I know we just did a playoff picture on the Western Conference last week, but that's how much it changes. So if you're not pulling up the NBA standings on a day to day basis, and you don't are not aware of how the tie breakers work, what games are coming up, let me help you out. We got to continue to go through it because right now there is a wildly tight race for the five and six spot in the West, that is between the Clippers, Lakers, and the Warriors. One of those three teams will be in
the plan. If you recall, these are the two spots above the play in tournament and the ones that guarantees you a winnable best of seven series against the three and the four Seeds got it with just a handful of games to go. We have no clarity. Zero Warriors currently tumbling down the standings.
Man, they suck right now? Are Dubs? What is going on?
They threw up all over themselves on Sunday against Denver without Jokic. They were giving you that game. They gave it to you, and what did you do? You found a way to Dennis shrewder it. Fumble the bag, baby, fumble the bag could not muster up the strength to win a game that was given to you, like the
championship caliber team that you're supposed to be. Clay blew two open looks in the final five seconds to win the game against the Nuggets, and now they pretty much gotta win every single game left in order to avoid that playing spot.
Lakers somehow, some way control their fate.
They have an equal amount of losses of the Clippers and the Warriors, but one less game played. So Wednesday, which is today, is a collision Well it should be today, and we're recording this Monday, but it.
Is today for you.
Is a collision course between the Clippers and the Lakers. At the crypt winner one hundred percent makes the top six one hundred percent with just a couple of games to go. Loser potentially drops into the play in tournament, although given how bad the Warriors have been and their schedule and how many games are left, probably not as likely.
Very confusing in these streets. Here's what we know.
Lakers currently hold the tie break over the Warriors. The Clippers currently hold the tie break over the Lakers. The Wolves, why are they involved, I don't know. They hold the tiebreaker over the Lakers, But then what do they do. They suffer the worst loss in thirty years. That was the largest line, the largest favorite that we have seen since.
Nineteen ninety two.
Nineteen ninety three, there were nineteen and a half point favorites at the crib to my egregiously tanking Portland Trailblazers, where again they are load managing Trendon Watford and you know what, somehow found a way to lose that game, which means that if the Warriors, Clippers, and Lakers all finish forty three and thirty nine, which given how many games are left to go, the teams that they play against,
that kind of is what it looks like. That would mean that the Clippers would get the five spot, the Lakers would get the sixth spot, and the Warriors would our Dubs would be in the playing tournament at seven.
In fact, given the fact that the Clippers play the Lakers, the Warriors must win every single game that they have left to avoid the inevitability of finishing in the seventh spot, unless the Lakers were to do something like lose twice to the Utah Jazz, who are also egregiously tanking, which I don't think is going to happen.
But listen, look at the Wolves.
Anything's possible, so damn complicated, and technically the Suns who are currently locked up on the fourth spot, not mathematically at this very second, but really it is. There's four games left, their four games behind the Kings. They decide who is the five seed because they play the Lakers and the Clippers before this whole thing ends. They could either sit out stars let that team beat them, or that they could treat that game as a playoff game
like against the Lakers. If I'm the Suns, I do not want to play Lakers in the first round, no shot. I would much prefer to play the Clippers without Paul George. Let Kawhi and Nick Batoom do their very best. See how that thing shakes up. Here's another little wrinkle in
the playoff picture. The Dallas Mavericks must be listening to the heat check because after their dismal overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks, where JaVale McGee had two free throws at the end of the game in order to win it, decides to only make one free throw and they go to overtime. They lose to the Atlanta Hawks, who are awful.
They are now down to the eleventh spot in the West, and rumor has it they are going to shut down Luca and shut down Kyrie for the rest of the year, trying to get a top ten spot in the NBA Draft and deciding they are going to take themselves out of playoff consideration altogether. That in the West only impacts the Kings, who only need one more game to win in order for them to win the division and seal up the three spot. My ideal matchup, My ideal ratings
matchup one eight. I want to see Denver play the Pelicans. So You've got Zion versus Jokis. That's a fascinating matchup. You've got Brandon Ingram against Michael Porter Junior amazing. You've got Jamal Murray against CJ.
McCullum. You got Aaron Gordon being.
Defended by skinny ass Rangy amazing defender, Herb Jones. Fun matchup, Fun watch out Nuggets two seven Warriors Grizzlies.
Oh my god, oh my, I need it. I need it so bad.
Jaw and Dylan Brooks and Jaron Jackson chirp and Clay Chirping. I mean the energy, the emotion, the aggression, that is top tier first round matchup, top tier Clippers versus the Kings.
Three to six. I mean, I just want that. I just want it personally.
I want to go down to La see the Crypt without worrying about the Kings having to face the Lakers.
It's a good matchup.
They have no Paul George's the King's best shot in order to win a first round series and continue to advance.
And then four to five Suns.
Lakers, Oh boy, fireworks, Lebron James against Chris Paul Banana boat brothers facing off against one another. Anthony Davis trying to soun DeAndre Ayton Kevin Durant now in the mix.
Do you remember the last time these two teams.
Play, Anthony Davis sprained his ankle, Lebron James got hurt, and the Suns advance and then ended up in the finals. This is it, folks, Oh my god, this is the best stretch of final regular season games we've ever had in life. In life, because the play in tournament. That's why I didn't like it at first, But I tell you what, it does make this very intriguing and out east a lot more clarity, a lot more boredom, let's be honest, not much things that are fun going out
in the East. The one thing that we know for sure is that the Knicks are going to play the Calves in the first round. Incredible matchup one, two, three Seeds, Bucks, Celtics, Sixers.
They don't care who they play, doesn't really matter.
You can play Uh, I don't know Heat, you can play the Raptors, you can play the Hawks, you can play the Bulls.
Who cares.
None of them pose any real threats to them in the first round. We know those three teams are going to advance further, doesn't matter. Zero drama, and the Nets aren't gonna beat the Sixers unless Embid goes down.
So zero drama. Who makes it out of the play in in the East? Do I care?
No, I give zero fucks why because they're all trash vomit. Some really sad news out of Utah. Apparently they are. Jazz are reportedly shutting down rookie center Walker Kessler. Nobody saw that coming, but there are legit people out there whose business it is to write about the NBA believe that the Utah Jazz won the Rudy go Bear trade, not just because of the Bonkers amount of first round picks that they landed from Minnesota or the young.
Players that they got.
But because Kessler they believe is already better or as good as Rudy at one tenth of the price, people are legitimately saying that they would not trade Walker Kessler for Rudy Go Beart straight.
Up right now.
That's how much of a fleecing Danny Ainge put on our man, Tim Connolly.
Shame. Tim Connolly shame.
Probably should not surprise anyone. He was a beast at Auburn seven feet one, seven foot five wingspan nine feet five inches standing range reach. That'ss He had one of the highest block rates in college basketball history ten blocks per hundred possessions. Jesus Christ, that seems like a made up stat. That's a Kenyan Martin stat.
It is not.
I promise you it is not a fake stat. Some scouts thought that this was the steal of the draft, considering his stats, his size, his upside, and the wild thing.
He did not lose a step.
Converting to the NBA in Utah, his seventy two percent field goal percentage this year is the best in the NBA. He won't win the title because He's a few shots short of the minimum amount of shots to the quality and one of the highest ever by a rookie.
He's also averaging.
An incredible two point three blocks per game on twenty three minutes per night.
Let me say that again.
Walker Kessler currently averaging two point three blocks per game.
All not only twenty three minutes per night.
Last twelve games, he averaged thirteen ten and two with three blocks and less than one turnover in twenty eight minutes of playtime.
So pretty damn good. I'd say not really.
Fair to call Walker Kessler a replacement for Gobert because they do different things, But in reality, oh my god, he's just so much cheaper for a center and thus so much more valuable to a team that's rebuilding than Rudy Gobert could ever be. Honestly, keeping Rudy Gobert would have been bad for the Utah Jazz. You don't want to build around him with all these young guys and him making forty plus million dollars a year.
No shot.
What Danny Angel will Hardy have accomplished in Utah in their very first year, I think is going to go down as.
One of the more remarkable transformations.
In many years, the Utah Jazz were filled with oldies, guys who could not play defense, no athletes outside of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, who by the way, hated each other and both were making thirty plus million dollars per year, and they had no real ability to get out.
From under that.
And now all of a sudden, they have this quote unquote conscious decision to tank, and they've got young guys like oh Shayok and Laurie Markinen and Walker Kessler.
And and and and and a bajillion draft picks. Do not forget blocker Kessler.
That's what we're calling him now, Blocker Kessler, who is going to be swatting shots in Salt Lake City for a long time, even though he is shut down for the next three games. Because let's be honest, Utah was always going to avoid being in the play in tournament or the playoffs.