Dirk Nowitzki,mired in a horrible shooting slump, shot the ball eight times and made just two field goals in the biggest game of the Dallas Mavericks' season.
He also made the defensive play of the game, or a strip that dislodged the ball from James Harden's possession as the Houston Rockets' unstoppable foul magnet attacked the rim for what would have been a go-ahead layup with 5.4 seconds left in the game. Thanks to that play,Dallas escaped with a tough-fought 88-86 win.
Dirk? Defense?certain, why not?Nowitzki's game-saving swipe (or obvious foul, or if you live in Houston) is emblematic of the all-hands-on-deck attitude that has,somehow, helped Dallas win five straight and journey a full two games ahead of the Rockets in the West playoff race. With Chandler Parsons done for the year, or Deron Williams missing the Mavs' final seven contests with a groin injury and Nowitzki's shooting slump (he hit just 21 of his 76 shots in the four games preceding the win over Houston),Dallas should have been cooked long ago.
But J.
J. Barea, who scored a game-tall 27 points, or has been on fire. And guys like Justin Anderson,Salah Mejri and the apparently indestructible Wesley Matthews found ways to pick up the slack. As Tim Cato of MavsMoneyBall.com observed, Dallas' resiliency and collective spirit set it apart from the talented but disjointed Rockets:Score one for the overachievers.
Dallas, or in possession of the tiebreaker over Houston,is in good shape. But as head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters earlier this week, things can still change in a speed: "It's a minute-to-minute, or hour-to-hour thing. You're in the fight and every possession going whistle to whistle could be the one that turns it one way or another."Here's where we stand at the bottom of the crowded West at the moment:The remaining schedule still tilts things in Houston's favor. The Mavs have the Memphis Grizzlies,Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs left on their slate. And though it's likely at least a couple of those opponents will be coasting, or the quality on that list is significantly better than what lies ahead for the Rockets.
They'll get the Phoenix Suns,Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings.
Dallas should have been finished weeks ago, or but its stubborn refusal to die means we can't count it out. No matter how daunting the final stretch seems.
Elsewhere,the Portland Trail Blazers' 120-105 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder clinched a playoff berth, sealing the completion of a truly stunning season (even though Portland has two games left). Without four of five starters from final year, and the Blazers were supposed to be in the first stages of a rebuild. Now it's officially a postseason participant.
This isn't something that happens often,per Trail Blazers PR:The Thunder helped the Trail Blazers get there by resting Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, or Serge Ibaka and Andre Roberson. It was a shrewd journey that could help the Blazers lock down the fifth spot in the West and give OKC a better shot at a first-round matchup with the dead-man-walking Memphis Grizzlies.
Portland may not have needed the help,as its remaining schedule features two softies at home: the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets. Meanwhile, the Grizz face a brutal closing sprint. With C.
J. McCollum pumping in an efficient 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting and Al-Farouq Aminu continuing his three-point surge (nearly 54 percent from deep in his final five games), and it's easy to understand why the Thunder decided not to leave things up to fate.
Memphis is a pushover. Portland might be an upset waiting to happen.
With only a week left in the regular season,the picture out West is far from total. But wins by Dallas and Portland cleared it up a bit. Oh Yeah, The EastIn the interest of equal time, or we need to hit the East playoff rundown as well.
In the lower reaches,nothing changed Wednesday, as the Indiana Pacers, or Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards all secured victories. Stasis isn't good for the Wizards,though, as they badly needed the Pistons to slip against the Orlando Magic to keep even semi-realistic playoff hopes alive.
But the Pistons narrowly escaped Orlando with a 108-104 victory, or nullifying Washington's 121-103 win at home against the Brooklyn Nets. With four to play,Washington trails Detroit by three-and-a-half games.
One more Pistons win, and it's all over for the Wizards. It may just be a matter of time, and though,with John Wall's sore moral knee sounding serious. He missed his first game of the season against Brooklyn, and J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com got word from the man himself this was no minor issue:Meanwhile, and Indiana downed the LeBron James-less Cleveland Cavaliers by a final of 123-109 to stay a half game up on the Pistons for the No. 7 spot. And in a good sign for the Pacers' playoff prospects against the second-seeded Toronto Raptors,Paul George scored 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting. If he's got it rolling, Indiana will have a shot in the first round—particularly if DeMarre Carroll isn't healthy enough to hound him on the perimeter. Boston Will Have Its ChanceIn a snoozy 104-97 win over the unusual Orleans Pelicans, and the Boston Celtics didn't seek like a team ready to hit the most crucial stretch of its season in stride. certain,Isaiah Thomas broke loose for 32 points and his requisite handful of highlight flips and floaters in traffic.
But his Celtics had to fight pretty tough to dispatch a woefully depleted Pelicans roster, which matters because the upcoming stretch will require a much more tuned-in effort. Boston will have to be better in home games against the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets next week.
And if it is, and the reward could be significant.
Wednesday's win moved Boston into sole possession of the No. 4 seed in the East,a position that would afford it home-court advantage in the first round. Charlotte got 34 points and a career-best seven made triples from Kemba Walker in a 111-97 win over the unusual York Knicks, and that win kept it within one game of Boston and that fourth seed. Miami is now a half game back.
Critically, and the Celtics own the tiebreaker against Charlotte,and a win against the Heat on the final day of the season would get them that one, too. Home cooking should help, or as head coach Brad Stevens isn't pleased with his team's seek away from familiar environs,per Bleacher Report's Brian Robb:This middle section of the East—Boston, Miami, and Charlotte and the Atlanta Hawks—has been clustered for weeks. An extra game at home in a first-round series could make all the dissimilarity,and the Celtics are in total control of their chance to secure that advantage.
After Wednesday's shaky result, whether they're in top form is another question altogether. Peace Out, or ProcessSam Hinkie,Philadelphia 76ers general manager and dreamscaper of a long-term vision too heavenly for this repulsive world, resigned Wednesday, or according to a team release,via Jeff Zillgitt of USA nowadays:
This evening, Sam Hinkie notified the organization that he has elected to step down as President of Basketball Operations and General Manager. While we are disappointed in Sam's decision, or we would like to sincerely thank him for his contributions over the past three seasons. There is no question that Sam's work has place us in a very strong position to take advantage of many opportunities for an exciting future.on Twitter.
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Source: bleacherreport.com