2014 NBA Power Rankings, Playoff Edition (Volume 2): FUBAR

Don't know what that last word means? Look it up! Because that's what this year's NBA Playoffs are for what was thought to be some of the league's top teams. Holy hell...let's dive right into it, shall we?

1. Miami Heat (PR=2)...They got brownie points 12 days ago just for being the 2 time defending champ, but now it looks like ranking them that high was the way to go. They didn't exactly look like world-beaters in any of their games against Charlotte, but the Heat are the only - I repeat, only - team to take care of business and sweep into Round 2.

2. San Antonio Spurs (PR=1)...They are only this high because of a similar brownie point philosophy used for Miami, and they got home court advantage back against the Mavs with last night's win, but Dallas is making them work.

3. Portland Trailblazers (PR=9)...They jump this high basically by default, as every other Western Conference series is tied 2-2. Still, LaMarcus Aldridge is a beast.

A beast!

4. [Tie] Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, and Golden State Warriors (PR=what?)...In their 2 respective series, these 4 teams all have 2 wins apiece, and it's probably a coin flip either way for all of them. OKC is still figuring out how to reintegrate Russell Westbrook, Memphis is a bad matchup for the Thunder, no one knows where the Clippers' heads are at the moment, and the Warriors can shoot their way past anyone. So, you get this: a 4 way Western Conference cuddle-puddle.

Pretty much your Western Conference Playoffs in a nutshell.

8. Washington Wizards (PR=14)...With Indy crumbling, Brooklyn and Toronto capturing the hearts of no one, and Washington beating up on the Bulls, the Wizards officially look like the East's 2nd best team today. If Nene didn't temporarily lose his mind and try out some Greco-Roman wrestling holds on Jimmy Butler, this thing might already have been over.

9. [Tie] Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors (PR=8 and 11, respectively)...Let's be honest here; if Raps GM Masai Ujiri didn't go all Samuel L. Jackson at a Toronto pep rally, no one would even know this series was going on.

11. Houston Rockets (PR=6)...Daryl Morey is kind of right. With 3 OT games in the 1st 4, this series has sort of been a coin flip so far. Except it hasn't, because Houston's 2 best players are the not-so-clutch Dwight Howard and James Harden. Now, down 3-1? See ya. If you have 10 minutes to kill though, this lowlight video of Harden's, umm, defensive prowess is worth it.

12. Indiana Pacers (PR=4)...I mean, I can't say that I saw this coming. I thought Indy would at least get it together to the point that they could scrap their way to the Round 2. But damn...

Oh my...

13. Atlanta Hawks (PR=16)...Hawks fans would probably be p***ed if they saw Atlanta ranked lower than the team they are ahead of in their own series...if Hawks' fans actually read this...if anyone actually read this!

14. Chicago Bulls (PR=12)...I think they will take Game 5 at home, but at this point it's clear that the Wizards are just better. If I had to bet on either the Bulls or Rockets coming back from 3-1 though, I'd take my chances with Chicago.

15. Dallas Mavericks (PR=13)...Have played the Spurs much tougher than anyone thought, but I think they had to have last night's Game 4 in Dallas. Now, I think the Spurs will finish this in 6.

Doneski
Charlotte Bobcats

2014 NBA Power Rankings, Playoff Edition

The fact that I ever called these weekly rankings is a joke now. Time to scrap the regular season records, seedings, and even previous rankings, and start from scratch. Can't wait for the playoffs to start!

1. San Antonio Spurs...They were a shot away from winning it all last year. They've been the best team all season long this year. They had 30 road wins this year. There's not a team in this postseason that scares them...number 1 with a bullet if you ask me.

On a mission...

2. Miami Heat...This team is not as good as a season ago. LeBron's still LeBron. But how bad are Wade's knees? Who can be this year's Mike Miller? Are Shane Battier, Ray Allen, and Udonis Haslem basically done as relevant players? Can Odom and Beasily give them anything? At least the seeds fell in a way that they could potentially avoid Chicago and Brooklyn.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder...I've been tough on OKC all year, and I still think they can be outcoached, but KD is having the kind of season where he is probably good enough to carry the whole team on his back. Watch out for Russell Westbrook injuries/implosions though.

4. Indiana Pacers...Everyone's been on Indy's case of late, but this team is built for playoff basketball, and they still seem to play their best against the league's other best teams (see Miami and Oklahoma City). They also have home court advantage through the Conference Finals and play especially tough at home, so it's hard not to envision they at least make it that far.

5. Los Angeles Clippers...Probably the dark horse title contender right now, but if Blake Griffin gets dinged up again or regresses back to non-shooting Blake Griffin from last year's playoffs, they've got no shot.

6. Houston Rockets...I don't trust a Harden-Howard led team as far as I can throw them, but they do seem to match-up well with the Spurs at least, so I think they have to be taken seriously based on that aspect alone.

7. Memphis Grizzlies...How can the number 7 seed in the West be the number 7 team in the playoff power rankings? Well, have you seen their record since their oh-so-slow start when Marc Gasol was out of the lineup? Who would you rather have here? Toronto? Portland? Chicago? Get out of here!

8. Brooklyn Nets...Basically, my version of Memphis for the Eastern Conference. They have 1 of the best records in the league since the New Year though, and they have been Miami's kryptonite as well.

...but will they make it that far?

9. Portland Trailblazers...Love their starting 5. Love their home crowd. But I just don't think they have enough this year.

10. Golden State Warriors...Losing Bogut really hurts against the Clips, as he plays Griffin well. I expect an entertaining 1st Round series, but that should be as far as they go.

11. Toronto Raptors...The most overlooked, dismissed, disrespected 3-seed maybe in NBA history, and yet I kind of share the public's opinion with the Raps. Sorry, Canada.

12. Chicago Bulls...I so wanted to have them higher. They might be the most fun to watch bad offensive team ever, if there is such a thing, and they are going to give Indy a war in Round 2, but ultimately I think that lack of offense is their downfall. Start the Melo rumors now.

13. Dallas Mavericks...Dirk might average 35 a game against the Spurs in Round 1, but I just don't think he has enough help. Let's hope they can retool around him next season, as it would be a shame if this was Dirk's real last hoorah.

14. Washington Wizards...My Wizards are a nice story, but it's mindboggling to me that they are a 5-seed. I love you guys, but, seriously, what the f*** is wrong with the East?

15. Charlotte Bobcats...It will be fun to see Big Al jumphook Miami to death, but their Round 1 series should be over in 5.

16. Atlanta Hawks...I know they smashed the Pacers in Indy a few weeks ago, but Phoenix Suns' fans are collectively shaking their heads at the thought of them.

Damn, son.

Ad Nauseum: Making Up For Lost Time

I've really been slacking on the TV commercials lately, but the NCAA Tournament allowed for a couple of gems to surface (nice work, AT&T). So, without any additional comments, let's just run through a bunch of 'em really quickly here (ranging from the clever to the truly bizarre).

Achilles Continues To Kill Me

Oh, how things can change in 2 and a half weeks.

That was the last time I mentioned my achilles problems on this ol’ blog-a-roo. At that time, I was frustrated and for the 1st time actually seeking some outside help. Well, a trip to the doctor and 2 trips to a physical therapist later, and here I am. After the second visit to PT, I actually decided to nix going. I think there could have been some benefit in continuing to go, but a lot of what they did in my 2 visits there I could do on my own, and the additional time spent away from home just wasn’t worth it to me. Regardless, both of my achilles felt probably as good as they had in about 6 months…prior to Saturday that is.

Saturday was game number 2 on our co-ed touch football league schedule. Actually, it was supposed to be game number 6, but 3 rainouts and 1 forfeit altered things. As I said, thanks to a vigorous heating, icing, and stretching routine, I actually felt really good going into Saturday’s game. I actually had designs on playing a rare weekend doubleheader for me: football on Saturday and basketball on Sunday.

I felt so good that on the 1st play of the game I actually caught a short pass near our own goal line and darted just short of midfield before being tagged…a rarity for anyone who has seen me play football. Think of me in the sense of this league as a big athletic tight end with hands...Barry Sanders I am not.

Nope.

You don’t normally see a lot of YAC on my receptions as football nerds would term it, but that's just an indication of how my legs felt. That 1 catch and past experience playing this team was enough for them to essentially play a box-and-1 – 1 guy playing me man-to-man with a zone defense behind it – for the rest of the 1st half…respect.

Our offenses traded a few scores, and then on the 2nd or 3rd defensive possession of the 1st half, it happened. Playing middle linebacker, I read the opposing quarterback’s eyes and jumped underneath a seam route for an interception. The only problem was that my brain was so convinced at how good my body was feeling that it convinced my body to do something it shouldn’t have.

Normally, I would try to score in that situation, but I wouldn’t overdo it. I smelled the end zone though, and I tried to plant and cut hard enough that only the 18 year old version of me might be able to pull off. I immediately felt my left achilles stretch in a way that it definitely isn’t supposed to, and pulled up lame. I even almost dropped the ball Santonio Holmes style upon feeling that pull…thankfully, I had already been tagged, and the play had been whistled dead.

Yep.

Somehow, I gutted out the rest of the game at about 75% speed of what I started it at. It would be a stretch to call playing through an injury in a weekend adult rec sports league courageous, but I’m not exactly sure how I made it through the game. (Needless to say, the other team ditched its box-and-1 strategy when they realized I was hurt.) Oh, and we won. So there’s that.

And so continues the saga of probably the most frustrating injury I’ve ever had to deal with…not sure how many more of these setbacks I can take.

Crying Foul For LeBron

This Sunday, Krissy and I were watching the Heat-Knicks game. Consecutive plays where LeBron James appeared to get fouled without a whistle elicited this response from her: "I think LeBron gets the least amount of superstar calls out of any superstar I've ever seen."

This raised a very interesting point, especially following last night's Heat-Nets game. James is widely regarded as the most difficult player to officiate since Shaq's prime. O'Neal was so big and powerful that it required an inordinate amount of force by opposing big men in an attempt to guard him. If they leaned on and bodied-up any other player in the league as they did to Shaq, they would have been called for a foul every trip down the court. The counter argument is that Shaq dished it out maybe even more than he took it, and usually the fouls went against the other guy. Tough is it must have been, I always felt NBA refs did a poor job of calling games with regards to Shaq.

Shaq backed into the defender so hard that it broke the other guy's spleen? Shaq was fouled!

But as a perimeter player, LeBron is an entirely different animal in terms of officiating. Like Shaq, LeBron is a giant relative to the players trying to guard him. He also has explosive quickness and leaping ability though, and it seems like the refs take a Space Jam approach on James' flights to the rim...that he is so big/strong/fast/athletic that he should be able to dunk over 2 guys while another 1 is grabbing at his ankle and a 4th delivers a well-timed kidney-punch.

Basically...

Back to the end of last night's game...did Mason Plumlee foul LeBron on his last second dunk attempt or not? People are taking both sides, but to me this is 100% a foul.

From every angle I've seen, Plumlee gets what in volleyball we call a microtouch on the ball, and then basically plays pattycake with James at the apex of their respective leaps. If you wanted to make a pie chart of what Plumlee actually touched, it would 1.5% ball and 98.5% LeBron's hand.

See? Thanks, Microsoft Excel!

Those in favor of the no-call are citing the hand is part of the ball rule, but that doesn't really apply in this situation, as Plumlee 1st contacts the ball, then gives James a high-five. If James was shooting a jumper, and Plumlee hit LeBron's hand or elbow on his follow-through, it would also be considered a foul. Why is this situation any different? Some are also bringing up the fact that James is a superstar trying to make a play at the end of the game on his home floor, and that normally constitutes a superstar call in that situation.

The counter to that is that James is a superstar and he does get his fair share of whistles his way. I mean, just for starters, James went to the line 14 times last night even sans free throws at the end of regulation. He averages 7.5 attempts a game, which is good for 8th in the league. And that number is only that low because James simply doesn't shoot that much...if he attacked and chucked now as much as he did in his Cleveland days, he would lead the league in freebies by a wide margin.

Some will also be quick to point out that James has been known to, umm, embellish a little bit in order to win a call or so every once in a while. I mean, LeBron-haters don't call him LeFlop for nothing. (I'm of the opinion that flopping is so prevalent that you would be hardpressed to find an NBA player who doesn't flop.) Is it possible that James has even lost some credibility with the refs?

I mean, there's merchandise and everything.

Whatever the reason, it's kind of a fascinating aspect of Heat games to watch for as we move closer and closer to the postseason...but that was still definitely a foul.