Gee, it's just like this last time the two teams played before Yao got injured. Great foul strategy by JVG, but an unlucky bounce. Still, regardless of the outcome in the overtime, I'm pretty impressed with Rockets' L.A. trip. TMac didn't have a good shooting game, neither were the guards, but the defense has been consistently solid, and Yao looks very much composed (except for a couple of turnovers late) and gets the deep position with much more ease. Lakers is a scary team in the playoff because of Kobe, but Rockets will give teams more trouble in more games.

Kobe got 50 again... god.

What an entertaining game, especially by Rockets' standard. They would have lost such a game before, but now I really like their chance of both catching the Jazz and getting out of the first round.

So the Cavs win the big #2 seed game, which disappoints me because I think Chicago is a more complete and stronger team as a whole, while Cleveland is the Bron show. The reason why that disappoints me, is because I wanted the Bulls in #2 to avoid any first round match-up possibility with them.

This is a huge reward for Cleveland though, potentially if the seeds go 3 - Toronto 4 - Miami 5 - Chicago 6 - Washington as they are now, Detroit/Miami/Chicago would all be in the same half of the conference bracket, meaning unless us or Washington upsets the Cavs, they'll have an easy-ish road to the ECF. #2 seed is so important this year.

Come to think of it, what the game did today was make the race for a Raps #3 seed an extremely make or break situation. Going into the playoffs with Wizards 1st round and Cavs 2nd round as opponents, is actually the best situation I could've ever hoped for. Toronto isn't dead in that situation, especially if we ride in hot.

And then the Cavs give it up by losing to the Celtics! Poor jmart.

Toronto vs Miami Tuesday night is pretty much the most important regular season game in franchise history for us, I'd say. Take that and it's a 3.0 game lead for 3rd seed with 8 games left, with the tie-break in hand... And with that a Butler-less Wizards first round match-up is almost assured.

Watching that Wiz vs Raptors, I came to the conclusion that Bosh shits all over Arenas and his chucking shots all the time.

I'm not worried yet. We're still in second to last place. Go Celtics!

raps should get to 2nd round in the playoffs if they get home court...

Ouch for Wizards, Arenas is out as well.

Yeah, they're done. Won't even get out of the first round. Hope the Raptors get them.

raps could end up 2nd in the east confrence.

Been away for the last week, but I'm pleasently surprised that the Raps have been remarkably dominant. Miami somehow losing to Charlotte might've given us that 3rd seed.

Can't believe I'm saying this, but if it's 2 Cleveland and 3 Toronto, I like Toronto's chances to go to the ECF a lot. Other than the fact that this is a Cleveland sports team we're talking about here, I think Toronto has a deeper team overall anyways. We have a lack of playoff experience, but then again, so did the Pistons 3 years ago and they did just fine. I think Chicago would beat us in 6 though if they get the 2nd seed. Regardless, this has been one helluva year. Bryan Colangelo is GOD. First Pheonix, now Toronto... Hard to believe a GM can in one year change your franchise from horrible to awesome, and now he's done it twice!

Toronto is doing very well. I'm still not sold quite yet... it's very, very rare to see a first year playoff team (one that hasn't been there for a while) make it very far. However, they will likely have a VERY easy bracket to the ECF, with only needing to beat Chicago or Cleveland. It is likely that the top 3 favored teams - Miami, Detroit, and either Cleveland or Chicago will end up all in the same bracket. Anyhow, I don't see Toronto beating either Chicago or Cleveland, although they would have an outside shot at Cleveland as they like to choke under pressure.

And a correction or your Detroit claim... they made it to the playoffs every year since 2002, and to the ECF in 2003 (the year before they won the championship). In 2002 they made it to the EC semi-finals. So, they built up gradual, just like most teams. Actually since 1996, they only missed the playoffs 2 years... 1998 and 2001.

Ah, my bad... I know Detroit had the #2 pick in 03 and busted with Darko, so I assumed up to that point that they had been a lottery team the year before, over a team who got that pick in a trade(?).

Darko... what a pick that was! We could have had Dwayne Wade, but no... we got Darko Milicic!

I'm not sure how we got that pick - it must have been a trade.

Either way, Toronto should at the very least make it to the EC semis. Even if that's all the further they make it, that's amazing considering where they were last year. At the beginning of the year nobody would have predicted this.

1997, Otis Thorpe to Memphis for pick that became Milicic. Pick was between 1998-2003...

Finally, Rockets passed Jazz for at least one day. And Warriors are closing in on Clippers, along with Nuggets and Lakers. West is so exciting.

What a huge win, this was the game W's needed the most and got it, it sets up the tone for the remaining 4 and puts the W's like a tenth of a percentage over Clips for the 8th spot, we still dont control our own destiny unless Clips can lose two of their next six, which will most likely happen.

That would have been a great trade had we gotten somebody halfway decent.

As for the Warriors... I hope they can make it in the playoffs. I don't believe they'll make it out of the first round, but they're more likely to give the Mavs a fit and wear them down for their eventual match up against the Pistons.

Haha, Chris Bosh's blog http://www.nba.com/chat_and_mailboxes/chris_bosh.html

It seems that every time I read one of these player's internet contributions, it never gets any less funny... Most overly happy and giddy basketball blog ever. I love the random "I also like to read books" paragraph. "It's a tough read because it's like 500 pages."

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the Charlotte Bobcats make the playoffs next year. Wallace(a stud), Fabio, Okafor, Morrison, a high draft pick this year, and a shitload of cap space to sign players and probably a PG. I kind of like them a lot. Well, more than 90% of other shitty teams in the league. They're fun.

And oh my god, I hate the fucking Nets. I wish they would just die. Friggin Wizards are going to lose every game from here on out, and then we have to put up with the Vince vs Toronto show for an entire series, when that storyline has already gone on farrr too long.

hahaha that'd be awwwsome.

Raps vs Nets

put up or stfu

it will be fun...

Lol, Pistons are raping us right now... soooo bad. Still have lots of work to do over the next couple years.