The Race for Second

Well Second to last that is. The Grizz have the worst record in the NBA pretty much locked up so now it comes down to who wants #2. Whats more interesting to you, whether or not the horrible Knicks or Pacers can move into the last spot in the East or how these teams that have everything to win by losing will strategize down the stretch.

Current Standings

Celtics: 23-50, leading the pack
Bucks: 25-47, 2 1/2 back
Atlanta: 27-47, 3 1/2 back but 4 in the win column
Charlotte: 28-46, 4 1/2 back but 5 in the win column

The 76ers and Trailblazers are 29-44 6 games ahead of the Celtics meaning they would have to lose pretty much the remainder of their games and hope that the Celtics 6-3 or better down the stretch, and everyone else wins games aka they got pretty much no shot.

Remaining Schedules

Celtics: @MIL, MIA, @IND, @ATL, PHI, MIL, @ORL, @MIA, DET
Bucks: NO/OK, BOS, @ATL, NY, ORL, IND, @BOS, CHA, ATL, @CLE
Atlanta: @NJ, MIL, @PHI, BOS, WAS, @CLE, @MIL, IND
Charlotte: WAS, @WAS, IND, @MIA, MIA, @CHI, @MIL, NY

Breakin it Down

The Celtics had this in their hands but have continued to win ball games since Pierce came back. Thus they need to take Pierce out during clutch time. They have even been winning close games against playoff teams, the Cavs and the Magic. The Bucks and Hawks on the other end have both lost 6 in a row. The Hawks might sideline Joe Johnson for the remainder of the season, to 'not damage him further'. I find it classic how between these 4 teams they have 5 games in the last two weeks against each other and the two biggest competitors have 2 against each other.

Personally I think the Bucks get it done and the Celtics slide between them and the Hawks, why because the Celtics under Doc and Danny can't do anything right. They will most likely defeat the Bucks this week and next week and catapult the horrid Bucks into the 2 hole.

You can be excited down the stretch for games with the Pacers to sneak into the playoffs only to get dumped by the Pistons in round one, me I'd rather watch these teams fight for the best chance of getting Durant and Oden.

Comments

M E T S = Mercifully End The Season

Do it before David Wright gets Hurt!

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Numbers On Steroids: Mickey Mantle

Numbers on Steroids is a look at baseball players during the 90s to see if anything screams out at you. This week it's throwing a curve ball and looking at All Time Great Yankees. Players that we know did not take steroids to see if this gives a defense to any of the players 'convicted' by Numbers on Steroids. Time to look at my dad's favorite athlete of all time, Mickey Mantle. Averages Say: What's with the mysterious dip at 27 and then the uptick? At Bats Per Home Run Says: That's a mighty jump from 22 to 24 Explaining As If It Was the 90s If you take a look at the numbers there are two time frames which in the 1990s would be questioned. First would be the incredible leap he took from his first year in the big leagues to his first MVP season in 1956. His batting average jumped 50 points. His slugging percentage jumped 90 points and he hit 15 more homers than his previous high. This wouldn't merrit a conviction nowadays though because the young age he...

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This Is Why the New York Mets Can't Win Anymore

It's pretty simple why the Mets can't win games anymore and are morphing into the second worst team in the National League, they can't score runs. The below chart shows exactly whats happenned to their offensive output since each of the major devastating injuries. The blue line shows runs scored for each game through out the season. The pink line shows the average runs the Mets scored when they had everyone, the yellow when they were missing Delgado, the light blue when they were missing Delgado and Reyes, and finally the purple when they were missing Delgado, Reyes and Beltran. In the abscence of Reyes, Delgado and Beltran the Mets are averaging barely over 3 runs per game. In stark contrast, with everyone on the roster the Mets were scoring just over 5 runs per game. That's a wholesale difference and why their roster now equals a lot of losses and a day by day progression further out of a playoff spot.

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