The Season Is Half Over...Let's Talk Playoffs!

[Bricklayer]

That's right -- I am actually pretty much in agreement with Coach Mora, but given that 41 games are down now it seemed about the right time to break out the standings and take a look, realistic or not, or forever hold our peace:

Western Conference Playoff Picture
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#8 Portland 20-20 .500 Lost5 4-6 Last10
#9 Houston 21-21 .500 Lost7 3-7 Last10
#10 Minnsta 17-20 .459 Won1 3-7 Last10
#11 Dallas 18-24 .429 Won1 5-5 Last10
#12 Lakers 17-23 .425 Lost2 2-8 Last10
#13 Sacram 16-25 .390 Won1 5-5 Last10
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On the positve side we've gained on just about all of our competitors this month, and that puts us only 4.5 games back of the #8 seed.

On the negative side with so many teams between us and it you can pretty much bet that at least ONE of them is going to find a way to finish .500, and so in the second half of the season we would have to make up 9 games to reach .500 ourselves and have a chance. We've played .500 ball of late, but we would need to finish an unlikely 25-16 to reach .500 this season. Maybe MAYBE you could go 24-17 and finish 40-42, but that's not likely.

Upcoming schedule:

Jan 21 @NOH
Jan 23 PHX
Jan 25 OKC
Jan 26 @DEN
Jan 28 @WSH
Jan 30 @BOS

Feb 01 @PHI
Feb 02 @NYK
Feb 04 @UTH
Feb 09 UTH
Feb 10 HOU
Feb 12 @MEM
Feb 13 @DAL
Feb 19 SAN
Feb 22 @ATL
Feb 24 @NOH
Feb 26 @MIA
Feb 27 @ORL

Mar 01 @SAN
Mar 03 CHA
Mar 05 DEN
Mar 06 @GSW
Mar 08 PHX
Mar 10 MIL
Mar 13 CHI
Mar 17 @LAL
Mar 19 LAC
Mar 21 MIN
Mar 23 @DEN
Mar 24 PHI
Mar 27 @GSW
Mar 28 @PHX
Mar 30 LAL

Apr 03 HOU
Apr 05 DAL
Apr 07 MEM
Apr 10 NOH
Apr 12 @SAN
Apr 14 @HOU
Apr 15 @OKC
Apr 17 LAC

 

[jcwkings]

the six game roadie coming up will likely be the nail in our "playoff coffin". We just haven't been playing well enough for me to see us winning even 2 of those games. If we win tommorrow and handle business against phoenix, it will be the closest we sniff the playoffs this season. I hope they prove me wrong though, but highly doubt it.

 

[Warhawk]

I just want to finish ahead of the GD Lakers this year. I would giggle my a** off if that happened. They are right ahead of us in the standings, not THAT far ahead of us.

 

[jcwkings]

I just want to finish ahead of the GD Lakers this year. I would giggle my a** off if that happened. They are right ahead of us in the standings, not THAT far ahead of us.

I've watched them all season, and i can tell you that they are not a good team at all. Howard is not 100%, and im not sure he'll ever be that dominant force he was in Orlando. Nash is old and plays no defense, Gasol looks like the oldest player on the team, Kobe is still Kobe, and the rest of the team besides MWP are all roster cuts for most NBA teams. They are absolutely dreadful defensively, i mean Jose Calderon picked them apart this morning like he was Chris Paul. I doubt they make the playoffs and if they do they are ripe pickings for either Thunder or Clippers. Finishing ahead of them is truly not that out of the question.

 

[gunks]

Every. Damn. One.

And a Chippie, in the final season in Sac. Bittersweet fairy tale ending to the season.

In five years or so Disney will make a feel good movie about it. Chris Tucker will play Tyreke, Cousins will be computer animated and voiced by Mike Meyers, the Magoofs will play themselves (I'm assuming in five years time they will have blown all the money made from the sale on coke and hookers and will be desperate for cash).

 

[HereWeBoogie]

damn only 4.5 games out? and all those teams ahead of us are getting worse, and MINN is DONE with all their injuries. id say if we had a different coach we could make it!

 

[rainmaker]

Uh, with this coach, with this current roster prior to any unforeseen trades, with the ownership situation hanging over everyone's head? Not likely.

Now, I think this roster could make a run at the playoffs with its talent, but the way in which the talent is utilized makes it unlikely. Unless trades are made, or members of our backcourt get injured, seriously injured and not being able to play for a month or more, forcibly limiting Smart's options(nothing besides injuries or trades will stop this fool from playing everyone) I don't see it happening. Not at all.

However, even with the crap coach and without any trades I could see a chance of us making a strong push if this team is sold to a local ownership group, in which case it's a huge sigh of relief for the players, fans will show up in huge numbers and the team might have a huge positive reaction to that, poor coaching be damned.

 

[jcwkings]

If we had a good coach, Cousins had been playing at a top level from the beginning of the season/ no suspensions, Tyreke didn't get hurt, there wasn't this relocation/ownership turmoil, we would be in the 8th seed mix right now...With everything that has gone bad this season, our current record is about as good as one can expect really.

 

[ElRey]

I really think this team is not going to turn around until the owners situation gets fixed.

 

[Chupacabra]

With houston and portland playing more consistent ball than us, and the fact that there are only 5 more home games from now until march, our chances of making the playoffs are slim. REALLY slim.

 

[Gilles]

I think Kings need to lose some games to get low enough position that it would be credible when they got #2 pick after the sale (#1 goes to Magic obviously).