Official Scoreboard Watching/Stretch Run Thread

[Findog]

Moderators, could we possibly sticky this?

Current Playoff Matchups:

1) LA Lakers vs 8) Portland Trailblazers
2) Denver Nuggets vs 7) San Antonio Spurs
3) Dallas Mavericks vs 6) Phoenix Suns
4) Utah Jazz vs 5) Zombie Sonics

1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs 8) Toronto Raptors
2) Orlando Magic vs 7) Miami Heat
3) Atlanta Hawks vs 6) Charlotte Bobcats
4) Boston Celtics vs 5) Milwaukee Bucks

[Findog]

Here's a link to the remaining schedules for all eight West playoff teams:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tQUQI3JvBzLqPdKOM_tra_g&output=html

[Findog]

Los Angeles Lakers:

vs. Minnesota
vs. Washington
at San Antonio
at Zombie Sonics
at Houston (B2B)
at New Orleans
at Atlanta
vs. Utah
vs. San Antonio
at Denver
at Minnesota (B2B)
vs. Portland
vs. Sacramento
at LA Clippers (B2B)

6 Home, 8 Road, 8 vs. +.500 teams, 3 B2Bs

[Findog]

Denver Nuggets:

vs. New Orleans
vs. Milwaukee
at New York
at Boston (B2B)
at Toronto
at Orlando
at Dallas (B2B)
vs. Portland
vs. LA Clippers
at Zombie Sonics
vs. LA Lakers (B2B)
vs. San Antonio
vs. Memphis
at Phoenix (B2B)

7 Home, 7 Road, 10 vs. +.500 teams, 4 B2Bs

[Findog]

Dallas Mavericks:

vs. Chicago
vs. Boston
at New Orleans
vs. LA Clippers (B2B)
at Portland
at Golden State
vs. Denver
at Memphis
vs.Orlando (B2B)
vs. Zombie Sonics
vs. Memphis
at Portland
at Sacramento (B2B)
at LA Clippers
vs. San Antonio

8 Home, 7 Road, 9 vs. +.500 teams, 3 B2Bs

[Findog]

Utah Jazz:

vs. Minnesota
at Phoenix
vs. New Orleans (B2B)
vs. Boston
at Toronto
at Indiana
at Washington (B2B)
vs. New York
vs. Golden State
at LA Lakers
vs. Zombie Sonics
at Houston (B2B)
at New Orleans
at Golden State
vs. Phoenix (B2B)

7 Home, 8 Road, 6 vs. +.500 teams, 4 B2Bs

[Findog]

Zombie Sonics:

at Charlotte
at Toronto
at Indiana
vs. San Antonio (B2B)
vs. Houston
vs. LA Lakers
vs. Portland
at Philadelphia
at Boston (B2B)
at Dallas
vs. Minnesota
at Utah
vs. Denver (B2B)
vs. Phoenix
at Golden State
at Portland (B2B)
vs. Memphis

8 Home, 9 Road, 12 vs. +.500 teams, 4 B2Bs

[Findog]

Phoenix Suns:

vs. Utah
vs. Portland
at Golden State (B2B)
vs. New York
at Minnesota
at Chicago
at New Jersey (B2B)
at Detroit
at Milwaukee (B2B)
vs. San Antonio
at Zombie Sonics
vs. Houston
vs. Denver
at Utah (B2B)

6 Home, 8 Road, 8 vs. +.500 teams, 4 B2Bs

[Findog]

San Antonio:

at Orlando (B2B)
vs. Golden State
at Atlanta
at Zombie Sonics (B2B)
vs. LA Lakers
vs. Cleveland
at Boston
at New Jersey (B2B)
vs. Houston
vs.Orlando
at LA Lakers
at Sacramento
at Phoenix (B2B)
vs. Memphis
at Denver (B2B)
vs. Minnesota
at Dallas

7 Home, 10 Road, 13 vs. +.500 teams, 5 B2Bs

[Findog]

Portland:

vs. Washington
at Phoenix
vs. Dallas
at Zombie Sonics (B2B)
vs. New York
at Denver (B2B)
at Sacramento
at LA Clippers
vs. Dallas
at LA Lakers
vs. Zombie Sonics (B2B)
vs. Golden State

6 Home, 6 Road, 7 vs. +.500 teams, 3 B2Bs

[Dex]

Spurs have a pretty tough stretch run, but nobody exactly has it easy.

Utah probably has the cakiest walk out of those list.

[Findog]

The Spurs have a most brutal closing stretch. :wow

[Findog]

Spurs have a pretty tough stretch run, but nobody exactly has it easy.

Utah probably has the cakiest walk out of those list.

Portland has only 12 games and 3 B2Bs left.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Phoenix Suns:

vs. Utah
vs. Portland
at Golden State (B2B)
vs. New York
at Minnesota
at Chicago
at New Jersey (B2B)
at Detroit
at Milwaukee (B2B)
vs. San Antonio
at Zombie Sonics
vs. Houston
vs. Denver
at Utah (B2B)

6 Home, 8 Road, 8 vs. +.500 teams, 4 B2Bs


No excuse why that's not a 7 game winning streak. Phoenix should do everything they can to get Denver in the 1st round, they don't have the talent to beat Dallas, no way in hell they steal a game in Utah, and lol them playing LA.

[Dex]

Portland has only 12 games and 3 B2Bs left.

Yeah, I just saw Portland's after posting.

Damn Spurs pissed away their breezy start to the season. :pctoss

[Findog]

No excuse why that's not a 7 game winning streak. Phoenix should do everything they can to get Denver in the 1st round, they don't have the talent to beat Dallas, no way in hell they steal a game in Utah, and lol them playing LA.

I don't see them beating the Bucks in Milwaukee on the 2nd of a b2b, but otherwise, that's an easy stretch for them. At Golden State on the 2nd of a b2b could also be tough.

With Amare beasting out of his mind right now, along with Nash always sticking it to the Mavs, I don't want to see Phoenix in the first round. Of the four choices (PHX, SAS, Zombie Sonics and PORT), Phoenix is now my least desirable opponent. They can beat the Mavs.

[j.dizzle]

^ PHX is the only team out of those 4 that can drop 152 pts on any given night lmao...They might not play great D at times but they can run you out of the building fast if they get hot...SA, OkC, & Portland arent as explosive so its easier to stay in games with those 3 if your team isnt shooting that well in a game.

[Findog]

^ PHX is the only team out of those 4 that can drop 152 pts on any given night lmao...They might not play great D at times but they can run you out of the building fast if they get hot...SA, OkC, & Portland arent as explosive so its easier to stay in games with those 3 if your team isnt shooting that well in a game.

And right now Amare is giving a shit for some reason. When he plays up to his potential, they become a very dangerous team.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

I don't see them beating the Bucks in Milwaukee on the 2nd of a b2b, but otherwise, that's an easy stretch for them. At Golden State on the 2nd of a b2b could also be tough.

With Amare beasting out of his mind right now, along with Nash always sticking it to the Mavs, I don't want to see Phoenix in the first round. Of the four choices (PHX, SAS, Zombie Sonics and PORT), Phoenix is now my least desirable opponent. They can beat the Mavs.


You're talking about Nash sticking it to the Mavs like it's still 2007. Since they got Kidd, Nash hasn't been extremely good against Dallas or anything, he's actually had several bad games. Idk why so few coaches have figured this out yet, but Nash has no problem torching defenders who are more athletic than he is, it's the defenders who are noticeably bigger than he is that he struggles against.

[j.dizzle]

You're talking about Nash sticking it to the Mavs like it's still 2007. Since they got Kidd, Nash hasn't been doing too well against Dallas. Idk why so few coaches have figured this out yet, but Nash has no problem torching defenders who are more athletic than he is, it's the defenders who are noticeably bigger than he is that he struggles against.
:lol Fisher probably loves playing Phx..It probably makes him feel all confident n shit when he plays them

[mavs>spurs2]

it's the defenders who are noticeably bigger than he is that he struggles against.

i know this is comparing apples to oranges since he's a big man and all, but i couldn't help but have a mental picture of nash torching dampier on the switch after a pick and roll time and time again just like back in the day, because the mavs coach whether it be avery or carlisle were always too stupid to learn how to defend the pick and roll :lmao

[Findog]

i know this is comparing apples to oranges since he's a big man and all, but i couldn't help but have a mental picture of nash torching dampier on the switch after a pick and roll time and time again just like back in the day, because the mavs coach whether it be avery or carlisle were always too stupid to learn how to defend the pick and roll :lmao

Eh, there's really not too much you can do on the Nash-Amare p'n'r. Pretty much unstoppable. Haven't watched the Suns as much this year, but for years that's been a pretty unguardable play no matter who you are.

[Findog]

I like the fact that Boston is pretty much locked into playing either Charlotte or Milwaukee in the first round. They're looking at a grueling, 6-7 game series with either one.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

ROFL I didn't think it was this obvious:

Last game against Dallas w/ Devin "lockdown defender" Harris:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200712190DAL.html


First game against Dallas w/ Kidd:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200804060PHO.html

[Allanon]

Los Angeles Lakers:

vs. Minnesota
vs. Washington
at San Antonio
at Zombie Sonics
at Houston (B2B)
at New Orleans
at Atlanta
vs. Utah
vs. San Antonio
at Denver
at Minnesota (B2B)
vs. Portland
vs. Sacramento
at LA Clippers (B2B)

6 Home, 8 Road, 8 vs. +.500 teams, 3 B2Bs

Nice schedule to end the year for the Lakers.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Haven't watched the Suns as much this year, but for years that's been a pretty unguardable play no matter who you are.


The best thing to do is turn Amare into a volume shooter, just like every other team's leading scorer. The Suns get really dangerous when other teams start allowing the Nash-Amare pnr to open up the court for other players like J-Rich and Hill. When you do what teams like the Spurs do and let Amare become a volume shooter the other players become non-factors and have no idea what to do when the pick and roll stops working late in the game.

[Findog]

Call me crazy but I think the Zombie Sonics can beat the Jazz.

[Ghazi]

I dont see any reason why Phoenix would be that undesirable. Our guys would have the best player on the court, far better wing players, far better centers, and a wash @ PG... home court too... that's not always the best way of analyzing things, but still seems like we simply have more talent.

[badfish22]

I'm hoping for:
Lakers vs Spurs
Mavs vs. Blazers
Denver vs. PHO
Utah vs. OKC

[Findog]

I'm hoping for:
Lakers vs Spurs
Mavs vs. Blazers
Denver vs. PHO
Utah vs. OKC

The Spurs slightly make me nervous...if they close well, they will have done it against a very tough schedule.

[badfish22]

The Spurs slightly make me nervous...if they close well, they will have done it against a very tough schedule.

I think the Mavs would beat the Spurs, but something tells me it would go to 6 and be a semi-tough series. They have been playing better lately and have more playoff proven talent than a lot of the other lower playoff teams.

Plus, we no longer have Josh "Spur Raper" Howard :rolleyes

[SomeCallMeTim]

1) LA Lakers vs 8) Portland Trailblazers

Would be a great matchup. Everyone remembers the epic 2000 WCFs between these two with The Comeback in Game 7... but I'd forgotten that they also squared off in the 1st round in 2001 and 2002 as well. Plenty of first-round history between these two. The atmosphere in the Rose Garden would just be sick.

[SomeCallMeTim]

Call me crazy but I think the Zombie Sonics can beat the Jazz.

I think so too. Jazz have a lot of PO experience but just can't quite seem to put it all together. No way OKC beats LA, DEN, or DAL but I could see them upsetting Utah.

[bostonguy]

I like the fact that Boston is pretty much locked into playing either Charlotte or Milwaukee in the first round. They're looking at a grueling, 6-7 game series with either one.

If Boston doesn't get Miami in round 1, they are done. Bucks/Bobcats would be hell.

[Xylus]

No excuse why that's not a 7 game winning streak. Phoenix should do everything they can to get Denver in the 1st round, they don't have the talent to beat Dallas, no way in hell they steal a game in Utah, and lol them playing LA.

Not only that, I expect wins against Utah and Portland, too. Two teams that have beaten us in very unpleasant ways. Time to get a little bit of revenge.

[Xylus]

And right now Amare is giving a shit for some reason. When he plays up to his potential, they become a very dangerous team.

He's definitely playing up to his potential right now, averaging 27 and 10 since the ASB and playing like one of the best PF's in the game. He's nigh unstoppable on offense, playing solid defense, and his rebounding is better than it's ever been. I knew he was going to elevate his game after the ASB, but I didn't really expect this. He's actually playing like a team leader.

[Brazil]

If Boston doesn't get Miami in round 1, they are done. Bucks/Bobcats would be hell.

not sure about the bucks but bobcats in the first round would be annoying as hell for everybody

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

BUMP


So record wise right now it's

LA - more or less clinched top seed

Denver & Dallas - most likely have 2nd and 3rd seed locked up, question is who gets the 2nd seed

Utah, Phoenix, SA, OKC - it's anyone's guess as to how they finish 4-7.
Phoenix is on a 4 game winning streak. They have 6 games that should be easy then 6 games against .500 or better teams. SA is playing well right now but has an impossible schedule to finish. OKC has little to no chance to finish 4/5. Bear of a schedule to finish with a team that might start showing its youth. Utah has 4th right now and with a pedestrian schedule to finish is likely to stay in 4th.

Portland - Likely 8th seed with a good amount of tough games left that should be careful of Houston sneaking up on them.

[Kai]

3) Dallas Mavericks vs 6) Phoenix Suns
4) Utah Jazz vs 5) Zombie Sonics

These would be fun.

SA should watch out for Houston. They have a brutal schedule coming up. Portland too to a lesser extent.

[Xylus]

The Utah-Phoenix race for the 4-seed will depend on who wins the last game of the season, Phoenix @ Utah. The Jazz own the tiebreaker right now, but a Suns victory would give them the tiebreaker. It's going to be an awesome game, too, since the result of that game will decide who gets home court advantage between the two teams in the first round. It's almost like an 8-game series.

When's the last time the Suns played the Jazz in the playoffs? I can't even recall off the top of my head...

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Damn I just checked 1991. You'd think that they played sometime during mid-late 90's when both made the playoffs every year but I guess not.

[KSeal]

When I read the title I was expecting to see a video of stretch running. Disappointing.