By “Nunnie” Robinson, Westside Gazette Sport Editor
The Miami Heat are currently sitting in 7th place in the Eastern Conference, blowing out the Cleveland Cavaliers in a dominating performance in Miami. The Heat’s victory keeps them in position to avoid the dreaded Play In which, if the season ended today, would qualify them as the 7th seed, forcing them to play the Atlanta Hawks, who recently overcame a 30 point deficit to defeat the Boston Celtics.
In the Eastern Conference, the Celtics have clinched a bye and a playoff spot, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers. The Heat are a game and a half behind the Magic and a half game behind the Pacers. Any chance of avoiding the Play In means overtaking one or both the Magic, the Pacers or both. The 76ers, Bulls, and Hawks are the remaining Eastern Conference teams in contention for the Play In.
In the Western Conference the Houston Rockets, coached by former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka, are hot on the heels of the Warriors – losers of 3 consecutive games – with a legitimate shot at knocking them out of the playoffs completely. This means that, just as we’ve been writing, these games are vitally important with teams separated by a game or a half game. The 3 top teams in the west, the Denver Nuggets, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves, are separated by a mere game and a half while the next 2 contenders fighting for playoff position – the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Clippers are in a virtual tie for 4th and 5th place, six and half games out of first. Presently in 6th place are the Sacramento Kings followed by the Dallas Mavericks, both eight and a half games back, the Kings holding the tiebreaker. Consequently, if the Play Ins began today, the Dallas Mavericks would play the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets who only trail the Warriors by a half game. The other Play In teams, incredible as it sounds, would pit the Phoenix Sun against the Los Angeles Lakers, playing extremely well and are only a game behind the Suns, who are a half game behind the Mavericks.
All I can say NBA fans is get your popcorn and keep your eyes on the scoreboard/standings. Wins and losses create sudden and dramatic shifts The talent gap is so narrow and competition is so intense that any team from 1-10 in both conferences could literally reached the NBA finals.
