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| The top two teams in their respective conferences: Oklahoma City Thunder and the Chicago Bulls |
One team that has already made the playoffs is the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have been on fire this season and have crept up to favourites in my book. The Bulls’ key man and reigning MVP Derrick Rose has missed a few games recently due to injury. Having watched the Bulls play Denver, one couldn’t help but notice that Rose was being missed. It seems strange, but it’s true; the Bulls look like they need Rose back as soon as possible. While the playoff spot is secured, the top seed in the East is still a position up for grabs.
The New York Knicks, on the other hand, are still fighting, and with the rise of their go-to man, Jeremy Lin, all eyes are on the Knicks. Milwaukee looks to have pulled a smart trade: Monta Ellis is ensuring that the Knicks have all the pressure on them as the Bucks are closing in on eighth place in the East. New York will have to go without Amar’e Stoudemire, who suffered a back injury that could keep him out of the playoffs, should New York make it. Carmelo Anthony has been awful this season, to put it nicely. I was surprised when he made the All- Star team. It’s clearly his poorest season as a professional.
In my last article, I mentioned that Derek Fisher was traded to Houston, which was true at the time. Since then, he has moved on to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who claimed him off waivers. This is a move that could help the Thunder, as Fisher has a lot of playoff experience. In my reckoning, Fisher would play as the backup point guard, considering that Russell Westbrook is on the roster for OKC. They currently occupy top spot in the West and should clinch their own playoff berth soon.
Let’s be real here, the Toronto Raptors are going nowhere. Canada’s only team lacked the finesse needed to challenge for a playoff spot, constantly relying on Andrea Bargnani to deliver the goods. The Raptors are currently sitting 12th in the East with just 16 wins. They have, however, ‘stunned’ fans by dishing out the odd victory, most notably their win against New York: a 96-79 win that snapped New York’s fivegame winning streak. They also almost upset the Bulls, only to be undone by a somewhat lucky basket for Luol Deng in the dying seconds of overtime. A couple of good performances could maybe see the Raptors sneak into a playoff spot but I wouldn’t count on that happening. In the Raptors’ 117-101 defeat to the Orlando Magic, a loud cheer erupted when Toronto scored 100, not because they were leading with seconds to play, but because free pizza is offered to fans every time the team scores 100.
On a side note, the game that featured Atlanta and Utah was the first game to go to quadruple overtime since 1997 when Phoenix beat Portland. Atlanta beat Utah 139-133 in this game.
With most teams having fewer than 20 games left in the regular season, it’s crunch time. There are still playoff spots, particularly in the West, which could be claimed by a number of teams. If I were to make a prediction, I’d say that Chicago and Oklahoma will top both their conferences while the much-talked-about New York Knicks will only barely scrape into the playoffs this time around.
Originally Written for the Interrobang:http://www.fsu.ca/interrobang_article.asp?storyID=8381§ionID=4&issueID=202
Image Credit:
Video Credit:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxHy-tkwVEg
