How will it end up in the west?

[RumpleForeskin]

Who is in and who is out?

Who will finish 1st?

What will the other matchups be?

This is my prediction...

1. New Orleans
2. LA Lakers
3. San Antonio
4. Utah
5. Houston
6. Phoenix
7. Dallas
8. Golden St.

Looks like New Orleans is going to finish with a 3-2 record to close out their season which will be just enough to hold off the Lakers and Spurs


Spurs will most likely finish 3-2 as well which will cause them to slide down to the third spot because LA has a better conference record.

Lakers will beat the Spurs and Hornets at home and capture the #2 spot and a first round match against the Mavs

Jazz are staying in the 4th spot because that is what they do.

Rockets will be #5 but will have home court over the Jazz with a one game better record.

Phoenix will lose tonight against the Spurs but will hold onto the 6th slot.

Dallas holds onto number 7 finishing the season 2-2.

Golden St. slides in the 8th spot with a huge victory over the Nuggets tomorrow night

Denver is the odd man out which sucks, because they would be a 4 seed in the east. George Carl gets fired because his teams always crack when the stakes are high.

[Dinsdale]

Picking any freaking seed right now is a crapshoot/coin flip... with about 5 games to go... crazy season.

If Golden State played in the East, they'd be the #2 seed.


But what's important here, is how te Blazers laid a major-league asskicking on the Lakers last night with two starters out. Brandon Roy pretty much made Kobe his bitch, which was nice to see -- another step in his rise towards being the best player in the game. Earlier in the season, the superbigtime players were slightly getting the better of him in crunch-time duels, like LeBron and Iverson. Sure, Kobme got his points, since he was the only player who touched the ball in the 2nd half, but he was clanking them mercilessly when Roy wasn't buying all his fakes and jukes, and locked him up pretty good. Lamar Odom was... Lamar Odom, and tried to start a brawl when he was getting schooled after talking shit on LaMarcus before the game. Odom seems like he's good for at least one of those per season in our building. I know Kobe has bitched in the past about getting quality teammates, but dang, those Euro sharpshooters will just freaking KILL you if you defend LA wrong. Gasol is still a machup problem, it will be interesting to see how/if Bynum gets into the mix in a couple of weeks. Bringing two big post up players to the party might make things interesting.

As far as who comes out of the West?

Only a fool is making concrete predictions. Good chance a 1-4 seed is going to be really pissed after the first round. If I absolutely had to make a prediction for conference champ, I'd have to ask a question first...

Tim Duncan still plays for the Spurs, right? He'll take advantage of the last season he has a chance, and "leave it all on the floor." Plus, SA loaded up on Portland boys, so they've obviously got an advantage.


And the East?

Celtsfans think they're owed something by Devine Right, but they obviously haven't been watching the West for the last 10 years or so -- Garnett is, has been, and always will be Rasheed Wallace's bitch. As Western rivals, any time Sheed cared to show up actually ready to play (usually a 50/50 chance), that matchup always ended up the same -- with Sheed proving he's got the Big Dickhead's number. A bunch of seasoned vets with a chip on their shoulder against a bunch of lifelong meltdown artists.


I ain't betting the rent on it, but this might be the last year of the same-old-same-old, with a SA Detroit final. Watched Rasheed for years and years, and for all the misery he brings, for being such a horrible person, and such a whiner... if that guy is actually motivated, there's no better player to have around when you need to stop the superbigtime power forwards than Sheed. For all of his numerous shortcomings, he plays old-school Dean Smith defense on the bigs, which is invaluable to stopping the Garnetts and Duncans of the world.

[MiketheangrydrunkenCUfan]

When I look at the Nuggets roster, I have to wonder why the hell I'm so worried at this point in the season. There's the third- and fourth-leading scorers in the league at SG & SF, a perennial defensive MVP candidate at C, a great 1-2 punch at PF now that Nene is back, and, well, some other guy at PG.

They're not a flawless team, by any means. In addition to the aforementioned point guard deficiency, their defense is horrible, they lack size and they have no consistent 3-point threat.

That said, when you have two fucking fifths of the Western Conference All-Star starting lineup and a great supporting cast, there is literally no reason why you should be struggling for a playoff spot with 5 games to play. This team should be one of the six teams jockeying for position right now, not one of the three just trying to get in. I hate to say it, but I think Rumple is right: George Karl might be this team's biggest weakness. Not only do the Nuggets need to make the playoffs, but they need to at least advance to the 2nd round for Karl's job to be completely safe. If they miss the playoffs completely, I hope he's gone. I'm pretty sure the list of people who could've coached this team to a 9th place finish in the West includes Jeff Bzdelik, Dan Issel, Mike D'Antoni, Bill Hanzlik, and MiketheangrydrunkenCUfan, among others.

End rant, start predictions:

1. Hornets
2. Lakers
3. Spurs
4. Jazz
5. Suns
6. Rockets
7. Mavs
8. Nuggets

The Nuggets actually do get out of the first round against an inexperienced Hornets team.
The Suns beat the Jazz in a 7-game series that should've been over in 5 if the refs hadn't screwed the Suns.
Lakers sweep the Mavs in a laugher.
Spurs beat the Yao-less Rockets 4-1.

Suns beat the Nuggets in 6 games despite absolutely horrible officiating.
Lakers beat the Spurs in a hard fought, 7-game series.

In what will come to be known as the "Grand Conspiracy Of 2008," the Lakers sweep the Suns, but only because before the playoffs even began, David Stern, Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and the entire NBA officiating crew converged in a remote forest, drank the blood of a virgin beneath a full moon, and pledged to screw over the Suns in any way possible.

Meanwhile, in the East, the Celtics, the Pistons and that team that LeBron plays for will duke it out for supremacy, with the Celtics ultimately emerging victorious (but only because of an injury to former Buffaloes standout and current Awesomest Basketball Player Of All Time™ Chauncey Billups).

Lakers win in 7. Celtics fans melt. Suns fans continue to complain about officiating. Suns announcer Al McCoy continues to pronounce Nowitzki as "No-VIN-skee." Chauncey Billups returns from injury next season and, in the Pistons greatest decision since taking Darko Milicic ahead of Carmelo Anthony, is traded to the Nuggets for Chucky Atkins and a 2014 2nd-round pick. The Nuggets win the NBA Championship in 2009 and all is right in the world.

[Diogenes]

This is my prediction...

1. New Orleans
2. LA Lakers
3. San Antonio
4. Utah
5. Houston
6. Phoenix
7. Dallas
8. Golden St.

Looks like New Orleans is going to finish with a 3-2 record to close out their season which will be just enough to hold off the Lakers and Spurs

More likely 5-0


Spurs will most likely finish 3-2 as well which will cause them to slide down to the third spot because LA has a better conference record.

Lakers will beat the Spurs and Hornets at home

Wrong on both counts.

Jazz are staying in the 4th spot because that is what they do.

They can't drop below because of league rules and can't climb any higher because of no time.

Rockets will be #5 but will have home court over the Jazz with a one game better record.

Phoenix will lose tonight against the Spurs but will hold onto the 6th slot.

Good call there.

My undoubtably incorrect predictions...

Tonight it's San Antonio over Seattle
Phoenix over Houston (especially if Battier is on the bench)
New Orleans over Lackers.

1 New Orleans 59-23
2 San Antonio 57-25
3 Phoenix 56-26
4 Utah 54-28
5/6 Houston/LA 55-27

And I don't care about the rest because the Suns aren't going to be 1 or 2.

Oh, yeah, Actually agree with Dims for once. At least the first sentance.

Edit-Now I remember why I never make predictions.

[godzilla2002]

8. Golden St.
Denver is the odd man out which sucks, because they would be a 4 seed in the east. George Carl gets fired because his teams always crack when the stakes are high.

Nuggets end up with the 8th and final spot!
Big win last Thursday against Golden State!
Depending on how they do in the first round could send Carl packing

[DoggFather]

If the Lakers hold on to the #1 seed, it wouldn't look good for George Karl and the Nuggets. The Lakers swept them in the regular season, and that was without Gasol in the lineup.

[godzilla2002]

Who holds the tie breaker between the Lakers and Hornets if they end up tied?

[DoggFather]

Lakers hold the tiebreaker due to a better conference record.

[godzilla2002]

If the Lakers hold on to the #1 seed, it wouldn't look good for George Karl and the Nuggets. The Lakers swept them in the regular season, and that was without Gasol in the lineup.

Lakers hold the tiebreaker due to a better conference record.

Yep...Looks like the Nuggets are screwed!

[RumpleForeskin]

Rack the Nuggs for nutting up and playing good basketball down the stretch. I think J.R. Smith has responded the Karl's criticism from a year ago. Dude is playing some outstanding ball lately.

[DoggFather]

Yep...Looks like the Nuggets are screwed!

Nuggets still got a shot at #7 with a win AND a Mavs loss.