4th Quarter Report: NBA Playoffs Time

With approximately 63 games done for everybody, the NBA is officially in the 4th quarter of the regular season. Teams on the bubble have less than 20 games to bail themselves out of the lottery and continue to challenge for the NBA Championship. Now let's take a snapshot of what would be the playoff match-ups had the playoffs started today.

East
1. Cleveland (51-15) vs 8. Toronto (32-31)
2. Orlando (46-20) vs. 7. Miami (34-32)
3. Boston (41-23) vs 6. Charlotte (33-31)
4. Atlanta (41-23) vs 5. Milwaukee (35-29)

On the bubble: 9. Chicago (31-34)

West
1. LA Lakers (48-18) vs 8. Portland (40-28)
2. Dallas (45-21) vs 7. San Antonio (38-25)
3. Denver (44-21) vs 6. Phoenix (40-26)
4. Utah (42-23) vs Oklahoma (40-24)

On the bubble: 9. Memphis (35-21), 10. Houston (32-31), 11. New Orleans (32-34)

Personally, I think all Playoff teams should have winning records. This is why particularly, this year's performance pleases me. In previous years, Western conference teams having winning records were booted out even they could have had 5th seed in the East. Somehow, that just didn't seem right.

As it stands now, we're bound to see some exciting series: LeBron-Bosh, Wade-Howard, Lakers-Blazers, Texas Shootout, Mile High-Grand Canyon. But I'm here to take a look at the chances of those teams on the bubble - Chicago, Memphis, Houston, New Orleans.

Chicago

Their fate lies in the hands and more importantly, health of Derrick Rose. He's very banged up. We hear or a hip, a knee, a wrist and all sorts of minor dings to him that we wonder if he can survive the grueling chase to the playoffs. Last year, Rose and Ben Gordon practically shot the Bulls into that thrilling series with the Celtics. But he doesn't have a shot-maker like Ben Gordon or even John Salmons anymore, so we've seen the wear and tear on him this year. If he's healthy, maybe they have a shot of pulling into the 8th spot especially with Toronto never really getting chemistry going the whole year.


Memphis
This picture was just too good to not post. Zach Randolph has been consistent for the Grizzlies the whole year up to the point that he even became a first-time All-Star. But them vaulting into another level of success really depends on Rudy Gay. Gay should be their superstar, the one teams watch and prepare for first before Randolph. He has to pick it up and act like the physical freak that he is or else, it's another lottery pick for the Griz.


Houston
Ariza was forced to become a scorer due to the absence and now, departure of T-Mac. Unforutnately for the Rockets, he hasn't come up to standards. Yao's absence can really be felt even with the herculean efforts of Scola, Hayes, Battier and the rest of their 6'8 and under front court. How they're even contending is actually a thing of roughneck beauty with a scrappy team performing hard every night. But, Ariza has to stop chucking and start scoring if the Rockets want to keep their streak of being in the playoffs alive.


New Orleans
Injury could not have struck at a worse time when CP3 went down. With the Thunder picking up their game, the once-considered contender Hornets now are just struggling to reach .500 with Paul down with a bum ankle. David West and Emeka Okafor have been unable to find a right mix to make things work underneath even if Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton have been playing like vets on the perimeter. Paul coming back isn't soon enough for this team as they seem to be on the way out of the playoffs.

Fantasy NBA Players of the Week 14

The Director
Chris Paul (NOH) - 2.3 3FGM, 26.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 11.0 APG, 3.3 SPG [5]

Unfortunately, people, that is this week's best player in fantasy basketball. To think that Paul actually put these numbers up in just 3 games (while the Hornets had 4). So, for Paul owners out there, this stellar week will be the last for about a month or so. He's down with a partially torn miniscus, and will probably miss the All-Star game, leaving the spot open for Chauncey Billups.


The Skywalker
Kevin Durant (OKC) - 1.7 3FGM, 34.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 1.3 BPG [6]

Durant creeps closer to LeBron's 7 appearances in the mythical 5 with his sixth. Dropping 45 in his last game of this week, Durant solidifes his All-Star selection (the first of many to come). We have seen Durant play bigger this week with more rebounds and blocks. We can probably expect this continuous shifting for small stats (3s, Asts, Stls) to big stats (Rebs, Blks) to go on for the rest of the year since OKC will probably not get a dominating big before the deadline.


The Triggerman
Gerald Wallace (CHA) - 1.3 3FGM, 27.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.3 BPG [2]

Crash is an all-star and is the first Bobcat to do so, an honor he deserves since he's been the only person left from Bobcat Day 1. Always playing bigger than his size, Wallace's rebounding and defense have always been known. Offensively though, he has raised it up a notch this year.


Captain Lionheart
David Lee (NYK) - 24.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.5 SPG [1]

Probably the biggest All-star snub this year, David Lee finally enters the mythical 5. As if to make a statement against his being snubbed, Lee has evolved into also becoming a playmaker for the Knicks, averaging close to 5 dimes per game. Now, if only an East all-star would get injured, a Knick could be an all-star, the first since... Starbury...


Tower of Power
Marc Gasol (MEM) - 19.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.5 SPG, 1.8 BPG [1]

Pau's baby brother has been playing great this year. Probably just as deserving as Zach Randolph's all-star nod, he has been the slotman for the Grizz's resurgence in the deep, deep Southwest, which has all his teams over .500. has his emergence made the trade with the Lakers any fairer? Still no...

Fantasy NBA Players of the Week 12

The Director
Chris Paul (NOH) - 1.3 3FGM, 18.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 13.5 APG, 3.0 SPG [4]

CP3 is back in the Mythical 5 with his usual numbers. Looks like he, David West and Emeka Okafor are finally getting their acts together, and less scoring is needed from him. Us fantasy people hate that... unless we own Okafor.


The Skywalker
Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 27.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2.5 SPG, 1.8 BPG [3]

D-Wade was a defensive beast last week. Sure he gambles and puts his team at risk in the real world, but that doesn't mean jack in fantasy basketball. 4.3 Steals/Blocks per game is just way, way up there for any guard.


The Triggerman
Lebron James (CLE) - 35.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 7.0 APG, 3.0 SPG, 1.7 BPG [6]


LeBron was once again the best player in fantasy basketball. He's been here for the 6th week and he even produced higher offense and defensive numbers than Wade. It seems that Cleveland is finally taking some of the load of LeBron, keeping defenders honest and letting LeBron go nuts. If only he'd dunk in the Dunk Contest...


Captain Lionheart
Stephen Jackson (CHA) - 3.0 3FGM, 29.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.7 APG, 3.0 SPG [1]

Here's another one of those "multiple positions saves my ass" types of listings again. I really never knew until recently that S-Jax had PF eligibility. Being in Golden State indeed paid off for some fantasy owners who lucked out on this one.


Tower of Power
Brook Lopez (NJN) - 22.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.5 BPG [2]

He's been the only consistent thing in New Jersey aside from the losses. How those two correlate, I dunno. But, Brook is recently getting outshone by Robin out in Phoenix. Maybe we'll see these 2 get some time to go head-to-head.

Fantasy NBA Players of the Week 10

Just because I wasn't able to fix my line-up and put David Lee in, I lost a week 2-7. Makes me wonder if I should keep him for the keeper league. But since he's an unrestricted free agent, I have to wait and see...

Now, the fantasy world seems to be normalizing based on pre-season predictions... This week's mythical 5!


The Director
Chris Paul (NOH) - 20.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 9.3 APG, 2.7 SPG, 1.0 BPG [3]
CP3 is back in his place as the NBA's best PG. But, his assists are down compared to when he came back from injury. This is probably because West and Okafor are contributing more to the Hornets cause. The block is a bonus and the steals are where you want them to be.


The Skywalker
Kobe Bryant (LAL) - 2.3 3FGM, 33.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 6.5 APG [4]

The Black Mamba just killed the Kings for the second game in a row. He's been playing at an MVP pace this year and with Gasol going down to the hamstring, we can expect Kobe to be looking to shoot again.


The Triggerman

LeBron James (CLE) - 29.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2.3 SPG, 1.5 BPG [5]

The King was the best player in fantasy basketball this week with monster 5-cat averages over 4 games. The statement being made in the 48-point explosion in Atlanta. We know he can do this every night if he wanted to, but he's saving energy for the chase for the homecourt advantage and playoffs this early. Yes, this early, especially since Boston and Orlando are right up there in the East.


Captain Lionheart
Chris Bosh (TOR) - 26.7 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.3 BPG [3]

CB4 has finally restored his 20-10 averages after a funk he went through last week. With Hedo going down to injury and Calderon still not back, Bosh will be forced to have these numbers for at least this week.


Tower of Power
Nene (DEN) - 23.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 3.3 SPG, 1.0 BPG [1]

Nene is clearly benefiting from Melo and Ms. Big Shot going down to injury. He has to establish himself as Denver's 3rd option, and seems to be doing so very well. When those 2 come back, we'll see if Nene can keep this pace up.

NBA Fantasy: Players of the Week 8

I won all leagues last week.. but forgot to set my team for this week and lost Bogut's 31-18 this week. Uphill battles once again..

The Director
Chris Paul (NOH) - 19.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 13.5 APG, 2.0 SPG [2]
Chris Paul is back, definitely... And the Hornets are winning. However, his points are down from the previous year's due to the increase in assists. At least we know the ball is definitely in his hands almost all the time.

The Skywalker
Joe Johnson (ATL) - 2.3 3FGM, 26.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.7 APG [1]
Joe Johnson finally cracks the list with a very, very solid week. Now, let's just see if he'll be able to keep some of these numbers consistent since he's still the hawk other teams want to keep from flying.

The Triggerman
Quintin Richardson (MIA) - 5.0 3FGM, 16.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.0 APG
If there's anybody that matches the "Triggerman" title this week, it was Q-Rich who posted 5 3's a game. Now, we know it's not going to be consistent, so this might be his first and last appearance on this list, especially since he's trying to be Miami's starting stopper this year.


Captain Lionheart
Tim Duncan - 26.7 PPG, 15.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 3.3 BPG [2]
Duncan was fantasy basketball's best player last week with very crazy numbers. Reminds you actually of that Finals series where he man-handled the Nets. Now that Parker and Ginobili are back, Duncan is getting more open to operate. Not bad for the "old guy."

Tower of Power
Marcus Camby - 8.8 PPG, 17.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 3.5 BPG [3]
Camby is back... again! It's his third time on the list and although the points are down, the rebounds are up. His assists are a surprise actually, and a great bonus for all those who picked him up late due to the injury scare.

Fantasy NBA: Players of the Week 6

9-0 in one of my leagues. That's probably the first time that it's happened in 2 years. We saw several injuries take out a couple of key pieces to teams, biggest of which (literally and figuratively) was Greg Oden going down. He wasn't producing much stats-wise but basketball-wise, he was a major part of what they were doing. Honorable mentions include the Pistons wings ad Jrue Holiday (damn you, Holiday!)

I say "Damn you, Jrue Holiday!" because it was your chance to finally get the starter role. The Sixers, I feel would be best with Holiday in the 1 with Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala at the wings. But he conveniently got hurt the same Allen Iverson comes rolling back into town. (Sorry, folks. But I've never been an Iverson fan.) Today, Iverson had 11 points on 4-11 shooting with 5 boards and 6 assists... without his wind or legs. We all know Iverson. With the losing streak at 10, it will only be a matter of time before he starts saying "If we don't win, I'm going to have to play my way" or something to that effect. Good luck to Fantasy Owners of the Sixers.

Going back to the business of big shots... Week 6!
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The Director
Jason Kidd (DAL) - 2.8 3FGM, 13.5 PPG, 8.5 APG, 2.8 SPG, 1.3 BPG [2]

The man is no longer a walking triple-double, but he still flirts with it every game. In addition to the flirting, he's carrying around things that come in 3's. Pretty good date if you get it 4 times a week.


The Skywalker
Kevin Durant (OKC) - 2.7 3FGM, 32.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.7 SPG [2]

He was the only 30.0 PPG man this week (oddly), and 2.7 steals isn't shabby considering he's primary role in the Thunder is to score the ball. Not crazy about the 0.5 assist-to-turnover ratio though.

The Triggerman
Danilo Gallinari (NYK) - 3.5 3FGM, 18.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 1.3 BPG [2]

I was actually conflicted with this pick since Rashard Lewis put up close (if not better numbers). But it's a head-to-head league that we play in and 4 games vs 2 for The Italian Stallion. We just hope he really starts hitting his stride so that he can get Al Harrington off his timesheet.

Captain Lionheart
Carlos Boozer (UTA) - .600 FG%, 27.7 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 3.0 APG [1]

Boozer put up very good and efficient numbers this week from the field. Thie FT line, not so much though. The 3.7 TOs are a bit of a downer too. But he still delivers, ala the mailman.

Tower of Power
Marcus Camby (LAC) - 10.5 PPG, 18.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, 3.0 SPG, 2.0 BPG [2]

Guess what, people? It's him again! He's healthy and doing what he does best. 18 boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks are nuts. I'm hoping that Griffin plays a lot at the 3 this year so that they can keep on hammering people on the inside.


Comeback Kids:
Chris Paul (NOH) - 16.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 15.0 APG, 8.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG (I thought he was hurt?)
Kevin Love (MIN) - 2.0 3FGM, 14.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG (It has got to be the glove he's wearing.)

Coach's Carousel: Bye Bye Byron

It was announced earlier today that Byron Scott, head coach of the New Orleans Hornets, has been fired for the underperformance of the past 2 seasons. Two years ago, the Hornets seemed to have carved themselves a seat in the upper echelon of the NBA with the emergence of David West as an All-Star, Chris Paul as a perrenial MVP Candidate (and fantasy beast) and the frequent showing of the CP3 lob to Tyson Chandler on Sportscenter. They were up and ready to take on the Lakers for the West title, but they busted before they even got off the ground.

It's unfortunate to think that this pink slip for Scott is actually very similar to how he parted ways with the Nets.

1. After playoff success, the team falls meteorically. (Nets-Finals twice; Hornets-West Semis)
2. Hall of Fame point guards ran the show on the floor (Kidd; Paul)
3. Very little scoring consistency from the wings. (Kittles-Van Horn-Jefferson; Peterson-Stojakovic-Posey)
4. Overrated big man who got a bloated contract because of Guard's briliance (Martin; Chandler)
5. Extremely shallow benches
6. Cash-strapped franchises

As bad as his record seems, we actually have to give Scott credit for a couple of things. He didn't win 2 Coach of the Year awards by just doing nothing. As "bad" as a coach he might seem, we have to give him credit for letting the reins go on his point guard. He knew that he had a great point guard, one that could take the team places. So, rather than impose himself and a system completely, he gives his 1's the freedom to call sets, be flashy, entertain and make his players better. Unfortuantely for him, a point guard without great finishers do not win titles.

Kidd made Martin, Jefferson, Van Horn and Kittles all borderline all-stars and Paul did the same to West (actually became an all-star), Chandler and revived Peja. But they could naturally only do so much. When teams would attack them, they would stop everybody except the PG and the guard would then try to win it by himself. We all know that's never a plan for success, and true enough, collapses took place.

Honestly, I don't think Byron Scott deserves all the blame for their drop offs. Yes, he can take a brunt of it since he has to develop his players into becoming deserving 2nd and 3rd options for his PGs, but we've seen him run practices and he isn't easy on them. It, however raises the question of "What if he didn't have an awesome point man?"

I think the front office of the Nets and Hornets have themselves to blame as well. Not enough talent was provided, and the teams sputtered. Thus, their demise inevitable. Think of placing Michael Schumacher behind a Kia Pride. The driver can push the hell out of the car, but it can only run so fast. Those are the parts Byron Scott had to work with.

So, there's no true escape on this. It's just unlucky for him that he doesn't do the hiring and firing.

Fantasy NBA: Players of the Week 2

I didn't do too well this week again. All my teams were either escapes or slim losses, part due to bad drafts and some injuries.. Unfortunately, unlike real life, some Fantasy seasons can actually be broken in the first few weeks. Thankfully, I haven't been murdered yet.

Now for this week's players:

The Director
Chris Paul (NOH) - 2.0 3Pt FGM, 26.8 PPG, 11.8 APG, 1.5 SPG
> Maybe the Rondo scuffle woke up CP3.

The Skywalker
Kevin Martin (SAC) - 4.5 3Pt FGM , 38.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.5 SPG
> Too bad he's out for 6-8 weeks after he broke it wide open.

The Triggerman
LeBron James (CLE) - 28.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 7.0 APG, 2.3 SPG
> The LeBron NY Circus closed the week, and he was worth the hype. TOs, not so.

Captain Lionheart
Dirk Nowitzki (DAL) - 27.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 2.0 BPG
> 29 points in 1 quarter then 14 for a game. Inconsistent much?

Tower of Power
Chris Bosh (TOR) - 62.9 FG%, 26.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.3 TPG
> Numbers are "down" from last week. Contract year effect?