Mar 20, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Carl Landry (7) is defended by San Antonio Spurs forward Tiago Splitter (22) during the first half at the AT
Monday, April 15 – San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors
With only one game remaining for both teams, this one has a lot of playoff implications. The Spurs are still battling the Thunder for home court throughout the West playoffs – a coveted position considering how deep the conference is. The Warriors are trying to stave off the Rockets for sixth and avoid facing one of the two juggernauts mentioned above. Recently, Magic Johnson and Jalen Rose both said the Spurs should intentionally cede the top spot, in order to avoid the Lakers in round one. I vehemently disagree with this idea because: a) karma will bite them in the ass and they’ll end up being outrun by a younger Rocket/Warrior squad; b) the Lakers have no answer for Tony Parker; c) even with 2 or 3 other Hall-of-Famers, no Kobe Bryant = no chance for L.A. Alternatively, it would be great to see Golden State hang on to sixth and face the Nuggets. First one to 120 wins!
Keys to Victory: San Antonio will need their 3rd-ranked defense (and 4th in three pointers made) to shut down the league leaders in 3-point shooting %. For Golden State, they need a strong shooting performance from their backcourt, but more specifically from Klay Thompson. He’s only scored 19 points combined over his last two vs. San Antonio. Thompson has been playing well of late and a 20+ point effort should go a long way toward helping his team pull out the W.
Prediction: Golden State wins 104 – 93.
Tuesday, April 16 – Portland Trailblazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers
It’s the second-to-last day of the season and I’m previewing a game that features a lottery team? First of all, the other two games are Raptors-Hawks (Atlanta’s locked up their playoff spot) and Pacers-Celtics (both have all but solidified their respective seeds and will likely rest starters). This game features the soon-to-be-crowned Rookie of the Year, Damian Lillard, who just dropped 36 on the Lakers. Other possible award winners in this game are Sixth Man candidates, Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, and Eric Bledsoe, as well as Vinny Del Negro for Coach of the Year. This is also an interesting matchup of youth vs. experience. The Blazers will likely start a trio of rookies who were born in the 90’s (Lillard, Will Barton, and Meyers Leonard), while the Clips can start a trio of veterans born in the 70’s (Chauncey Billups, Grant Hill, and Lamar Odom).
Keys to Victory: If you haven’t already noticed, the NBA is evolving into a league with higher reliance on the 3-point shot. Portland does a great job of shooting threes (6th in 3-pointers made) and defending threes (4th in opponent’s 3-point FG%). If they play to those two strengths, they’ll pull off the minor upset. The Clippers will likely play Chris Paul for half the game (at least), to keep him fresh for the playoffs. He missed the last two meetings with the Blazers, so expect CP3 to show young Lillard who the best point guard in the league is.
Prediction: L.A. wins 104 – 91.
Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Wednesday, April 17 – Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
It’s the final day of the regular season! One of the tightest scoring races in league history will be decided. Playoff seeds will be solidified. Tanking from lottery teams will be complete. LeBron James will close out his fourth MVP season in five years. Oh, and I think there’s also some basketball to be played! Can you imagine if Marc Gasol decides to sit against Utah? That might be enough to allow the Jazz to win and eliminate Marc’s brother, Pau, from making the playoffs! Wouldn’t that be the best/worst sibling rivalry story ever? How about this storyline – Houston coach, and former Celtic, Kevin McHale finds a way to torment his former rivals by keeping them from making the playoffs. Then there’s the flip side of all this. Should the Lakers squeeze into the playoffs, the slate is wiped clean. Everyone starts the postseason with the same record. The Lakers presumed road to a championship would’ve gone through Oklahoma City and/or San Antonio anyway. In a season where James (individually) and the Miami Heat (collectively) are breaking records and forging their way into the NBA history books, it’s amazing how a borderline playoff team has managed to steal the headlines over the last six months!
Keys to Victory: Both teams are in the top 5 in Pace, but below average in Defensive Rating. Add those two together and you’ve got a recipe for defensive breakdowns and lots of scoring. James Harden is the best player in the league at drawing fouls (#1 in FT attempts), while the Lakers commit more fouls than any other team in the league. If Harden can get to the line 15 times, this game is over. For the Lakers, they’ll need a dominant performance from their All-Star Centers. Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard are facing the 27th-ranked team in blocked shots, so expect 40-50 points and 25 rebounds.
Prediction: L.A. wins 117 – 109.
Last Week: 5 – 1
Season: 79 – 60