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If the playoffs started today, we wouldn’t understand why the NBA hasn’t played the entire season.
About the Roaring Rockets
Will the f***** Rockets ruin Play-In matchups?
Many of us have been drooling over a potential Play-In tournament scenario in which the Mavs and Suns face all their star power in game #7-8. And then? We would have the Lakers And Warriors play a do-or-die showdown #9-10. And once Alperen Şengün had that scary leg injuryit felt like no one in the West had a chance to disrupt that – except no one told the Rockets.
Houston (34-35) won seven consecutive matches – five of which came after Şengün’s injury. Overall, the Rockets have won nine out of 10 games and now look to disrupt these West Play-In scenarios. (the Mavs too, who are currently in the top six). They beat the Bulls 127-113 last night to get within 2.5 games of the Warriors 36-32 at No. 10 and three games of the Lakers 37-32 at ninth. As of now, the Rockets don’t have the tiebreaker against the Warriors but could have one against the Lakers.
Green Jalen (22) has been on fire in this stretch, scoring 26.5 points per game on 49.5 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from deep. In this five-game winning streak without rookie Sengün Amen Thompson scored 16.8 points on a ridiculous 73.9 percent shooting from the field. The Rockets need a lot of help to beat the Warriors and/or Lakers, but this late attempt to ruin everyone’s Dream Play-In was pretty fun.
The rest of last night:
Nuggets 113, Knicks 100: This is what you need to know about this game.
Magic 121, Pelicans 106: Paolo Banchero achieved a triple-double 21-10-11 while OrlandoThe defense forced 18 turnovers (eight from Zion) to stop the Pelicans (42-27, fifth in the West). It was a battle between my two favorite team stories this year. The Magic (42-28) are 1.5 games from third place Cleveland.
Wizards 109, kings 102: Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! A record 31 points for Kyle Kuzma. The Kings (40-29, eighth in the West) shot only 18 percent from 3! Shame! Shame!
Deer 115, Nets 108: Giannis was back, Damien Lillard was on fire, and the Bucks (45-25) are 1.5 games ahead of Cleveland for No. 2 in the East.
Mavs 113, Jazz 97: Luka Doncic had 34 and the Mavs (41-29, sixth in the West) were victorious.
Suns 128, Falcons 115: Devin Booker (30) and Eric Gordon (21) cooked the Hawks. Phoenix (41-29) is just outside the top six due to the tiebreaker with the Mavs.
March madness is awesome
Jack Gohlke broke our brackets
Now, we should all know not to trust John Calipari as March Madness coach. His Kentucky teams often fall short of tournament projections before we end up with “rumors” that he might return to the NBA. But last night was another unforgettable night with Kentucky, who lost 80-76 to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. All of this happened because a 3-point freak named Jack Gohlke lit up the Wildcats and helped his team pull off the upset.
Gohlke, who was a D-II player the previous four years, is a 3-point specialist. I mean that because he literally took eight Made 2-pointers in 34 games this season but launched 327 3-point attempts. Against Kentucky, he went 10 of 20 from the field for 32 points coming off the bench – each attempt was worth 3 points. His shot put Kentucky down early. For the rest of the game, Oakland was abusing the Wildcats everywhere else as the Wildcats tried to stop Gohlke.
He looks like a 25-year-old insurance salesman or someone who has been selling solar panels for a decade. His efforts eliminated the No. 3 seed Wildcats as Oakland advanced to the round of 16. Don’t worry, though. Coach Cal made sure to throw his players under the bus.
Health vs. seeding
How should teams balance the two?
Not every team in the current playoff campaign is as lucky – or as dominant – as the Boston Celtics (55-14, first in the East). They’re heading toward the No. 1 seed in the East and don’t have much to worry about these days. We’re also not concerned about the Denver Nuggets (49-21, second in the West), although they need to be healthy to best exercise their championship pedigree.
The remaining teams must now approach the next few weeks wondering how to balance their quest for an advantageous seeding (for Play-In or playoff hopes) and maintaining health for maximum playoff performance/potential. So which playoff hopefuls should focus on ranking and which teams should focus on health? Let’s dive in with applicable emojis!
Teams that need health
Cleveland Cavaliers (43-26, third in the East): I’m not sure Cleveland will benefit much from the #2 seed over the #3 seed. After a regular season full of injuriesTHE The Cavs should focus on their health and ensure that they can at least make their way to the second round. 
New York Knicks (41-28, fifth in the East): I really believe in New York, so healthy, could absolutely blow up the East playoffs. But the Knicks will need OG Anunoby’s elbow cooperate and Julius Randle’s shoulder also needs to heal. They shouldn’t worry about the third to fifth seeds. 
Los Angeles Clippers (43-25, fourth in the West): While I think it’s beneficial for them to not be on the road for a Game 7 in any round, the Clippers are still at a health disadvantage when it comes to their stars and core. They need to focus on being 100% healthy for their impending showdown with the Pelicans. 
Phoenix Suns (41-29, seventh in the West): Yes, the Suns should try to get out of the Play-In Tournament and into the top six to avoid potential early elimination. But we’ve barely seen this team healthy, and that’s what they need to think about before competing. 
Teams that need ranking
Milwaukee Bucks (45-25, second in the East): This is a bit of a tricky situation, considering Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s recent absence, but I think getting the No. 2 seed back would benefit Milwaukee. It will likely depend on Miami’s ranking, but the Bucks should make sure they have a home court in a Game 7 in the first two rounds. 
Miami Heat (38-31, seventh in the East): I know the Heat managed to make it through the Play-In challenge to the finals last year, but maybe let’s not try to play with fire each playoffs. Miami must enter the top six. 
Minnesota Timberwolves (47-22, third in the West): Because we’re not sure about Karl-Anthony Towns’ future statusI think the Wolves need to create as many favorable conditions as possible by grabbing the No. 1 seed. 
Los Angeles Lakers (37-32, ninth in the West): The Lakers have to play this game #9-10 at home because they are just 12-20 on the road. they need all the help they can get. 
Late news: We learned via Shams right before you hit send on this Brandon Ingram is expected to be out at least two weeks with a bone bruise in his knee. We’ll see how this impacts the Pelicans’ 42-27 ranking, if it does.
Bouncing passes
I joined the First Vote Podcast to discuss if Anthony Edwards’ recent dunk and block are Hall of Fame moments.
As expected, the G League Ignite program is to be arrested.
Chris Paul reflected on once being GG Jackson AAU Coach.
here’s how follow today’s March Madness slate.
Screenplay (all times Eastern)
- Main screen: Cavs-Wolves (8 p.m. NBA TV). Minnesota is still looking for the No. 1 seed in the West. Cleveland is still looking for No. 2 in the East.
- Second screen: UAB-San Diego State (1:45 p.m. TNT). Be prepared for some biases. Go Aztecs! We are back!
- League Pass Game of the Night: Pacers-Warriors (10 p.m.). Let’s see a lead guard clinic from Tyrese Haliburton and Steph Curry. Full program here.
(Top photo: Tim Warner/Getty Images )
