First Round: Jazz vs Rockets

4. Jazz (54-28) vrs 5. Rockets (55-27)

Regular Season Series: UTA 2-1

Point Differencial: UTA +2.0

No Yao Ming and no Rafer Alston for a couple of games sound like a hell of a problema for Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets as they facethe second best home team in the West. One of the reason oh Houston's streak was the solid, let's face it overachieving, performance of RaferAlston and know he won't be there for the first two games. That leaves TMac to do ALL the offense creating from scoring to setting up the other Rockets 100% of the time. Their bench have to be huge and most of them are too green, Boby Jackson being the only one playoff tested.

Jerry Sloan's Utah are the good ol' hard working pick and roll team we are used to. But they are still young and some cracks are still there. Deron Williams sometimes (SOMEtimes like a very few) he doesn't show up and the entire Jazz team struggles. If TMac wants to be introduced to the second round for the first time in his life their focus should be 100% defensive -think Spurs or Pistons defensive- and principally stopping Deron Williams. Utah is not a good matchup for Houston but if they can hold DWill they have a hell of a shot. Houston is a excellent defensive team (They are number two in defensive rating) but you get the feeling that as the series grow old Jerry Sloan will made the necesary tweeks.

X Factor: Bobby Jackson. He needs to be agresive no matter what. He's going to start the games that Alston can't play and the first guy off çthe bench when Alston comes back.He needs to score and showcase that playoffs savvy the sometimes wins games.

Basketball Gods' prediction: UTA 4-2

What a weekend!

No, I wasn't kidnapped by aliens but lot's of intersting stuff went down in that crazy NBA



The winning streak reached 22 thanks to Rafer Alston and his insane shooting. Pau Gasol being injured also helped. They are now the number one team in the West and after watching the game against the Lakers I still don't believe in these guys. Credit were is due, they are a great passing team, they are a hell of a defensive team specially with Mutombo in the court and they have a bunch of shooters. That's a recipe for a championship, right? Well maybe it is and I do think they can make some noice in the playoffs.

I can't say I believe this team can win a championship because their current winning streak doesn't really tell us how good they are. It is pretty much based on momentum. Look, Rafer Alston can only shoot like that for so long. Mike Harris can't be that productive for the rest of the season. Chuck Hayes is not that good. But right now, they are unstoppable . They are ridding a huge wave of confidence and until the bubble bursts whe are going to see the real Houston Rockets.




I'm really worry about the Spurs. They have a really hard schedule and in that -ridiculous close, hypercompetitive, absurbly tough- Western Conference you can't aford to have a bad weekend and that was what happened to the Spurs, at friday night they have a half game lead over the Lakers for the top seed now they woke up this morning as a 6th seed 2 games behind the streaking Rockets. They can't defeat athletic teams (Warriors, Hornets) and they have problems closing out games against top teir teams ( they lost to Detroit and Phoenix recently). I know they are the Spurs and they always find a way to close up the season with a good seed but somehow I think their moment is gone. I don't why but I just hope I'm wrong in this one.




The Nuggets put out 168 points against the Sonics. This tell me two things: First, tanking 2008 has oficially started and those Nuggets could make things interesting -as if wasn't intersting enough alredy - if they get in some kind of groove. Can you imagine the Spurs or the Suns out of the playoffs because of a 10 or something winnning streak by the Nuggets. It can happen.


Meanwhile in the East a 35 or less win team is going to be in the playoffs. Yeap, Mr Stern, no change needed here. -- Sarcarm --

Skip to My Next Charge

The Basketball Gods have command me to write something even though they are not making anything happen. But I have something, Rafer Alston is insane, this guy belongs to the’96 Draft Class, in a couple weeks he was arrested twice. First he was charged with “misdemeanor assault and public intoxication in Houston” and now he decided to stab a man in New York. I wonder how this works in the whole-exultation-of-capturing-glory scheme.

Boston signed somebody without a thirst for a ring in James Posey, he just has a good old thirst for money. He wore his ring in the press conference; I guess it's intended to inspire his new teammates, that or to scare small children and to depress KG

Kevin Martin got big money, wonder when we will demand a trade

USA Basketball is blowing away everybody, I was thinking of making some type of relation with the ’92 Dream Team, but at Need4Sheed.com already did that. That's way they are who they are.