Amuseddaysleeper
04-12-2005, 04:31 PM
http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/8377078
Weekly Essentials: Some focus in the playoff picture
April 11, 2005
By Tony Mejia
CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Tell Tony your opinion!
Of the NBA's 16 available playoff spots, only four seeds are locked in entering the season's final full week. In the Eastern Conference, we know Miami will be the top seed and own home court, while defending champion Detroit will be the No. 2. In the West, Seattle will be the No. 3 seed and Dallas the No. 4, with both playing host to the first two games in their first-round matchups.
Sorry, but that's all we can tell you with certainty. Now, if it's conjecture you want, we can deliver that by the boatload:
Best in the West decide the rest
The road to the Western Conference championship will go through San Antonio. Sorry, Phoenix, you had your chance.
Tony Parker and the Spurs need a well-rested Tim Duncan back in time for the playoffs. (Getty Images)
The Spurs played 116 minutes of basketball over the weekend, notching a pair of thrilling double-overtime victories against the Clippers and Warriors. They could have been put away numerous times in both but persevered thanks to clutch plays from Tony Parker and veteran Robert Horry, the playoff groundhog who likes to peek his head out from underground this time of year.
In the Golden State visit, the Spurs suited up without injured big men Tim Duncan and Rasho Nesterovic as well as Manu Ginobili, who sat out with a stomach virus the night after dropping 40 on the Clips. Maybe he and Shaquille O'Neal are swapping recipes.
Phoenix extended itself in back-to-back games, too, but where San Antonio caught its breaks, the Suns came away empty-handed. After losing a track meet to a Warrior team that has rapidly become the conference's ultimate spoiler, they nearly rallied from a 16-point deficit against Houston in the game's final 10 minutes, only to see Steve Nash miss a jumper and Steven Hunter foul up the dunk attempt follow at the buzzer.
"I don't understand it," Hunter said. "Nine times out of 10, that dunk falls."
Not when the home-court edge isn't meant to be.
Remarkably, the Spurs have made it through life without Duncan, going 7-4 while his ankle mends, and are now awaiting his imminent return. He has been ruled out of Tuesday's home game against Portland but could be in the lineup Saturday for the first of a pair of games against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team it will likely face in the first round if it does indeed take care of business and claims the top seed. It seems to be a blessing for the Spurs; not only can Duncan get re-acclimated and find his groove, he can do it against the team he'll potentially become very familiar with in the coming weeks.
Phoenix, still up a game in the loss column, loses a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Spurs since it dropped the season series 2-1. In order to avoid squandering the home-court edge that appeared locked up when Duncan went down, the Suns have to plan on being perfect in upcoming home games against the Hornets, Clippers, Kings and Nuggets. That's certainly doable, but given how well both the Nuggets and Kings are playing, we're not counting on a sweep.
Denver has lost only two games in their past 23 -- both to Phoenix. The Nuggets are intent on removing that monkey before the postseason, especially considering the Suns could be their first-round opponent. Their other chief task is leap-frogging Houston, which could be cemented in Saturday night's visit to the Toyota Center. The Rockets have lost both games they've played at home this month and must find a way to regain their edge there as they close the season with four consecutive home games.
Here's how we see the West shaking out: 1. San Antonio, 2. Phoenix, 3. Seattle, 4. Dallas, 5. Sacramento, 6. Houston, 7. Denver, 8. Memphis.
Weekly Essentials: Some focus in the playoff picture
April 11, 2005
By Tony Mejia
CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Tell Tony your opinion!
Of the NBA's 16 available playoff spots, only four seeds are locked in entering the season's final full week. In the Eastern Conference, we know Miami will be the top seed and own home court, while defending champion Detroit will be the No. 2. In the West, Seattle will be the No. 3 seed and Dallas the No. 4, with both playing host to the first two games in their first-round matchups.
Sorry, but that's all we can tell you with certainty. Now, if it's conjecture you want, we can deliver that by the boatload:
Best in the West decide the rest
The road to the Western Conference championship will go through San Antonio. Sorry, Phoenix, you had your chance.
Tony Parker and the Spurs need a well-rested Tim Duncan back in time for the playoffs. (Getty Images)
The Spurs played 116 minutes of basketball over the weekend, notching a pair of thrilling double-overtime victories against the Clippers and Warriors. They could have been put away numerous times in both but persevered thanks to clutch plays from Tony Parker and veteran Robert Horry, the playoff groundhog who likes to peek his head out from underground this time of year.
In the Golden State visit, the Spurs suited up without injured big men Tim Duncan and Rasho Nesterovic as well as Manu Ginobili, who sat out with a stomach virus the night after dropping 40 on the Clips. Maybe he and Shaquille O'Neal are swapping recipes.
Phoenix extended itself in back-to-back games, too, but where San Antonio caught its breaks, the Suns came away empty-handed. After losing a track meet to a Warrior team that has rapidly become the conference's ultimate spoiler, they nearly rallied from a 16-point deficit against Houston in the game's final 10 minutes, only to see Steve Nash miss a jumper and Steven Hunter foul up the dunk attempt follow at the buzzer.
"I don't understand it," Hunter said. "Nine times out of 10, that dunk falls."
Not when the home-court edge isn't meant to be.
Remarkably, the Spurs have made it through life without Duncan, going 7-4 while his ankle mends, and are now awaiting his imminent return. He has been ruled out of Tuesday's home game against Portland but could be in the lineup Saturday for the first of a pair of games against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team it will likely face in the first round if it does indeed take care of business and claims the top seed. It seems to be a blessing for the Spurs; not only can Duncan get re-acclimated and find his groove, he can do it against the team he'll potentially become very familiar with in the coming weeks.
Phoenix, still up a game in the loss column, loses a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Spurs since it dropped the season series 2-1. In order to avoid squandering the home-court edge that appeared locked up when Duncan went down, the Suns have to plan on being perfect in upcoming home games against the Hornets, Clippers, Kings and Nuggets. That's certainly doable, but given how well both the Nuggets and Kings are playing, we're not counting on a sweep.
Denver has lost only two games in their past 23 -- both to Phoenix. The Nuggets are intent on removing that monkey before the postseason, especially considering the Suns could be their first-round opponent. Their other chief task is leap-frogging Houston, which could be cemented in Saturday night's visit to the Toyota Center. The Rockets have lost both games they've played at home this month and must find a way to regain their edge there as they close the season with four consecutive home games.
Here's how we see the West shaking out: 1. San Antonio, 2. Phoenix, 3. Seattle, 4. Dallas, 5. Sacramento, 6. Houston, 7. Denver, 8. Memphis.