iron pyrite 1 for 4.....

Tonight's chance at redemption features:

Portland at Boston Blazers come into town on a B2B after losing a heartbreaker in the last seconds to the Hinkies. A loss puts them into 10th out West. Boston was embarrassed by the Knicks a couple of days ago and are looking for a little redemption. Portlands front line is bad and even the poor rebounding Celts will be OK against Plumlee and Leonard. Can Lillard and McCollum crank enough points up and out duel a snubbed Thomas and Bradley ? No. Leprechauns win.

Whiz into Motown Pistons laid a beating the other night on Atlanta and with a little trade talk perhaps designed to light a fire under Reggie Jackson face the surging Whiz in the Palace. A Pistons win and a Bucks and a Bulls loss puts the Pistons into 8th from 10th. Lots to play for. The Whiz have won 4 in a row but suck on the road. Wall and Co. lose one tonight.

Brooklyn at the Hive Fresh off their 143 point performance and demolition of the Pelicans the Nets come to visit the Hornets fresh off a Dinosaur BBQ. The Nets suck. The Hornets dont. Hornets win.

Hinkies into Atlanta The suddenly dangerous and streaking Hinkies leave the city of brotherly love and venture into Atlanta. After losing 225 games in a little over 3 and half years of ineptitude the team that Sam built has ascended to 13th in the East. With a bullet ! Tonight they play the Hawks on the away game of the B2B. The Hawks fresh from their demolition of the Bulls could use another win to keep pace with Boston in the race for 3rd and to keep ground between themselves and the Whiz and Pacers. Even in Year 4 of the Hinkie the Sixers are a work in progress. Hawks win.

Suns into the Mecca The Suns are in 27th overall. They own all their picks. They are likely taking calls on Chandler, Bledsoe and Tucker. They're 5 and 17 on the road. Yes they are bad and have little incentive to play better. Even the Knicks can beat these guys. And they will.

Bucks in South Beach The Bucks so need a win. They have lost their last 4 but remarkably are tied for 8th ... 2/1000th of a percentage point from owning it outright. The Heat front office are pouring through scouting reports and taking calls on their existing roster players vaguely aware a season is still in progress. The Heat will play hard but the Bucks win.

Sacto into the Windy City Boogie pays a house call on his last years running mate Rajon Rondo. Will he say hi or try to swing an elbow at Rondo after a rebound. Not sure. What we are sure about is that Rudy Gay is out and the Kings are close to being out of the playoff race in the crappy 7 though 15 west. The Bulls need a win to keep in the hunt and are at home. Will the Bulls shoot over 35% from the field or crack 20% from tonight ? Will Boogie stay in the game and not get T'd up and thrown out ? Who will win ... No idea on this one. Bulls are at home. Take the Bulls.

Indy vs the Jazz. Wonder if Larry Legend is on the road with the team. If he is he gets to see the guy he traded away that has made the Jazz a real threat to finish 4th in the west with an outside shot to finish 3rd. Hill is really making a difference in Utah. Indy got humbled by the wretched Lakers last night and get to travel to play a rested Jazz at altitude on a B2B. Larry isn't blowing kisses to the schedule maker tonight. Is it a Jazz win or a schedule loss. Semantics. Utah gets the W.

Game of the Night Has the Lebrons hosting the Spurs. Regardless of who wins if you have a good cable package you get to flip between the Leafs and this one. Watching Lenoard on Lebron is going to be a treat.

[Demographic Shift]

5 and 3 ..
However ...Delighted to be wrong on the trophy winning team with the most overvalued assets getting beat at home .. you know of whom I mock.

NFL playoffs today... Eastern confrence playoff race will still be on tomorrow...
Enjoy the AFC and NFC championship games today and hope your team wins.

[Demographic Shift]

Few games on tap tonight...

Boston goes to Washington: Whodathunkit ! The Whiz who had to reach up to touch bottom not a month and a half ago, can, with a win tonight, put themselves within a game of 4th and game and a half from 3rd. To boot they are at home where they are very very good. You who else is very very good ? Isaiah Thomas. Boston will go as far as this guy can take them. Close one tonight but the Whiz have a better front line that will get them enough OREB's to keep them on a roll. Whiz Win.

Da Bulls visit Orlando After watching a phantom foul call on Boogie for "pushing" Dwayne Wade on a missed dunk the Bulls head south after literally stealing one from the Kings. They still can't shoot very well and have let it be known they want to unload both Rondo and Mirotic. The Magic are pretty much out of it. So they are playing for jobs and for possible tickets out via trade. Do the refs job the Magic on a few calls ? Will Micheal Carter Williams keep his assist to turnover ration at a sterling 1:1 ? Will the Magic win one for pride... Yes to all.

Spurs come to the ACC The Spurs are a well oiled machine. The New England Patriots of the NBA. Guys come in and do what they are asked to do with a very specific job description. They won't miss a beat tonight with whomever plays. The Raps have been playing poorly lately. They got beat by the Hinkies and the Suns.. Thats bad. They were dusted by the Spurs last time out. One of the engines that makes them go is hurt and out. Circle the wagons time. Raps play better and lose a close one.

[Demographic Shift]

OK then.... 2 for 3 ...

A missed oppty for our local heroes to pull a little further ahead of Boston as the Celtics took another one to the solar plexus on the road in DC...

Tonight sees a full slate

Sacto at the Lebrons: The Eastern 1% have been scuffling lately and His Royal Highness has let it be known that he wants some more help. Its not coming as the treasury is bereft of funds so HRH is going to have to make due with only 2 allstars currently on payroll. Sacto is coming in off a win in Motown but if you add one more to that its 2 wins in their last 10 outings. Sacto is Boogie. That’s all they have. Lebrons semi petulant rant should rev up his courtesans and against sub optimal opposition the Lebrons put up a W tonight over the Boogies.

Houston at Boston: The Leprechauns, like the Raps, are scuffling. They have lost 3 in a row and are getting a visit from a charter member of the “all beard team” even though he is not from Eastern Europe. The Celts are on a back to back. Houston is not. Houston can rebound and the Celts struggle on the glass. Houston can light it up from 3 and this is something Boston doesn’t do. Harden and the Rockets add to the misery of Bostons 3 game losing sreak by making it 4.

Raps visit the Griz in Graceland: The Raps played better last night albeit against a Spurs team that rested 2 of their 3 best players. Still our heroes played with a little more passion than in the dead man walking outings against the Suns and Charlotte. However the Raps are coming to Memphis on a back to back and staring down a pretty good front line of Zbo and Gasol who didn’t play last night. Have to say that DC is concerned enough that Kyle doesn’t get a rest tonight and that Ppat gets some run in limited minutes. The Raps are desperate right now and somehow in the face of a bad run find a way to beat an offensively challenged Grizz. Raps W.

Warriors into the Hive: The Buzz have been playing well in the past 3 games after a 10 game stretch where they sucked. Still it’s the Warriors. This will be what our logically challenged buddy at CBS Matt Moore will call a good loss. Its still a loss. Warriors W.

Hawks visit the Bulls: Bulls coming home on the B2B. Atlanta is already in Chicago and waiting for them. Wade may not play as it’s a B2B. Rondo is still benched. MCW still has about a 1:1 TOV to AST ratio and Mirotic is on the block. The Bulls are dead last in 3PT % on made shots and 3rd to last in overall FG %. How a team that can't shoot a lick hang around .500 boggles the mind. While last nights win over the Magic sorta proves that shit can float… the operant word on the Bulls is that they are still shit. Hawks win this one and with a Celts loss move to 3rd from 4th and out of the Lebron bracket.

Hinkies come calling on the Bucks: Embiid is still on the IR after tweaking his knee. The Bucks who were rolling along now need a win to claw closer to a playoff spot. The Alphabet and the Snitch, without Embiid to slow them in the lane, get a win at home and slow the Hinkies climb to 12th.

Knicks to Big D: Knicks are not out of it even though they really are. If that sounds illogical and confusing its because it matches the Knicks and how they go about their business. Dallas after a brief bit of optimism has sunk to 4 games behind the Nuggets in the very bad coterie of teams 8 through 15 out West. In a battle of two poor teams the Knicks just have more talent and even though they can give it away at the end of a game with the best of them… tonight incremental talent wins.. and the Knicks get a rare W on the road over Dallas.

[Demographic Shift]

Well that didn't go nearly as well in the execution phase as the prediction phase.
A rather tepid 2up and 6down.

Wrong night for the beard to go a not so sizzling 6 of 18 in Beantown.

The Knicks continue to rival Sacramento for the WTF championship of the NBA.

The Hinkies march to 12th is picking up steam. Just think in another 2 years they'll make the playoffs. Oh to be a season ticket holder in the City of Brotherly Love for those 6 squalid and rancid years.

The Lebrons .. the 1% of the East ... are still good. Really good. As are the Raps. Flat spots in an 82 game schedule happen.

And on to tonight where there is but a single game featuring an Eastern Conference Playoff participant...

Indy visits the Timberpups The Pacers continue their win 3 lose 2 ....win 2 lose 3 ... lose 2 .. win 2 kind of season. This to me is treadmill basketball. Yes they have Paul George. Yes they have Myles Turner. Yes they have Monta Ellis. No they do not seem to be a cohesive unit. But they have Paul George. The pups are playing well of late. They have won the last 3 in a row and in the last 10 games are actually playing defense. Yes those same highlight reel, dunk a minute, but lose em all in the end puppies ! They are only giving up about 101 pts a game on the defensive side of the ball. Not quite like the Thibs Bulls teams of a few years ago but passable defense.

So tonight without the aid of a cattle prod brandished by their coach and GM and President the Pups will play defense again and chalk up a win against the Pacers because even dumb as a post Zach Levine understands that playing defense and winning is better than not playing defense and losing. It only took him a couple of years.


Tank Game of the Night Jeannie Buss's win now Lakers have sunk like stones to 2nd last overall in the league. Tonight they go play the Jazz who are revving their engines hard and are closing in on 4th in the West. You know that puff of black smoke that a tractor trailer expends through its stacks when the driver takes his foot right off those Cummins diesel engines and the truck goes from 110 to 11KM/HR ? That same puff of black smoke can be observed over the Staples Centre in LA.
LAL sure seem to be trying to keep this years protected draft (1 to 3) pick. Who loses in this chicanery ? The Hinkies.. the process is not without its pitfalls eh ?