San Antonio 106, Golden State 116
58-23 overall, 23-18 road
That was a fun game.
And it meant absolutely nothing.
(To be fair, it meant a lot to the Warriors and a little bit to the Spurs in regards to first round opponent; but really, it meant nothing.)
I enjoy watching the ‘kids’ play, because they play hard and hungry. Everybody in the NBA can play, and play well. Given the chance and the minutes, many end of the bench players can score, defend, run offenses, rebound, etc. Players like Blair are most likely playing for contracts; players like Neal become primary options and are looking to show off their full arsenal; players like Bonner and Splitter are looking for some expanded playoff reps; players like De Colo and Joseph are looking to secure playoff rotation spots; players like Baynes are just happy to be playing.
Honestly, I would have rather watched this game than a game with Parker and Duncan and Leonard that might have been close. Pop opted for rest over rhythm, and I think he made the correct decision.
So it was a fun game to watch, and we stayed close, as one who knows the ebbs and flows of these games might expect. Then Steph Curry The Warriors went on a tidy little 19-0 run in the 4th quarter and blew the game wide open. Such is life.
This sets up a pretty wild finish to the season to set all of the seeds in the Western Conference. OKC is set at 1; San Antonio is set at 2; I’m almost certain Memphis is set at 5, as they can not pass Denver or the Clippers. If Denver beats Phoenix Wednesday, they are the 3 seed and the Clippers are the 4. If the Clippers win out (against Portland and Sacramento, certainly possible) and Denver loses, they are the 3 seed, Denver the 4.
The bottom of the standings gets pretty interesting, as well. (And is more pertinent to the Spurs.) With Golden State winning tonight and Houston losing, the Warriors control their fate. If they beat Portland (in Portland) on Wednesday, they are the 6 seed. If they lose and Houston wins, Houston is the 6 seed, Golden State the 7 seed.
However, as fate would have it, Houston closes against the Lakers. So if the Lakers beat Houston on Wednesday, I’m almost certain that Houston drops to the 8 seed, and the Lakers jump to the 7 seed by virtue of having the better Conference record (they would have the same record, and the head-to-head would also be even). But, if Houston beats the Lakers and the Jazz beat Memphis, then the Jazz take the 8-seed and the Lakers fall out of the playoffs. If the Jazz lose, the Lakers are in regardless, and would be the 8 seed by losing to Houston.
Got all that? So we’ll either play Golden State, Houston, or the Lakers in the first round.
Personally, I’m cheering for a Houston victory and a Golden State loss (and just for good measure, a Utah win, because I like watching the Lakers fall out of the playoffs on the last day of the season), setting up a first round series against Golden State. I fear Harden more than I fear Curry, and the Warriors have no big man that can contain Duncan (our only player playing great right now); he might average a quadruple-double for the series. Asik from Houston always gives Tim fits. I think Golden State is a slightly more favorably match-up for the team.
I remember bucks beaintg the heat last season, twice. Did anyone say it was there year? No. Really assessing the post season based on three games? I guess harden is going to be a scoring champion right? Here are the facts, knicks started their training camps over two months before regular season. They should be this good in the season with that much time to prepare. Everyone knows that the vets on knicks will be worn out come playoffs and don’t forget about chemistry with stat. Cont..