They have been winning one and loosing the next game for the past 14 contests. If only that trend were broken, if only they won that pivotal last game against the Denver Nuggets, then they would have the tie-breaker and their fate in their hands. Instead, they had to win all their remaining games, and hope that the Nuggets will lose against the lowly Memphis Grizzlies. Such a tall order.

The pain of almost making it is unbearable. They have worked so hard all season lang. Just a win could have a difference. They squeezed in last season, even upsetting title-faved Dallas, but in the most competitive Western Conference ever happening this year, squeezing-in wouldn’t be enough. This is the season where they would say that they almost made it in the play-offs. Yup! Almost, but not quite in it.

The cast for the Eastern Conference Playoffs has been completed for some time now, but the match-ups have yet to be determined. Most teams, especially the Central Division, are still battling for two of the top four slots, and gain home court advantage. Detroit has clinched the top spot, but Cleveland is just a half game behind Chicago for the second seed.

Out West however, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers are slugging it out for the eighth and last spot. Hell, the Clippers may even snatch the seventh spot if the Lakers lose their last assignment. Right now, the Warriors own that eighth spot at 40-40, just one game ahead of the Clippers (39-41). The Warriors have won their last three games, while the Clippers lost four of its last six, a bad omen for the Los Angeles boys.

The Clippers would love to go back-to-back in postseason wars. The last time they did that was in the 1991-93 seasons. They have Phoenix and New Orleans as their last assignments. A lone win, coupled with two Golden State losses, will catapult them to the play-offs since they own the tie breaker.

The Warriors, on the other hand, will clinch that play-off spot if they win their last two games. Thus, in any scenario, they need to win their last two meetings, one with Dallas and the other with Portland, to avoid any complications.

For me, I would like Golden State to go to the play-offs. Why? First, their coach, Don Nelson, was the one who brought the Dallas franchise back to life as he stirred the Mavericks to successive play-off appearances from 1999-2005, after the ballclub has stayed in limbo for a decade. What drama would emanate if Nelson faces his former team. It is also important to note that Nelson was the last coach to guide the Warriors franchise to their postseason appearance back in 1993-94 when his General Manager, Chris Mullin, was still playing for him.

Second, Golden State holds the edge against Dallas in their season series. And only two other teams have won twice against the Mavericks. They are Phoenix and Utah. But the Warriors may sweep Mark Cuban’s boys tomorrow, and hold that psychological advantage coming into the first round.

Lastly, I would love to see another running team making it to the postseason. That will really make it more exciting. Imagine Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, the Lakers and Golden State Warriors in the play-offs and eventually beating methodical and boring ballclubs like the Jazz and the Spurs. I would just love to see that.

Phoenix started their week by routing the Houston Rockets, 103-82, last March 12. Leandro Barbosa, the prime candidate for the sixth man of the year, led the Suns attack as he tied a career-high 32 points.

Then on Wednesday night, March 14, the Suns overhauled a 15-point fourth quarter deficit, and two-time MVP Steve Nash scored the last ten points for the Suns in 55 seconds to force overtime.

The NBA leaders battled thru two extensions, and Phoenix emerged as victors in a highly emotional, playoff-like-atmosphered game.

Amare Stoudemire led all scorers with 41 points and also had 10 caroms. Nash had a near triple-double of 32 points, 16 assists and 8 rebounds.

The Suns may have been emotionally spent by that game, before they went to that Detroit game. They trailed almost the whole game and they appeared exhausted except for Nash. Stoudemire may have 24 points and 15 rebounds, but he also committed a disastrous seven turnovers. The Suns, as a whole, had a disgusting 22 TOs. And they went just 2-of-15 from the three-point line, a very disappointing percentage.

Nash had 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, but he got no help from the other Suns. They may have drained all their energy against Dallas, that they were unable to overcome a seven-point deficit, which stood from the second canto till the third. The Pistons led 87-72 at the start of the fourth, and never looked back.

The Pistons were hitting from almost anywhere. They shot 8-of-14 from rainbow country. Reserve guard Flip Murray scored a season-high 25 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field. He played extended minutes, due to the groin injury suffered by starter Chauncey Billups midway in the second period.

Rasheed Wallace added 20 points, including 4-of-6 threes and Chris Webber had 17 for Detroit, who went 5-0 in their Western trip, a very impressive run.

The Pistons dictated the tempo, continually getting the ball to the post, where the bulk of their points came from. They also played tenacious defense, limiting the Suns to their lowest output and their second worst loss of the season.

With the loss, Phoenix went back to being behind by 3½ games to the Mavericks for the league’s best record. They currently stand at 49-14.

The Suns just need to finish off the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night to cap a very challenging week where they would have faced all playoff bound ballclubs. And I know they will bounce back from this horrible defeat and get that win in Denver. (photos courtesy of yahoonba)

Before his Lakers were blown out by the Denver Nuggets, 86-113, Jackson was fined $50,000 for sticking up for his star Kobe Bryant. Bryant was once again suspended for an inadvertent elbow, his second suspension for the same offense. Kobe loves to attract contact as soon as he shoots the ball, swinging his elbow sideways to the direction of the face of the guarding opponent. Apparently, this style has caused black-eyes on San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili and Philadelphia’s Kyle Korver.

With that massacre of a loss, Jackson has endured his worst loosing-streak in his 16-year coaching career. The Lakers have now dropped seven consecutive games, surpassing a six-game drought earlier this season.

Phil has an excuse, with injuries to key players. Forward Brian Cook did not make the trip due to an ankle injury. Kwame Brown, who started at center, has missed 27 games this season. And Luke Walton and Lamar Odom played their first game from injury. Walton and Odom only had 13 and nine points. These are lethargic contributions from two key players for a Laker team who once stood atop the Pacific Division at the start of the season.

Also, Denver rookie Linas Kleiza did not cooperate in the Lakers cause. Kleiza came off the bench and scored a career-high 29 points. He was 10-of-13 from the field and 5-of-6 from the three-point line. That was how lucky Denver was, as opposed to the unfortunate events transpiring for Phil and the Lakers.

After a stellar first half, where they led by double-digits, the Lakers just could not sustain their brilliance. Denver went on a 24-10 run in the third to lead by 15, 87-72. They never looked back afterwards.

Jackson and the Lakers need to correct things and end this loosing streak as they face Portland at the Staples Center tonight.

I believe this is a good deal for both teams. Philadelphia gets the load off their salary cap with Iverson’s heavy 20-million dollar contract out of their concern. Plus they bring in a legitimate strong pass-first point guard in Miller. Miller’s assists may dip down now that he’s playing for a slow-down offensive team, but his minutes will certainly go up. He would bring steadiness in Philly’s offense.

Iverson will definitely bring excitement in the Pepsi Center, and the timing is really really great. Carmelo Anthony is just starting to serve a 15-game suspension for his involvement in that New York brawl. And Denver now has that superstar to fill the void being left by Melo. AI is, for now, the lone offensive option for Denver. He’ll have more than the 24 possessions he had with the 76ers. His 28.1 points, 6.1 assists and 2.3 steals will definitely spike up. That is until January 20. Melo will return by then and things will pretty get interesting out there.

The big question for Denver is chemistry. George Karl needs to find a way to let the two top scorers in the league mesh and blend. Melo and AI need to share the ball, if the Nuggets are to be successful. If they do, the Nuggets will definitely contend with the Spurs, Suns and Mavericks for Western supremacy. (pic courtesy of yahoonba.com)

The 5-5 Denver Nuggets guard was amazing last night, going 8-for-11 from the field, scoring 19 points and dishing out 4 dimes to help the Nuggets win over the Atlanta Hawks, 100-87.

Boykins is extremely quick, real fast on the break, and can shoot off the dribble. He has an exceptional knack of wanting the ball in his hands when the time is winding down, and hits that crucial jumper.

For the season, Boykins is averaging 10.6 points (the lowest in his career after accounting for 12.6 last season) and 4.4 assists in 24 minutes each outing. And for his size, his best asset is his scoring.

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Now they have another problem. They just can’t shake off any team in their path. They have been unable to win a first round series. Anthony, Camby, Martin and Miller each bring something unique to the table. They have been putting up impressive numbers. Anthony takes care of the scoring. Camby is a shot-blocking artist. Martin is a rebounding demon. Miller is an assist machine, and he gets a number of steals. So what do they lack? Aren’t these four enough to do the trick and make them advance to the second round? Plus, they even have a good bench led by Earl Boykins, a 5-5 guard, who shoots a lot and give their bench scoring a boost. Who’s lacking then?!Â

Well, a team’s starting five is composed of five players. Hence, the word starting five. Camby is the starting center, Anthony and Martin are the starting forwards and Miller is the starting point guard. Who then has been there starting two-guard, or shooting guard for the past three seasons?

They first tried Voshon Lenard, a 6-4 Miami Heat veteran. He is a shooter, but he is short for his position, and lacks the defensive skills to shut down the best guards in the league like Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Lebron James, Manu Ginobili – to name a few. Then they tried DerMarr Johnson. Well, Johnson isn’t that much of a scorer and defender. Lastly, they acquired Ruben Patterson to fill that void, which he couldn’t coz he is more of a 6-5 small forward rather than a guard. This self-proclaimed Kobe-stopper can’t shoot that well as well. They so badly lack that shooting guard presence that Denver resorts to playing both Miller and Boykins at the same time most of the time. They even end games together.

This year they traded for J.R. Smith. Hopefully, Smith’s outside shooting will provide that shooting guard presence for the Nuggets. As a rookie for the New Orleans Hornet, he averaged more than ten points in just 24 minutes of play. They have been frustrated so many times before that other teams could easily play them. Other teams just shut down Anthony and Martin, who carries the bulk of the scoring load. They sagged towards them, daring the other Nuggets on the floor to shoot from the outside. Hopefully Smith could provide that outside shooting they badly need.

If Smith will be able to hit those threes that he is also good at, other teams may have to think twice on doubling Anthony or sagging to him. Smith could use his athleticism as well to drive to the hole, get that dunk, or pass to the cutters or outside shooters. If Smith is able to penetrate, he could create scoring opportunities for his teammates. The help defenders will definitely close down that lane when he penetrates leaving the other Nuggets open for a jump shot or a lay-up. This is also where his passing ability will improve or wither.

Smith will also be a forgotten man in the Nuggets offense during the start of the season that he may find himself open a lot of times for a three, a lay-up or even an offensive rebound and putback. He’s got to prove though that he is a definite threat!

Well, one other problem for Denver is the health of its big men. Last season Nene was out for the whole of it due to an ACL injury. Martin and Camby had both been missing tons of games due to injuries. Camby is a high-risk-high-return guy. High risk because he has been out for a significant number of games for the past (perhaps) eight seasons even during his New York days. High return because he can put up huge numbers in blocks and rebounds when he is healthy, plus he can score in double digits as well.

But management has addressed that probable situation by acquiring quality big men. They signed Reggie Evans, another rebounding demon, to a five-year multi-million contract. What triggered the Nuggets to sign him with this big money is his NBA-high 0.36 rebounds per minute. He is a highly efficient rebounder. The Nuggets also traded for Joe Smith, another good rebounder and defender.

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I predict a regular nine-to-ten-man rotation for the Nuggets, depending on the game situation. The starters are Camby, Martin, Anthony, J.R. Smith and Miller. Coming off the bench are Boykins, Nene, Joe Smith and Eduardo Najera. Oh yes, Najera! I just love this guy. We all know he could score. He is the leading scorer for the Mexican National team. But he does the intangibles for Denver – rebound, defend, get loose balls, defend, block shots, defend, steal possessions, defend, dive for loose balls and defend. Denver will also give playing time to Julius Hodge, a sophomore from North Carolina State. They will definitely try him especially if J.R. Smith will fail to provide from the two-guard spot. Though I doubt it since Hodge is more of a slasher than a shooter. Well, we’ll see. Reggie Evans may only find significant minutes if one of the Camby, Martin and Nene trio will go down. But he is the future for this team. Rookie guard/forward Yakhouba Diawara from Pepperdine will see limited action, and only in a few games.

The Nuggets success may depend on the production of J.R. Smith. He needs to hit those outside shots at a high clip for him to be effective. Although, we saw maturity and leadership in Anthony’s play in the World Championships. He will once again try to lead this team past the first round. But Smith is still the key. That two-guard void has to be filled up for them to advance further in the playoffs.

There won’t be much of a problem though if one big man gets injured. Evans and Joe Smith are more than willing to carry the production. Currently, Denver management is hoping that they will be able to land Bonzi Wells. If they do so, they may get past that first round. If they don’t, with their current line-up, I see them exactly back to where they were last playoffs, loosing in the first round. (pics courtesy of bballone.com)