[外電] THERE FOR THE TAKING
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/16913520.htm
The Timberwolves have said for weeks they're still in the playoff hunt
despite their poor record. They're right, but what are their chances, really,
of making the playoffs? What about the other teams fighting for a berth?
With only 34 days left in the regular season, the Wolves are a half-game
behind the Golden State Warriors in the chase for the Western Conference's
eighth and final playoff spot.
Handicapping the playoff race is a tossup because most of the teams vying for
the last spot are struggling.
The Hornets, Kings, Wolves and Clippers are all lousy on the road. They've
all had their share of drama this season in one form or another, whether it's
a coaching change (Wolves), a star player and a coach arrested (Kings), a
rash of injuries (Hornets) or a team that is considered perhaps the NBA's
biggest underachiever this season (Clippers).
Of those teams, Golden State is playing the best right now and might have the
inside track.
"It's like the plague, the eighth spot," Warriors coach Don Nelson recently
told the Contra Costa Times. "Everybody's avoiding it. We want it. We're
going for it."
THE LEADER GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Record: 30-36 (23-10 at home, 7-26 on the road), 16 games remaining (8 home,
8 road)
Streak: Four wins in five games
Outlook: The Warriors are in control, at least for now, because they are
playing the best and finally have a healthy group. That translates into
confidence and momentum, two words that are hard to measure but invaluable at
this point of the season.
The Warriors snapped Dallas' 17-game win streak on Monday night, leading by
29 points in the third quarter en route to a 117-100 home victory. That
marked their fourth consecutive victory over Dallas, which could be Golden
State's first-round playoff opponent. The Warriors are 4-0 with Baron Davis,
above, Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson and Andris Biedrins in the starting
lineup.
The biggest problem is they have a brutal remaining schedule. Among their
eight home games, they face San Antonio, Phoenix, Utah and Dallas. On the
road, they have games against Utah, the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston and San
Antonio.
The injury-plagued Warriors are 6-13 without Davis in the lineup and 24-23
with him.
TIMBERWOLVES
Record: 28-35 (19-13 at home, 9-22 on the road), 19 games remaining (9 home,
10 road)
Streak: 3-8 since all-star break
Outlook: After 4? months of the season, the Wolves' five-game road trip that
starts tonight could make or break them. The Wolves have lost eight
consecutive road games and 12 of 13. Fortunately for them, only four of their
remaining 10 road opponents had records of at least .500 heading into
Thursday.
"I don't really look at what we've done in the past," coach Randy Wittman
said Thursday of his team's road woes. "We have an opportunity on this trip
to make some noise. … Home or away, we've got to go out and play. Relax, go
out and play, make and miss shots. If you're open, you shoot it. If not, you
pass it. It's pretty simple. We keep it simple, we're OK."
The Wolves' offense averages 6.4 points fewer a game than at home, one of the
biggest margins in the NBA.
If they can survive this road trip and remain in contention, they will finish
with nine of their final 16 games at home.
The Wolves will get a key player back in the coming days when Trenton Hassell
returns from a sprained left ankle.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
Record: 28-36 (18-14 at home, 10-22 on the road), 18 games remaining (9 home,
9 road)
Streak: Four consecutive losses
Outlook: The Kings played perhaps the best basketball in the NBA down the
stretch last season en route to a playoff berth. And they looked as if they
were starting to build toward another strong finish. After winning three of
four games last week, including back-to-back road games against the Lakers
and Trail Blazers, they have fallen apart. Tuesday night, they suffered a
terrible blowout loss at Cleveland, which won without injured LeBron James.
Now the chemistry issues have bubbled up again, and it appears the Kings
might be looking forward more to the end of the season rather than the
postseason. Maybe there was simply too much drama this season: Ron Artest's
arrest for suspicion of domestic violence, coach Eric Musselman's arrest
during the preseason on DUI charges, and speculation about whether the Kings
would trade Artest and Mike Bibby (they didn't).
NEW ORLEANS/OKLAHOMA CITY HORNETS
Record: 28-36 (19-13 at home, 9-23 on the road), 18 games remaining (9 home,
9 road)
Streak: Six consecutive losses
Outlook: Despite their longest losing streak of the season, they're just a
game behind Golden State in the West's playoff race. And if they get Peja
Stojakovic back, he could be a big boost down the stretch. He practiced
Wednesday in contact drills for the first time since he had back surgery Dec.
17, but there's no timetable for his return.
Injuries derailed what could have been a promising season for the Hornets,
one of last summer's most active teams in free agency. The Hornets signed
Stojakovic and Bobby Jackson, and traded for Tyson Chandler. If nothing else,
the organization at least wasn't timid in trying to improve its club. But
Stojakovic, Jackson, David West and Chris Paul all were sidelined for
significant time with various ailments.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Record: 29-35 (21-12 at home, 8-23 on the road), 18 games remaining (8 home,
10 road)
Streak: Five consecutive losses
Outlook: The Clippers have lost 13 of 18 games and are sliding at the wrong
time. They are 0-2 to start a six-game road trip. They slipped out of the
Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot with a loss at Houston on
Wednesday night, dropping them percentage points behind Golden State.
Injuries at point guard could push the Clippers off a cliff. Sam Cassell
(abdominal injury) is unavailable at the worst time. He was on the inactive
list the past two games and has missed five of the Clippers' past seven games.
The Clippers miss Cassell for his clutch shooting. The former Wolf hasn't
been practicing, so he might be in bad shape if/when he returns. Fellow point
guard Shaun Livingston (left knee) is out for the season.
WOLVES VS. PLAYOFF CONTENDERS
Here's a look at the Wolves' head-to-head record and remaining games against
other teams in playoff contention for the Western Conference's eighth and
final playoff spot. The Wolves own the playoff tiebreaker over the Clippers
because they won the season series 2-1.
1-0 vs. Warriors (two on the road)
2-1 vs. Clippers
1-2 vs. Hornets (one at home)
1-2 vs. Kings (one on the road)
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