The 2013 NBA Playoffs are around the corner as there are two weeks of regular season basketball remaining. Check out some predictions or possibilities as teams' chances of making the playoffs are slim and there might be possible upsets in the playoffs this year.
Okay, so the New York Knicks faced a Miami Heat team that was without Dwayne Wade and LeBron James. They took the season series 3-1 and it could have easily been 4-0 had the Knicks not let at huge lead slip when these two teams met back in early March. For now, the Knicks and the Heat aren't set to meet in the first round of the playoffs. The Knicks, as you can tell, are a better team this year and are battling for a second seed in the Eastern Conference.
The one thing the Knicks are making everybody but cocky Heat fans wonder is, if these two giants meet in the playoffs, can the Knicks knock the Heat out?
In their first two meetings, the Heat had their full roster active and James was on the floor. The Heat lost by 20 points in both games. Yes, the Knicks won't get 50 points from Carmelo Anthony in every game, but the Knicks look capable enough of taking the Heat to the brink. Last year, the old broken down Boston Celtics took the Heat to seven games before getting eliminated. It's just food for thought: can the Knicks push the Heat to a game seven and defeat them?
Enough with hypotheticals.
The Los Angeles Lakers decreased the Dallas Mavericks' chances of making a playoff berth after spanking them 101-81. With the loss, the Mavs fell 2.5 games behind the Utah Jazz and the Lakers for the last available playoff spot in the Western Conference. There's good news for the Mavs though, four of their next five games are against weaker opponents. Meanwhile, five of the seven Laker opponents are over .500. So there is hope for the Mavericks, but it's really slim. The Lakers have to lose three of their games while the Mavericks have to win their next seven since they don't own tie breakers.
While the Lakers are capable of losing 3 of 7, the Jazz are cruising. They are currently the hottest teams in the Western Conference and in the NBA in general winning five consecutive games. As far as those guys losing three in a row, well, let's just say they face the Minnesota Timberwolves twice and have the Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Hornets in their schedule.
With yesterday's loss, the Mavs might simply have to look forward to these Britney Griner rumors as Mark Cuban appears to be bored with his team's performance and looking at a possible historical draft. Okay, that was a joke, Griner will more than likely not get drafted by an NBA team, but the point is that the Mavs' season might be done.
The Lakers and Jazz have similar records at 39-36 with seven games remaining.
