I know it has been a little while since I checked in but things have been crazy. If you have been watching the NBA post All Star, a lot of teams made moves before the trading deadline to try and put themselves in the best position for the Playoffs. Perhaps no team made bigger moves then the Cavs or Knicks. The Knicks got T-Mac, who immediately brought some excitement to the Big Apple (at least until he got hurt again). The Cavs got former Wizards forward Antawn Jamison, who immediately made a splash, going 0-12 his first game. I still think at this point that the Lakers are in the Pole Position and are the frontrunner to repeat. Kobe sitting out 5 games/15 days might have been one of the best things to happen to the Lakers because it forced them to step up and play together as a team without him bailing them out. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom both scored and rebounded more, and the bench minutes increased as well. Look for that to be a big point of reference for them in preparation for the playoffs. My finals picks have not changed, it' still Cavaliers vs. Lakers in the NBA finals, and I think this would be one of the highest watched finals ever as the NBA's dream of having 2 marquee players (and a major market team in the Lakers) meeting in the Finals. The only two teams that could derail the Cavs would be a healthy Boston and a focused Magic team. The Magic are downright dangerous when Dwight Howard hits 70% from the line and stays out of foul trouble, along with Vince Carter attacking the basket and hitting post up shots. The pick and roll to iso play set that Van Gundy has installed since the break (and was put on display in the W against the Cavs) is very effective. It also allows Jameer Nelson to pop out for uncontested shots when the defense tries to compensate on the Vince Carter roll. Great strategy. Who are you picking for the Finals?
From ESPN.com:
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||
| ATLANTIC | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | DIFF | STRK | L10 |
| Boston | 36 | 19 | .655 | - | 16-9 | 20-10 | 10-1 | 23-11 | 98.7 | 93.8 | +4.9 | Won 1 | 7-3 |
| Toronto | 31 | 25 | .554 | 5 ½ | 21-8 | 10-17 | 7-3 | 22-16 | 104.4 | 104.6 | -0.3 | Lost 1 | 7-3 |
| Philadelphia | 22 | 35 | .386 | 15 | 10-17 | 12-18 | 5-5 | 10-20 | 97.7 | 100.4 | -2.6 | Lost 1 | 6-4 |
| New York | 19 | 37 | .339 | 17 ½ | 12-19 | 7-18 | 3-6 | 13-24 | 101.0 | 104.2 | -3.2 | Lost 8 | 1-9 |
| New Jersey | 5 | 52 | .088 | 32 | 3-25 | 2-27 | 1-11 | 4-31 | 90.1 | 101.2 | -11.2 | Lost 4 | 1-9 |
| CENTRAL | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | DIFF | STRK | L10 |
| Cleveland | 44 | 14 | .759 | - | 25-4 | 19-10 | 6-1 | 24-8 | 101.7 | 95.0 | +6.6 | Won 1 | 7-3 |
| Chicago | 30 | 27 | .526 | 13 ½ | 18-9 | 12-18 | 8-3 | 19-16 | 97.0 | 97.9 | -1.0 | Won 1 | 7-3 |
| Milwaukee | 28 | 28 | .500 | 15 | 18-9 | 10-19 | 6-5 | 19-14 | 97.9 | 97.3 | +0.6 | Won 4 | 7-3 |
| Detroit | 21 | 36 | .368 | 22 ½ | 14-16 | 7-20 | 2-8 | 14-19 | 92.3 | 96.6 | -4.3 | Lost 1 | 5-5 |
| Indiana | 19 | 38 | .333 | 24 ½ | 12-15 | 7-23 | 2-7 | 14-21 | 99.3 | 104.1 | -4.8 | Lost 2 | 3-7 |
| SOUTHEAST | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | DIFF | STRK | L10 |
| Orlando | 39 | 19 | .672 | - | 22-6 | 17-13 | 6-4 | 27-11 | 101.3 | 95.7 | +5.6 | Won 2 | 7-3 |
| Atlanta | 36 | 20 | .643 | 2 | 22-6 | 14-14 | 4-6 | 18-12 | 101.4 | 96.9 | +4.4 | Won 2 | 6-4 |
| Miami | 29 | 29 | .500 | 10 | 14-13 | 15-16 | 7-4 | 18-15 | 96.4 | 95.0 | +1.4 | Lost 2 | 5-5 |
| Charlotte | 27 | 29 | .482 | 11 | 20-7 | 7-22 | 5-4 | 17-18 | 95.1 | 94.5 | +0.7 | Lost 3 | 3-7 |
| Washington | 20 | 35 | .364 | 17 ½ | 12-17 | 8-18 | 3-7 | 14-20 | 97.9 | 101.5 | -3.6 | Lost 1 | 5-5 |
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||
| NORTHWEST | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | DIFF | STRK | L10 |
| Denver | 37 | 19 | .661 | - | 24-5 | 13-14 | 7-4 | 22-12 | 107.4 | 102.6 | +4.8 | Won 1 | 6-4 |
| Utah | 37 | 20 | .649 | ½ | 23-8 | 14-12 | 6-7 | 22-14 | 101.9 | 97.1 | +4.8 | Won 1 | 8-2 |
| Oklahoma City | 33 | 23 | .589 | 4 | 16-11 | 17-12 | 6-2 | 16-17 | 99.0 | 96.0 | +3.0 | Lost 2 | 8-2 |
| Portland | 34 | 26 | .567 | 5 | 19-13 | 15-13 | 5-6 | 21-14 | 97.3 | 95.0 | +2.4 | Won 2 | 5-5 |
| Minnesota | 14 | 45 | .237 | 24 ½ | 9-20 | 5-25 | 3-8 | 7-27 | 97.7 | 106.1 | -8.4 | Lost 1 | 3-7 |
| PACIFIC | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | DIFF | STRK | L10 |
| LA Lakers | 43 | 15 | .741 | - | 26-5 | 17-10 | 9-2 | 25-11 | 102.7 | 96.3 | +6.4 | Lost 1 | 6-4 |
| Phoenix | 36 | 23 | .610 | 7 ½ | 21-7 | 15-16 | 9-3 | 22-13 | 109.0 | 106.2 | +2.9 | Won 4 | 8-2 |
| LA Clippers | 24 | 33 | .421 | 18 ½ | 17-12 | 7-21 | 3-5 | 11-23 | 95.5 | 99.7 | -4.3 | Won 3 | 4-6 |
| Sacramento | 18 | 39 | .316 | 24 ½ | 13-14 | 5-25 | 2-9 | 10-23 | 101.0 | 105.8 | -4.7 | Lost 5 | 2-8 |
| Golden State | 16 | 40 | .286 | 26 | 12-17 | 4-23 | 4-8 | 9-26 | 107.3 | 110.7 | -3.4 | Lost 1 | 3-7 |
| SOUTHWEST | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | DIFF | STRK | L10 |
| Dallas | 37 | 21 | .638 | - | 19-9 | 18-12 | 6-5 | 20-16 | 100.7 | 98.7 | +2.0 | Won 5 | 7-3 |
| San Antonio | 32 | 23 | .582 | 3 ½ | 20-10 | 12-13 | 5-4 | 18-16 | 100.5 | 96.3 | +4.2 | Won 1 | 5-5 |
| New Orleans | 30 | 28 | .517 | 7 | 19-9 | 11-19 | 5-4 | 20-13 | 99.8 | 101.3 | -1.5 | Lost 2 | 4-6 |
| Memphis | 29 | 28 | .509 | 7 ½ | 18-11 | 11-17 | 2-6 | 17-20 | 102.1 | 103.1 | -1.0 | Won 1 | 3-7 |
| Houston | 28 | 28 | .500 | 8 | 15-13 | 13-15 | 6-5 | 21-16 | 100.8 | 101.1 | -0.3 | Lost 3 | 3-7 |
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