Chasing them down

Eight games left and by Wednesday we will have blown through 3 of them.  

Two massive games tonight with MIL @ MEM and Net @ Heat.  I'm with dboss on the first one.  MEM is tough.  Bring everybody in there.  They even want us in there but that will be where the buck stops.  And the Bucks will be stopped tonight.  

For the other game, it really doesn't matter who wins.  If MIA wins, it will at least give them a brief lift before we knock them down another peg come Wednesday.  Otherwise, if BKN wins, MIA will be on a 4-game losing streak and they won't get out of Boston alive.  So then, make it 0-5. MIA will make the whistling sound dboss loves to hear as they go past us.  

These next 5 days will really be it.  I'm not really even worried about the 3 road games at the end since we play so well now on the road steamrolling all comers.  

As long as we don't start reading our own headlines, it is indeed in our own hands where we wind up.  (And as you will see below, there are no headlines about Boston so there is nothing to read!!)  We have been remarkably consistent in all of our games lately all built off of and coming forth from stifling, suffocating, greatly disturbing defense, if you are on the receiving end of it all.

db

P.S.  Just did an ESPN top story/headline check for today.  BKN and LAL.  I'm going to vomit.  Something about Kryrie pinching himself since mandate lifted and Vogel saying LeBron deserves the MVP.

db

Ime has the pulse of this team in hand. You can see and hear it from players when they talk about not getting too high or low and ignoring all the noise (both negative and positive) They are not listening to praise and they are not listening to condemnation.

Us fans can spout off and make all of our declarations because our consequences are limited to a measure of joy or a sobering dose of disappointment.

We need an oversized measure of joy.

Heat down, 105-79, 6:44 in the 4th quarter. The Nets had a 40 point 2nd quarter.

Bucks down, 111-90, 6:14 in the 4th quarter.

Philly doesn't play until tomorrow.

Two out of three ain't bad.

gyso wrote:Heat down, 105-79, 6:44 in the 4th quarter.  The Nets had a 40 point 2nd quarter.

Bucks down, 111-90, 6:14 in the 4th quarter.  

Philly doesn't play until tomorrow.

Two out of three ain't bad.

gyso

Both Heat and Bucks got smoked tonight. Celtics moved into 3rd place. When the Heat lost 2 in a row and their 4 game lead was cut in half my expectations went up a notch.

Sixers play @ Suns tomorrow and we got the T'wolves. We will be in 1st place.

Amazing 1/2 game out of first place, big game tomorrow Go Celtics!!!

gyso,

Two out of two ain't bad. Three's still on the table today (and four if you count us.) We still have to win basically all three of these games through Wednesday to seal first place. Pretty sure now BKN will be coming in 7th or 6th. We will help them get closer to 6th with a win tomorrow @TOR. TOR will be fighting for their lives but great defense ruins all the best laid plans and motivations.

Time for the dboss Trifecta wheel bet through Wednesday!! I'm sure he's working on that post/analysis right now. Love ya, dboss!

Hey, being idle ain't so bad!! Oh well, that's over. Now it's SHOWTIME!

Besides our game, ALL EYES will be on James "Hard Heads Make Sore Asses/Gimme Shelter" Harden as this game vs. PHX is about as big as one can get for any regular season game I can remember in quite some time this late in the season. Definitely set your DVR/NVR.

I will predict with GREAT ACCURACY that this will be the game that the buyer's remorse will be confirmed and finally sink into the just as hard-headed but always brutally honest Philly fans where they will finally have the proverbial 2X4 knock their blocks clean off. Harden will be nowhere to be seen if/when things get tight tonight.

GO CELTICS!!!!!

db

Dang, dboss!! You've got me so jacked up I can't see straight!!

db

I cannot recall a season when 4 teams were all positioned to be the 1st seed.

The Sixers are on the road and were treated to a bogo (LAL/LAC)  They came away with 2 meatballs subs with extra marinara sauce.  After feasting on Los Angeles, their tummies are full but now they have to beat the Suns.

Unfortunately, the Suns are very, very likely to blast them off the court tonight. (6 PM)

While that is happening the Celtics will be at home with a tough matchup against the Timberwolves.  Al Horford has been ruled out and  both Tatum and Brown are NOT 100%.  

I expect Grant will get the start and Daniel will be playing more minutes tonight.  The Celtics have been off for 4 days.  I am taking the Celtics to win and if the Sixers lose, as expected, Boston will pop their head above the clouds at the top of the mountain.  I think we will see the seesaw effect from this point on.

One other game of note will be the Hornets at Brooklyn.  Brooklyn probably wins but the Hornets remain one of those teams that can beat you when they are on their game.  

db, I agree with you about the Nets moving up to 6th or 7th.  I do not see them finishing in 8th place given how the Cavs are imploding and the schedule remaining for the Bulls.

Here is the brackets for the playoffs.  I get confused after the 1st round but this should clear things up a bit.

https://nba-playoff.com/bracket/

Before any games start, 3/26/22

Rank.........Team..................# Losses
1..............Philadelphia.........27
2..............Miami ................28
3..............Boston..............28
4..............Milwaukee...........28
5..............Chicago..............31
6..............Toronto...............32
7..............Cleveland............33
8..............Brooklyn.............35
9..............Charlotte............36
10............Atlanta...............37

We are 1/2 game out of the #1 spot.  It is appearing more and more like Jimmy Butler and Eric Spoelstra are locked in mortal combat.

We now own the tiebreakers with Miami, Cleveland and Brooklyn.  I presume the reason why the Heat are ahead of us in the standings is because they have won their division and we haven't...yet.  

8 games left for us.

We were 18-21, and in 11th place, out of even the play-in tournament, on January 6th.  We are now 46-28 and a half-game out of first.  That's a 28-7 run, .800, in 80 days.


Bob


.

Bobh, the Heat are ahead of us because they have won one more game

Two-Team Tiebreaker:

Better record in head-to-head games.

Division winner (this criterion is applied regardless of whether the tied teams are in the same division)

Higher winning percentage within division (if teams are in the same division)

Higher winning percentage in conference games.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2022-nba-playoff-picture-celtics-control-own-destiny-to-pass-heat-bucks-in-a-wild-race-for-easts-no-1-seed/



2022 NBA playoff picture: Celtics control own destiny to pass Heat Bucks in a wild race for East's No. 1 seed


Philly is now atop the East while Miami, Boston and Milwaukee are all currently tied in the loss column

   
By Brad Botkin
2 hrs ago
10 min read


The Miami Heat continue to implode. They're no longer in first place in the Eastern Conference after four straight losses, including one against the New York Knicks after leading by as many as 17 before another fourth-quarter collapse. Now the Philadelphia 76ers hold a slim lead atop the conference with the Heat, Celtics and Bucks all trailing and tied in the loss column.

On Friday, the Jazz and Mavericks both lost to remain tied in the loss column for the West's No. 4 seed with one head-to-head matchup remaining on Sunday,


We're going to be keeping close tabs on the playoff race with daily updates the rest of the way. Below is where things stand entering play on Sunday, March 27.

NOTE: Our SportsLine model, developed by predictive data engineer Stephen Oh, simulates the entire season 10,000 times and is constantly updating to reflect changing circumstances to produce the most unbiased and precise projections imaginable


WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Phoenix Suns
Phoenix has clinched the No. 1 overall seed.

2. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have opened up a three-game lead on No. 3 Golden State with one head-to-head matchup remaining.

Projected seed: 2
Current first-round matchup: Timberwolves vs. Clippers play-in winner
Tiebreaker vs. No. 3 Warriors: Grizzlies lead season series 2-1 with one to play
Tiebreaker vs. No. 4 Jazz: Memphis has clinched with 2-1 head-to-head advantage
Tiebreaker vs. No. 5 Mavericks: Dallas has clinched with 3-1 head-to-head advantage


3. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors fell to Atlanta on Saturday and are now three games back of No. 2 Memphis with one matchup remaining on March 28. Luckily, the No. 4 Jazz and No. 5 Mavericks both lost as well, so Golden State maintains a three-game lead in the loss column over both with eight games to play. The Warriors have one head-to-head matchup with Utah remaining on April 2.

Projected seed: 3
Current first-round matchup: Nuggets
Tiebreaker vs. No. 2 Grizzlies: Warriors trail season series 2-1 with one to play
Tiebreaker vs. No. 4 Jazz: Warriors lead season series 2-1 with one to play
Tiebreaker vs. No. 5 Mavericks: Dallas has clinched with 3-1 head-to-head advantage


4. Utah Jazz
Utah remains tied in the loss column with No. 5 Dallas, which it plays for the final time on Sunday. Utah basically has no shot to rise any higher than the No. 4 seed, and they lead the No. 6 Nuggets by an effective three games with eight to play.

Projected seed: 4
Current first-round matchup: Mavericks
Tiebreaker vs. No. 2 Grizzlies: Memphis has clinched with 2-1 head-to-head advantage
Tiebreaker vs. No. 3 Warriors: Jazz trail season series 2-1 with one to play
Tiebreaker vs. No. 5 Mavericks: Jazz lead season series 2-1 with one to play
Tiebreaker vs. No. 6 Nuggets: Utah has clinched with 4-0 head-to-head advantage


5. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks missed a chance to take over the No. 4 seed with Utah's loss on Saturday by losing their own game to the Wolves. Dallas remains tied with the Jazz with their final head-to-head matchup set for Sunday. Dallas also effectively leads No. 6 Denver by three games with the tiebreaker secured.

Projected seed: 5
Current first-round matchup: Jazz
Tiebreaker vs. No. 2 Grizzlies: Dallas has clinched with 3-1 head-to-head advantage
Tiebreaker vs. No. 3 Warriors: Dallas has clinched with 3-1 head-to-head advantage
Tiebreaker vs. No. 4 Jazz: Dallas trails season series 2-1 with one to play
Tiebreaker vs. No. 6 Nuggets: Dallas has clinched with 2-1 head-to-head advantage
Tiebreaker vs. No. 7 Timberwolves: Dallas leads season series 2-1 with one game to play


6. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets fell to Phoenix on Thursday and have seemingly fallen out of the race for a top-five seed, trailing the No. 4 Jazz and No. 5 Mavericks by an effective four games with eight to play. Now it's about staying out of the play-in. Denver leads No. 7 Minnesota by one game with one head-to-head matchup remaining on April 1.

Projected seed: 6
Current play-in matchup: Clippers
Tiebreaker vs. No. 4 Jazz: Utah has clinched with 4-0 head-to-head advantage
Tiebreaker vs. No. 5 Mavericks: Dallas has clinched with 2-1 head-to-head advantage
Tiebreaker vs. No. 7 Timberwolves: Denver trails season series 2-1 with one game to play


CURRENT PLAY-IN TEAMS
7. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves control their own destiny for a top-six seed, trailing the Nuggets by one game with one head-to-head remaining on April 1. If Minnesota wins that game, it would clinch the season tiebreaker over Denver.

Projected seed: 7
Current play-in matchup: Clippers
Tiebreaker vs. No. 6 Nuggets: Timberwolves lead season series 2-1 with one game to play
Tiebreaker vs. No. 8 Clippers: L.A. has clinched with 3-1 head-to-head advantage


8. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers are pretty firm to remain in the No. 8 spot, trailing the No. 7 Timberwolves by seven in the loss column and leading the No. 9 Pelicans by three games with seven to play.

Projected seed: 8
Current play-in matchup: Timberwolves
Tiebreaker vs. No. 9 Pelicans: New Orleans has clinched with 3-0 head-to-head advantage
Tiebreaker vs. No. 10 Lakers: Clippers have clinched with 4-0 head-to-head advantage


9. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are tied in the loss column with the Lakers with two head-to-head matchups remaining (March 27 and April 1), which will determine the tiebreaker. The Pelicans have a two-loss lead over the No. 11 Spurs with two head-to-head matchups left, the first one of which is Saturday evening.

Projected seed: 9
Current play-in matchup: Lakers
Tiebreaker vs. No. 9 Lakers: Pelicans lead season series 1-0 with two matchups remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 12 Spurs: Pelicans trail season series 2-0 with two matchups remaining


10. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are tied with the Pelicans with two head-to-head matchups remaining, which will determine the tiebreaker.


Projected seed: 10
Current play-in matchup: Pelicans
Tiebreaker vs. No. 8 Clippers: Clippers have clinched with 4-0 head-to-head advantage
Tiebreaker vs. No. 9 Pelicans: Lakers trail season series 1-0 with two matchups remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 12 Spurs: San Antonio currently owns via conference record (head-to-head tied 2-2, neither team leads division)


OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
No. 11 San Antonio Spurs: Trailing No. 10 Lakers by two in the loss column with two matchups remaining.



EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Miami Heat
The Heat lost again on Friday, this time to the Knicks after leading by as many as 17, and they are now in a tie in the loss column with the No. 2 Sixers and No. 3 Bucks. The Heat also have just a one-game lead over the No. 4 Celtics with one head-to-head matchup remaining. Being that Boston has already sealed the tiebreaker, the Celtics actually control their own destiny to pass the Heat.

Projected seed: 1
Current first-round matchup: TBD (play-in results)
Tiebreaker vs. No. 2 Milwaukee: Miami currently owns via conference record (season series 2-2, both teams leading division)
Tiebreaker vs. No. 3 Philadelphia: Miami currently owns via conference record (season series tied 2-2, both teams leading division)
Tiebreaker vs. No. 4 Boston: Celtics have clinched via 2-0 head-to-head advantage with one matchup left
Tiebreaker vs. No. 5 Chicago: Bucks lead season series 2-0 with two games remaining


2. Philadelphia 76ers
Philly defeated the Clippers on Friday and is now tied with the No. 1 Heat and No. 3 Bucks in the loss column. The Sixers still play the Bucks one more time (March 29), which will decide the tiebreaker. The Sixers hold a one-loss lead over No. 4 Boston (whoever finishes higher would also hold tiebreaker as the Atlantic Division winner as the season series tied 2-2). SportsLine projections have Philadelphia ending up as the No. 4 seed.

Projected seed: 4
Current first-round matchup: Cavaliers
Tiebreaker vs. No. 1 Miami: Miami currently owns via conference record (season series tied 2-2, both teams leading division)  
Tiebreaker vs. No. 3 Milwaukee: Season series tied 1-1 with one matchup remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 4 Boston: Philly currently owns as Atlantic division leader (head-to-head tied 2-2)
Tiebreaker vs. No. 5 Chicago: Sixers have clinched via 4-0 head-to-head advantage


3. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are tied with the No. 1 Heat and No. 3 Sixers in the loss column; they have one matchup remaining vs. Philly on March 29. The Bucks have a one-game edge on the No. 4 Celtics with one matchup remaining, which could clinch the tiebreaker for Boston.

Projected seed: 2
Current first-round matchup: Raptors vs. Nets play-in winner
Tiebreaker vs. No. 1 Miami: Miami currently owns via conference record (season series 2-2, both teams leading division)
Tiebreaker vs. No. 2 Philadelphia: Season series tied 1-1 with one game remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 4 Boston: Bucks trail season series 2-1 with one game remaining


4. Boston Celtics
The Celtics are just one loss back of the No. 1 Heat, No. 2 Sixers and No. 3 Bucks. Boston still has one matchup left with Miami and Milwaukee. The Celtics now have a three-loss lead over the No. 5 Bulls with one matchup remaining. The Celtics control their own destiny to pass both Miami and Milwaukee. SportsLine projections have the Celtics ultimately jumping both the Bucks and 76ers for the East's No. 2 seed.

Projected seed: 2
Current first-round matchup: Bulls
Tiebreaker vs. No. 1 Miami: Celtics have clinched via 2-0 head-to-head advantage with one matchup left
Tiebreaker vs. No. 2 Philadelphia: Philly currently owns as Atlantic division leader (head-to-head tied 2-2)
Tiebreaker vs. No. 3 Milwaukee: Celtics lead season series 2-1 with one game remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 5 Chicago: Season series tied 1-1 with one game remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 6 Cleveland: Celtics have clinched via 2-1 head-to-head advantage


5. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls lead the No. 6 Cavaliers by one game and they play each other Saturday night. The Bulls are an effective two games up on No. 7 Toronto as Chicago has secured the tiebreaker.

Projected seed: 5
Current first-round matchup: Celtics
Tiebreaker vs. No. 2 Milwaukee: Bulls trail season series 2-0 with two games remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 3 Philadelphia: Sixers have clinched via 4-0 head-to-head advantage
Tiebreaker vs. No. 5 Boston: Season series tied 1-1 with one game remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 6 Cleveland: Chicago leads series 2-1 with one matchup remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 7 Toronto: Chicago has clinched tiebreaker via 3-1 head-to-head advantage


6. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are one game back of the No. 5 Bulls going into their Saturday night matchup. Cleveland's more pressing concern is staying out of the play-in; the Cavs are tied with the No. 7 Raptors with eight games to play (Cavs own the tiebreaker).

Projected seed: 6
Current first-round matchup: Sixers
Tiebreaker vs. No. 4 Boston: Celtics have clinched via 2-1 head-to-head advantage
Tiebreaker vs. No. 5 Chicago: Bulls lead series 2-1 with one matchup remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 7 Toronto: Cavs have clinched via 3-1 head-to-head advantage


CURRENT PLAY-IN TEAMS
7. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are tied with the Cavs for the No. 6 seed (Cleveland has secured tiebreaker). As it stands right now, Toronto would play No. 8 Brooklyn (which it leads by three in the loss column) in the first Eastern Conference play-in game.

Projected seed: 7
Current play-in matchup: Nets
Tiebreaker vs. No. 6 Cleveland: Cavs have clinched via 3-0 head-to-head advantage with game remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 8 Brooklyn: Raptors currently hold via division winning percentage (season series tied 2-2)


8. Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are three losses back of the No. 7 Raptors with nine games to play. The Nets' priority is staying in the first play-in game. They only lead No. 9 Charlotte by one game with one matchup remaining on Sunday, which will determine the tiebreaker.

Projected seed: 8
Current play-in matchup: Raptors
Tiebreaker vs. No. 7 Toronto: Raptors currently hold via division winning percentage (season series tied 2-2)
Tiebreaker vs. No. 9 Charlotte: Season series tied 1-1 with one matchup remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 10 Atlanta: Nets have clinched via 2-0 head-to-head advantage with one game remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 11 Washington: Nets currently own via conference record (season series tied 2-2)


9. Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets have won six of their last seven games, and they control their own destiny to pass Brooklyn for No. 8. With nine games remaining, the Hornets trail the Nets by one game with one matchup remaining on Sunday, which will determine the tiebreaker. Charlotte leads No. 10 Atlanta by one game.

Projected seed: 9
Current play-in matchup: Hawks
Tiebreaker vs. No. 8 Brooklyn: Season series tied 1-1 with one matchup remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 10 Atlanta: Hornets currently own via conference record


10. Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta beat the Warriors on Friday but still trails the No. 9 Hornets by one game with eight to play. The Hawks trail the No. 8 Nets by two in the loss column (one matchup with Brooklyn remaining, though the Nets have already clinched the tiebreaker).

Projected seed: 10
Current play-in matchup: Hornets
Tiebreaker vs. No. 8 Brooklyn: Nets have clinched via 2-0 head-to-head advantage with one game remaining
Tiebreaker vs. No. 9 Charlotte: Charlotte currently owns via conference win percentage


Bob
MY NOTE:  Miami has lost 4 straight.  We have the tougher schedule, tougher than everybody else, but we're also playing the best.  I wouldn't put ending up #1 past us.  Miami's doing everything they can to give it to us.  Why would they project Miami to finish the #1 seed when they're not in 1st place now and imploding?

.

PHI is up one game in loss column over Bucks, Heat and Celtics. PHI also has to play @PHX (-4) tonight. Boston (-6) is also playing tonight where a win by us coupled with a PHI loss will put us in 1st tied with HEAT. I think we own the tiebreak with MIA. Anything short of that and we're back in the 2-4th place rat race.

CHA needs to pull one out of their backsides tonight and ruin Kryrie's homecoming. Otherwise, CHA (+6.5) winning is a longshot. This would almost make me happier than a Trifecta for the Celtics through Wednesday. OK. I'm calling for it.

This is crazy!! No egg laying, Boston!!

db

dboss wrote:

gyso wrote:Heat down, 105-79, 6:44 in the 4th quarter.  The Nets had a 40 point 2nd quarter.

Bucks down, 111-90, 6:14 in the 4th quarter.  

Philly doesn't play until tomorrow.

Two out of three ain't bad.

gyso

Both Heat and Bucks got smoked tonight.  Celtics moved into 3rd place.  When the Heat lost 2 in a row and their 4 game lead was cut in half my expectations went up a notch.

Sixers play @ Suns tomorrow and we got the T'wolves.  We will be in 1st place.  

Way to go NostraDboss ' Celtics in 1st...

We won.  Philly lost.  We are now in first place in the East because we own the tiebreaker with Miami.

On January 6th our record was 18-21 and we were in 11th place.  We are now 47-28 and in first place.  That's a 29-7 run and have just crushed teams enroute.


Bob


.

db

ask and you shall receive

"CHA needs to pull one out of their backsides tonight and ruin Kryrie's homecoming. Otherwise, CHA (+6.5) winning is a longshot. This would almost make me happier than a Trifecta for the Celtics through Wednesday. OK. I'm calling for it."

I'm too excited to think..

It is pretty amazing.  Philly was in 1st place 24 hours ago and now they drop to 4th.

Crooklyn loses to the Hornets, fulfilling db's wish.

In the pregame, Mannix went on and on about how good the T'Wolves are and Scal somehow managed to screw up the defensive rating during the game even though the information on his chart presentation showed Boston with the better rating.  Man-nix forgot to mention that the T'Wolves came into the game under .500 on the road.  The devil is in the details.

All news is not good.  Rob has a sprained knee.  Scan coming up tomorrow.

Ime said he was in quite a bit of pain.

Just a quick media check this am. Headlines of relevance for ESPN read from top to bottom:

Kyrie Back At Barclays: "Don't Take It For Granted"

Lebron: Ankle 'Horrible'. Hoping Won't Miss Time

Just in case you're wondering about (if there was a) Celtics headline...last one, not a celebratory one for taking over 1st Place...shocker

Celtics' Williams to get tests after left knee sprain.

I have no further questions Your Honor. You may step down.

Well, guess who can't even win on their long awaited for, had to have him back inaugural welcome back home game just in time for the playoffs?!!!! Very proud of CHA for showing BKN the door at home. Proud to be a Carolinian!

CHA showed what I have been tryin' to tell ya'll about BKN's big scorer legs when you have to play defense. It doesn't matter who you are...Kareem, Magic, LeBron, Jordan...ok, maybe not Jordan but you get my point! Kryrie and KD could not throw it in the ocean when it counted most. That's why there won't be an issue if we face BKN in the first round...IF THEY EVEN MAKE IT PASSED THE PLAY-IN..yeah ESPN and others like you, let's put that back in the conversation because that's becoming an even more viable option. This is what happens to EVERY team that relies upon scoring to win games for them in the playoffs. Their legs are shot. Kryrie and KD built several shopping malls there late in the 4th...against CHARLOTTE...AT HOME! And they don't even have half the defense we have. As Gomer Pyle would say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!!" Idiots. Drive for show, putt for dough.

db

Heard emanating from the parquet near the "Lucky Logo"

"Getting stepped on by an eejit has made the entire Celtic Nation stronger."

Congrats to all the Celtic players, fans, coaches, management and staff on a great start to 2022.

Quite a return for Kryrie in BKN.  And they've been waiting for this?!!  I can shoot 20% from 3-ville.  6-22 and 1-9?!!And make 2 of 3 from the free throw line.  Then to have KD's and Kryrie's legs go out at the end was priceless.  They weren't even front-rimming.  This was massive bricklaying, completely missing the rim.  Of course, I've recorded First Take just to see the look on In The Tank With BKN Stephen A.'s face and see how he wiggles out of this one.        

OK, I'll give the ESPN Power rankings some credit.  We're 3rd this week moving up from 5th.  FINALLY!  There's some recognition!!

I haven't watched the 3rd and 4th quarters of PHI/X game but it appears from the stats, Harden lived up to his billing with his old disappearing act when the heat gets turned up.  Bench looks like ours used to.  Anemic.  Big game.  Big flop.  Time for Vegas to start changing the odds to reality.  Will comment more after I've seen the whole game.  

db

Thought about editing the name of this thread.  After further deliberations it remains as implied.  

There is no way to build injuries into the equation.  They happen when they happen.  Our Celtics are an elite team and I see nothing that can prevent them from winning the EC and going to the championship round....except for injuries.

The Celtics are not an elite team without Robert Williams.  I hope and pray that his scan comes back negative (no tears).  

Tonight's games include

Celtics @ Raptors

The North is warming up.  No Rob tonight and JT and AH are listed as day to day.    In a rare moment of humility, I am taking the Raptors to win the game.  This may be a game where Ime experiments with the deep portion of his bench.  However, I am not inclined to suffer through a Kornet stint where he cannot secure a rebound from an entire team of 6' 9" players (lol)  

Nuggets @ Hornets

I watched most of the 4th QTR of the Nets/Hornets last night.  The Nets do not play defense well enough to compensate for poor shooting.  The wishful Hornets dropped the Nets down to 9th place.  db saw it coming...I have to once again mention 'the little guy'

With the game on the line in the 4th QTR, he knocked down a 3 pointer and also scored on a driving layup.  While he cannot do those things in volume, the skills to do those things are still there.

Oh...back to my prediction.

The Hornets are playing a B2B game and the Nuggets are not.  I am taking the Nuggets to win.  No one talks about Gordon Hayward.  

Magic @ Cavs

The Cavs have a real good chance to win this game.  They need it bad

Hawks @ Pacers

Guys are nicked up.  I just cannot seem to get that Sunday Celtics/Pacers game out of my head.

Taking the Pacers

Bulls @ Knicks

NYK got a little swag going for them.  3 straight wins.  Although this year will be recorded under the endless chapter entitled "Another Lost year for the Knicks",  I am taking them to win.  There is something about the Chicago Bulls that is frail.

Kings @ Heat

Come on now.  No way they drop 5 straight especially against a perennial loser that always finds itself, at this time during the season, of just playing out the string and always seems more than content to do so.

Nevermind, dboss. Everyone but MS out of starting line up per ESPN. I was going to take the other side but this will be a miracle game if we win it. Not ruling it out, but highly unlikely. Sorry I could not bring you a 10-game winning streak!! Got close a couple of times! This will have to wait until next season.

Media happy now...Back to the kiddie table.

db