Author: Inside Hoops

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Mar. 25: Bulls 103, Hawks 94

The AP reports: Drew Gooden scored a season-high 31 points and matched a season best with 16 rebounds Tuesday night as the Chicago Bulls held on in the fourth quarter for a 103-94 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The Bulls, one of several teams chasing the Hawks for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, led by 12 after three quarters before Atlanta rallied within two with just more than six minutes left. Ben Gordon’s 3-pointer with 1:27 to go gave the Bulls a 97-90 lead, and he added two free throws with 28 seconds left. Gordon finished with 16 points. Josh Childress scored 22, including eight in the final quarter, to lead Atlanta. Mike Bibby added 18.

Mar. 25: Hornets 114, Pacers 106

The AP reports: David West had 35 points and 16 rebounds, and the New Orleans Hornets beat Indiana 114-106 on Tuesday night in the Pacers’ first game since CEO Donnie Walsh announced he was leaving the team at the end of the season. Chris Paul had 31 points and 14 assists as the Hornets won their fourth straight to maintain the best record (48-21) in the Western Conference. Danny Granger led Indiana with 26 points and nine rebounds against his hometown team. The Pacers had been on a four-game winning streak, but the loss gave the Pacers back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1987-88 and 1988-89.

Mar. 25: Spurs 107, Magic 97

The AP reports: Manu Ginobili scored 28 points and Michael Finley added 24 as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Orlando Magic 107-97 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight win. Dwight Howard had 24 points and 21 rebounds, his eighth game this season with at least 20 in both categories. Rashard Lewis added 24, Keyon Dooling 19 and Carlos Arroyo 17. Tim Duncan had 19 points and 15 rebounds for San Antonio. Orlando was short-handed after losing starters Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson in the first half. Nelson left with a bruised jaw after apparently running into Howard, while Turkoglu sprained his right wrist.

Should playoffs be for top 16 league records regardless of conference?

What about having each division winner make the NBA playoffs, but aside from that, the best teams by record, regardless of conference or division?

The idea is inspired by the fact that this year’s West/East difference is huge. If the playoffs were to start today, the #7 and #8 seeds in the West, Dallas and Golden State, have 44 and 43 wins, respectively. The #7 and #8 seeds in the East, Atlanta and New Jersey, have 30 wins each. It isn’t even close.

If the top 16 teams were to make the playoffs, this is who would get in:

Boston, Detroit, New Orleans, LA Lakers, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, Utah, Orlando, Dallas, Golden State, Denver, Cleveland, Washington and Portland.

That’s according to winning percentage.

What do you think? Post your opinion in this forum thread.

Mar. 24: Sonics 97, Blazers 84

The AP reports: Kevin Durant scored 23 points and the SuperSonics snapped their 11-game losing streak with a 97-84 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night… Damien Wilkins added 20 points off the bench, and Jeff Green continued his improved play late in his rookie season with 16 points. Martell Webster led Portland with 22 points, but 15 came in the first quarter when the Seattle native hit four 3-pointers. Another Seattle native, All-Star Brandon Roy, struggled all night, looking fatigued and leaving a number of shots short. Roy made just five of 17 attempts and finished with 11 points… The Sonics took control in the third quarter, which coincided with Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge leaving with a mild right ankle sprain.

Mar. 24: Rockets 108, Kings 100

The AP reports: Rafer Alston scored 28 points and Tracy McGrady added 17 as the Houston Rockets beat the Sacramento Kings 108-100, making Adelman the 13th coach to reach the milestone… Shane Battier added 15 points for the Rockets, who won for the second time in five games since the end of their 22-game winning streak last Tuesday. Houston entered Monday’s action in fifth place in the Western Conference, but only one game behind New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 1 spot. Kevin Martin scored 18, and Ron Artest and Francisco Garcia had 17 apiece to lead the Kings, who’ve lost eight of their last nine road games. Sacramento allowed 100 points for the 17th time in 18 games as Houston shot 50 percent from the field (35-of-70).

Mar. 24: Nuggets 120, Grizzlies 106

The AP reports: Allen Iverson had 26 points and seven assists, while Carmelo Anthony finished with 23 points and nine rebounds as the Nuggets used a big second half to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 120-106 on Monday night. “We wanted to end this road trip the right way,” said Marcus Camby, who had 15 rebounds… J.R. Smith led the Nuggets, scoring 25 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, as Denver stretched the lead to as many as 22 in winning its third straight. Smith was 8-of-10 in the period, including seven outside the arc. “Amazing,” said Kenyon Martin, who missed only one of his eight shots while recording 14 points and 10 rebounds… Rudy Gay led Memphis with 30 points, while Hakim Warrick finished with a season-high 29. Mike Miller added 19 and Javaris Crittenton 14.

Mar. 24: Sixers 95, Celtics 90

The AP reports: Andre Iguodala scored 10 straight points during a 19-0 run that brought Philadelphia back from a double-digit, fourth-quarter deficit Monday night, and the 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 95-90 to move above .500 for the first time this season. “It shows how hard we’ve worked to get back,” said Iguodala, who finished with 28 points… Andre Miller scored 20, Thaddeus Young had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Samuel Dalembert grabbed 12 boards for Philadelphia. Kevin Garnett scored 18, Leon Powe had 16 and Ray Allen scored 14 for Boston, which lost its second straight after winning 14 out of 15. The Celtics long ago clinched a playoff berth, and they played as if it didn’t matter down the stretch.

Mar. 24: Lakers 135, Warriors 127

The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored 23 of his 30 points after halftime while playing with a gash under his left eye, and Lamar Odom had 23 points and 21 rebounds as the Lakers reclaimed the Western Conference’s top spot and avenged Sunday night’s 115-111 defeat… Los Angeles couldn’t have done it without Sasha Vujacic, who scored 19 points and hit a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left in overtime… “It’s unfortunate, in a situation like that, that we didn’t get an opportunity to get a shot up,” said Baron Davis, who had 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists… Monta Ellis had 18 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Warriors, who have lost four of seven in a critical stretch for their playoff hopes. Stephen Jackson added 29 points, but Golden State’s lead over Denver for the conference’s final playoff berth dwindled to a half-game.