EASTERN CONFERENCE WON’T LET BOBCATS INTO THEIR “TOP EIGHT”
On Thursday night, the Chicago Bulls beat the Philadelphia 76ers to pull into the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference. Detroit is now .5 games behind Chicago, but maintain a solid grasp on the 8th seed with Charlotte 3 games back. It would be hard to argue that Charlotte has a better team than Detroit, so in all fairness the Pistons should land that final Playoff slot. Still, if things get ugly for Rasheed and the crew – the Bobcats could slip past them with four consecutive wins to close out the season. Tonight, the Cats visit OKC aim to score a win against the Thunder before heading on to Chicago after the game. The Chicago match-up doesn’t mean much as they’ve now widened the gap too far for the Cats to catch them. Nevertheless, Charlotte needs a win. The final two games are on the road at New Jersey (Monday) and Orlando (Wednesday). Obviously, it’s tough to close the season on the road. As the composition starts to take shape, it’s clear that the Playoffs aren’t impossible – only highly mathematically improbable.
Note : To those planning to watch the final games on TV, they’ll not be offered in HD.
THE GOOD NEWS:
• Imagine a Cavs–Pistons Playoff Series where Detroit has no option but to pull AI off of the shelf to face Lebron. . . Serious drama.
• Charlotte will finish with their best record so far – thus, creeping toward relevancy.
• The Bobcats won’t be wearing the green uniforms again this week!
• Raja Bell is getting a longer off-season that usual.
• Alexis Ajinca and Sean Singletary will return to the team this week. Certainly, they’ve got to be elated that Sioux Falls’ D-League season is finally over.
NEXT :
If the Cats lose tonight or Saturday, we’ll see a lot of the bench. Larry Brown will need to evaluate guys with a few games left to see who gets an invitation (and millions of dollars) to return to training camp next season. Sean May and Raymond Felton are the more familiar names, but what will happen with Juwan Howard, Sean Singletary, or Cartier Martin? Howard might be the most obvious player to resign after his solid contributions this season.