tlongII
04-12-2011, 10:32 AM
http://www.oregonlive.com/nba/index.ssf/2011/04/nba_playoffs_blazers_can_clinc.html
http://media.oregonlive.com/nba_impact/photo/wallace-green-headbandjpg-e8790a8ff5639daa.jpg
Gerald Wallace and the Blazers can lock up the West's No. 6 seed with a victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night at the Rose Garden.
Plenty of scenarios remain, but the ever-changing landscape of the Western Conference playoff race has come down to this: The Portland Trail Blazers will be the No. 6 seed if they beat the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
It's as simple as that for the Blazers, thanks to New Orleans' two-game slide.
Here's a look at the Western Conference playoff race, with two days to go in the regular season:
What we know: The San Antonio Spurs are alone at the top and must now decide which is more important: gunning for the NBA's best record or resting their veterans. Dallas' win Monday night at least momentarily jumped them ahead of the Lakers for the No. 2 spot, so the Lakers need a win against San Antonio at Staples Center on Tuesday to snap their losing streak and regain second place. Oklahoma City beat Sacramento to keep the pressure on L.A. and Dallas. Denver locked up the No. 5 seed. The Blazers can now clinch the No. 6 seed with a win against Memphis, thanks to the struggling Hornets.
If the playoffs started today … Here's how the matchups would look (with locked-in seeds in bold):
1 Spurs vs. 8 Hornets
2 Mavericks vs. 7 Grizzlies
3 Lakers vs. 6 Blazers
4 Thunder vs. 5 Nuggets
The Blazers' scenarios: New Orleans' loss to Utah means the 6 seed belongs to the Blazers (47-33) if they can take care of business at home against Memphis. That would give Portland a two-game lead over both the Hornets (46-35) and Grizzlies (46-34) with one game to play. A loss to the Grizzlies would put Memphis in control, although the Blazers can finish no worse than seventh if they win either of their final two games. Portland wraps up the season Wednesday night against a Golden State team will be without Monta Ellis, and possibly Stephen Curry too. The scenarios:
• If Portland beats Memphis, the Blazers will be No. 6, regardless of what happens against Golden State.
• If Portland loses to Memphis and beats Golden State, and Memphis loses to the L.A. Clippers, Portland will be No. 6.
• If Portland loses to Memphis and beats Golden State, and Memphis beats the L.A. Clippers, Portland will be No. 7.
• If Portland loses to Memphis and Golden State, and New Orleans loses to Dallas, the Blazers will be No. 7.
• If Portland loses to Memphis and Golden State, and New Orleans beats Dallas, the Blazers will be No. 8.
The Blazers' opponent: Check back Wednesday night. It still could be the Spurs, Mavericks, Lakers or Thunder. A win against Memphis would cross the Spurs off that list, but the 2, 3 and 4 seeds won't be settled until Wednesday.
Hornets' swoon: New Orleans (46-35) never led and lost 90-78 at home to the Utah Jazz on Monday. Undoubtedly feeling the loss of David West, New Orleans' starting frontcourt combined to score just 15 points. The Hornets' second loss in a row leaves them in eighth place with one game (at Dallas) to play. They still have an outside chance to finish sixth, but more likely is seventh or eighth. The eighth spot might not be all bad for New Orleans, though, since the Hornets split the season series with San Antonio 2-2. In fact, the Hornets, Grizzlies and Blazers — San Antonio's three potential first-round opponents — are the only West playoff teams to have beaten the Spurs at least twice this season. Add the Lakers to that list if they win Tuesday night.
OT in Texas: It was sloppy, but the Mavericks' overtime victory over Houston helped them keep pace with the Lakers in the battle for the No. 2 seed. Dallas (56-25) finishes up with a home game against New Orleans. If they win that game, the Mavericks will clinch at least the 3 spot, and they could move up to No. 2 if the Lakers drop their last two games. With the Thunder right on their heels, however, a loss to the Hornets could drop Dallas to the fourth seed.
Intrigue in L.A.: Which team at Staples Center on Tuesday night will want it more? Probably the Lakers (55-25), who have lost five in a row and now find themselves in third place, a half game back of Dallas. A Spurs win would get them closer to clinching the NBA's best record and home-court throughout the playoffs, but Gregg Popovich has said he doesn't plan to "overplay anybody" in San Antonio's final two games.
Thunder win again: Oklahoma City dispatched Sacramento 120-112 to match the Lakers' 55 wins, but the Thunder (55-26) need help to move up from the No. 4 spot and a first-round date with Denver. They can jump ahead of Dallas if they beat Milwaukee and the Mavericks lose to the Hornets. They can also vault ahead of the Lakers if the Thunder win and L.A. loses its last two games.
Nuggets clinch No. 5: Golden State hung with Denver (50-31) for a while, but then Stephen Curry hurt his ankle and the Nuggets' depth proved too much. Nine Nuggets scored at least 10 points, and Denver pulled away to win 134-111 at home and clinch the 5 spot. With the jumble in the standings above them, however, Denver won't know its playoff opponent until Wednesday night.
http://media.oregonlive.com/nba_impact/photo/wallace-green-headbandjpg-e8790a8ff5639daa.jpg
Gerald Wallace and the Blazers can lock up the West's No. 6 seed with a victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night at the Rose Garden.
Plenty of scenarios remain, but the ever-changing landscape of the Western Conference playoff race has come down to this: The Portland Trail Blazers will be the No. 6 seed if they beat the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
It's as simple as that for the Blazers, thanks to New Orleans' two-game slide.
Here's a look at the Western Conference playoff race, with two days to go in the regular season:
What we know: The San Antonio Spurs are alone at the top and must now decide which is more important: gunning for the NBA's best record or resting their veterans. Dallas' win Monday night at least momentarily jumped them ahead of the Lakers for the No. 2 spot, so the Lakers need a win against San Antonio at Staples Center on Tuesday to snap their losing streak and regain second place. Oklahoma City beat Sacramento to keep the pressure on L.A. and Dallas. Denver locked up the No. 5 seed. The Blazers can now clinch the No. 6 seed with a win against Memphis, thanks to the struggling Hornets.
If the playoffs started today … Here's how the matchups would look (with locked-in seeds in bold):
1 Spurs vs. 8 Hornets
2 Mavericks vs. 7 Grizzlies
3 Lakers vs. 6 Blazers
4 Thunder vs. 5 Nuggets
The Blazers' scenarios: New Orleans' loss to Utah means the 6 seed belongs to the Blazers (47-33) if they can take care of business at home against Memphis. That would give Portland a two-game lead over both the Hornets (46-35) and Grizzlies (46-34) with one game to play. A loss to the Grizzlies would put Memphis in control, although the Blazers can finish no worse than seventh if they win either of their final two games. Portland wraps up the season Wednesday night against a Golden State team will be without Monta Ellis, and possibly Stephen Curry too. The scenarios:
• If Portland beats Memphis, the Blazers will be No. 6, regardless of what happens against Golden State.
• If Portland loses to Memphis and beats Golden State, and Memphis loses to the L.A. Clippers, Portland will be No. 6.
• If Portland loses to Memphis and beats Golden State, and Memphis beats the L.A. Clippers, Portland will be No. 7.
• If Portland loses to Memphis and Golden State, and New Orleans loses to Dallas, the Blazers will be No. 7.
• If Portland loses to Memphis and Golden State, and New Orleans beats Dallas, the Blazers will be No. 8.
The Blazers' opponent: Check back Wednesday night. It still could be the Spurs, Mavericks, Lakers or Thunder. A win against Memphis would cross the Spurs off that list, but the 2, 3 and 4 seeds won't be settled until Wednesday.
Hornets' swoon: New Orleans (46-35) never led and lost 90-78 at home to the Utah Jazz on Monday. Undoubtedly feeling the loss of David West, New Orleans' starting frontcourt combined to score just 15 points. The Hornets' second loss in a row leaves them in eighth place with one game (at Dallas) to play. They still have an outside chance to finish sixth, but more likely is seventh or eighth. The eighth spot might not be all bad for New Orleans, though, since the Hornets split the season series with San Antonio 2-2. In fact, the Hornets, Grizzlies and Blazers — San Antonio's three potential first-round opponents — are the only West playoff teams to have beaten the Spurs at least twice this season. Add the Lakers to that list if they win Tuesday night.
OT in Texas: It was sloppy, but the Mavericks' overtime victory over Houston helped them keep pace with the Lakers in the battle for the No. 2 seed. Dallas (56-25) finishes up with a home game against New Orleans. If they win that game, the Mavericks will clinch at least the 3 spot, and they could move up to No. 2 if the Lakers drop their last two games. With the Thunder right on their heels, however, a loss to the Hornets could drop Dallas to the fourth seed.
Intrigue in L.A.: Which team at Staples Center on Tuesday night will want it more? Probably the Lakers (55-25), who have lost five in a row and now find themselves in third place, a half game back of Dallas. A Spurs win would get them closer to clinching the NBA's best record and home-court throughout the playoffs, but Gregg Popovich has said he doesn't plan to "overplay anybody" in San Antonio's final two games.
Thunder win again: Oklahoma City dispatched Sacramento 120-112 to match the Lakers' 55 wins, but the Thunder (55-26) need help to move up from the No. 4 spot and a first-round date with Denver. They can jump ahead of Dallas if they beat Milwaukee and the Mavericks lose to the Hornets. They can also vault ahead of the Lakers if the Thunder win and L.A. loses its last two games.
Nuggets clinch No. 5: Golden State hung with Denver (50-31) for a while, but then Stephen Curry hurt his ankle and the Nuggets' depth proved too much. Nine Nuggets scored at least 10 points, and Denver pulled away to win 134-111 at home and clinch the 5 spot. With the jumble in the standings above them, however, Denver won't know its playoff opponent until Wednesday night.