NBA – Grizzlies defeat Kings for last Playoffs berth in the West

The Memphis Grizzlies managed to outplay the Sacramento Kings in an entertaining 101-96 win and thus secure the last available berth into the Playoffs in the Western Conference. Zach Randolph hit two free throws with 4.8 seconds and sealed the deal for the Grizzlies, which managed to earn its first ticket into the Playoffs in the last 5 years.

Randolph finished the night with 27 points, 15 rebounds while guiding Memphis to a 45-34 season that eliminated the Houston Rockets from the race for the last spot in the Western Conference Finals. Point Guard Mike Conley had 12 points and eight assists while Marc Gasol chipped in with 18 points and Tony Allen scored 13 as Memphis won for the fifth time in six games.

But it wasn’t easy. Truth be said, the Sacramento Kings put on one heck of a fight in the last quarter. Quite frankly the Kings could very well have won the game. As a matter of fact, Sacramento pulled itself back into the game and when there where only 39 seconds to go in the game, they were down 97-96.

It was a good effort from the Kings. Marcus Thornton led the Sacramento with 18 points, seven coming in the final 2:30 to keep the Grizzlies from celebrating too early. Samuel Dalembert had 17 points and 16 rebounds. Tyreke Evans had 16 points, and Jason Thompson had 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

Had it not been for the Kings turnover rate, things would had been very different. Sacramento was very dominant in the paint, dominating the boards. The Kings outrebounded Memphis 49-42. That is including 16 offensive rebounds that contributed to 31 second-chance points, a season high for Sacramento. The Kings were a bit better shooting, and despite cutting down a 12-point deficit, their 10 turnovers would eventually end up costing them a bit too much.

Marc Gasol had 13 points during the first two quarters to help Memphis carry a 46-43 lead at halftime, but regardless of his performance, the first half was a bit of a disappointment. The Grizzlies shot 38 percent, while the Kings were at 42 percent and both teams missed all five of their 3-point attempts. Francisco Garcia nailed the first 3-pointer of the game right after the halftime break then followed with another to help Sacramento retake the lead.

The Grizzlies will now have to face the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday. These where the last two teams to clinch a NBA Playoffs berth in the Western Conference, neither of them are locked into the last position, so this game will be decisive for securing a higher berth in the final. New Orleans (46-33) secured a playoff berth by beating Houston on Wednesday, and Memphis (45-34) clinched the conference’s final spot Friday with a 101-96 win over Sacramento.

On the other hand, New Orleans is trying to avoid a first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, who will probably clinch the No. 2 seed in the West. The two-time reigning NBA champions outscored the Hornets by an average of 10.8 points in sweeping the season series, so chances are they might have a similar fate should they meet again in the postseason.

NBA – Jason Kidd takes a two-game break before facing the Playoffs

The Dallas Mavericks relay heavily on their 38 year-old point guard, and considering that Jason Kidd had played all 77 games before taking his well deserved break, it was no surprise that both the Mavs and Kidd were struggling a bit early towards the end of the season. Dallas has gone 9-9 in their last 18 games and after an intensive six game 10-day road trip, Kidd himself realized that it was time to take a break.

The constant traveling and the little rest he has given his body had mesmerized even his shooting from outside the three-point perimeter. And we all know that was his best offensive weapon. His performance suddenly dropped and in march some of his numbers went to career low records.

Jason Kidd had been shooting better than 40 percent in each of the last two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks from beyond the three-point arch, but not so much this season. He currently sits at 34.1 percent after suffering through a bleak March, his worst shooting month of the season.

Kidd was 23-of-88 (26.1 percent) from 3-point range in March and tacked on an 0-of-10 in the two games he’s played in April. So it was certainly a good thing he good some rest. Truth is that the Mavs really need to have him at his best if they want to have a chance to survive either the LA Lakers or the Portland Trailblazers in the postseson. Kidd averaged a season-low 7.1 points a game last month, which dropped his season scoring average to a career-low 7.9 points a game.

Kidd would not rule himself out during the last in three games of the season. The Mavs play at the Houston Rockets on Monday, but rumor has it that if Wednesday’s regular season finale against the New Orleans Hornets is meaningless, it is possible that he could rest during that game as well.

NBA – A quick look at the NBA Playoffs (Part 2)

Let’s keep on going with our attempt to answer some question about the NBA Playoffs. Let’s talk a bit about the Miami Heat, before we get on to take a look at the team that holds the best record in the league: the Chicago Bulls. Let’s look at the facts. Miami has had a season filled with ups and downs. The 9-9 start, followed by a strong comeback in December, was then filled in with a series of downfalls that culminated with head coach Erik Spoelstra saying that there were guys in the locker room crying after the Heat lost at home against the Chicago Bulls 87-86.

Yes, after a 3-0 whopping series against Boston, the squad finally man-up to defeat the defending champions earlier this week. Still, Boston managed to finished with the third best record in the league, but to be quite honest, the Heat regular season was not as brilliant as the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chrish Bosh might make it sound like. The Miami starting trio said that the season had been a success. Well, it will only be a success if they can turn that record into something spectacular once the season kicks in.

Sure, the Heat could have it fairly easy on the first round, playing against the Philadelphia 76ers. No one I really expecting the 76ers to stay alive further then a 6th or maybe a 7 game series. But things will not be that easy once they have to match up to either the Celtics or the New York Knicks.

The Bulls have something of an easier road down the stretch. The Bulls will have to start the season against the Indiana Pacers and should (and let’s face it, they probably will) make it pass the first round, they would probably find either Orlando Magic or the Atlanta Hawks on the second round. If we had to make our picks we would say Orlando. And the thing is that Derrick Rose might be too much of a matchup against Dwight Howard and the Magic.

There is something of a motivational component to this whole performance by the Chicago Bulls. They haven’t played like this in a long-long while. As a matter of fact, the last time we saw them played like this, they won 6 national championships. So yes, like we’ve said before, Derrick Rose is not Michael Jordan, but the people in Chicago might start believing that he is, and given the home-team advantage they have throughout the Playoffs, they are going to be a tough team to beat at home.

NBA – A quick look at the NBA Playoffs (Part 1)

This is it! In two months from now, the NBA will have its National Champion. Would the LA Lakers repeat their title and confirm themselves as the dominant force? Are the aging Boston Celtics still capable of holding off much younger (and certainly less experienced) squads? Is the Miami Heat really as good as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh make it look like? The Chicago Bulls finished with the best record of the league and the best season since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, but can Derrick Rose and Co. live up to the high expectations?

The NBA Playoffs are finally here. As these teams have proved on previous years, it really doesn’t matter much what a team can (or specific players) can do on the regular season, because it is really the Playoffs where it all comes down to win or go home. The Lakers and the Celtics are really good at this. Both teams can turn on the switch at anytime, and then they are gone. They have what it takes to change the game. Kobe Bryant is there, Pau Gasol is there, and the squad is guided by no other then Phil Jackson, a coach that doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone no more. But can they survive the playoffs on the weakling right knee of Andrew Bynum. Last time Bynum was out, the Celtics defeated them for the 2008 championship. It’ isn’t a good omen.

The Celtics skidded plenty late in the regular season and lost the No.1 and No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Yes, at the end, Doc Rivers decided to rest his starters, so at least giving up the No.2 seed was part of a bigger plan. But can they really get back to top shape by this weekend? Let’s face it: Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are not getting any younger, and they tend to suffer a bit down the stretch. But guided by the multitalented point guard Rajon Rondo, they could once again, upset younger teams in the east. Yes, they’ll miss Kendrick Perkins, especially if you consider they might have to overcome the Knicks, the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls to arrive into the finals.

NFL – New England Patriots clinch Playoffs Berth

It seems as if the New England Patriots are having a brilliant season.  There is no doubt about that. The Patriots have an 11-2 record so far into the season and the team’s smooth but powerful snow-plowing of the Chicago Bears, 36-7, at Soldier Field Stadium under heavy snow, might be the motivational boost the squad needs to finish the regular season on a high-note.

The Patriots have now won 5 consecutive games, including some important victories over powerful teams that have really proved that Bill Belichick’s team chances of making it to the Super Bowl XLV in the Cowboys Stadium on February 6, are legit. The last 5 weeks the Patriots have defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts, the Detroit Lions, and gave the New York Jets a 45-3 crushing that was quite a warning call for the Jets.

And then came the Chicago Bears. It was snowing, windy, and simply it looked like a cold-hell for players and Chicago fans alike, as the Patriots just kept on attacking and breaking through the Bear’s offense. Just for the record, under Belichick’s guidance, the New England Patriots are 10-0 in snowy conditions. So it seems that the bears got cold.

What’s the key to the Patriots success? Well, for starters, Tom Brady is throwing like a real champ, he is fine tuning all his passes and making it very hard for the opposing team defense to pick him up. Then, there is the brilliant mix of players that Bilicheck has brought into the team. Sure, Randy Moss has been gone since early in the season, and some even question Brady’s commitment when he missed part of the preseason traning camp, but heck, the Pats got a very young defense and a extremely experienced offense, a mix that could certainly pay off at the end.

Now, the Patriots will have to face a very complicated game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Packers are not experiencing their finest season ever, but still, although favorites, and possibly the strongest team in the league, the Pats should avoid an upset at all costs.