J-Speaks: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of March in the NBA

The month of March is the time of the season where the true championship contenders hit their stride like the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs have, while making some history along the way. This is also the month where the so-called teams who were on a roll earlier in the season hit a snag team wise or injury wise and try to get back on track like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards are experiencing. This is also the time of year where a team that has had a season to forget is described in words that are not easy to take or except, which happened this week when one of ESPN’s loudest and well describing voices did late this past week on their flagship show “Sportscenter.” Here is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the NBA in March.

The Good

History Making Warriors

Coming into this season under 1^st year head coach Steve Kerr, a lot was expected of the Golden State Warriors, especially after falling in the opening round last spring to their Pacific Division rival Los Angeles Clippers in seven games last spring. They got off to a slow start, but picked things up in a major way in the early part of the season. The question was, could they sustain it. They answered that question with an emphatic yes and this past March made some major history.

They finished the month of March with a 16-2 mark bring their record to 61-13, averaging 108.4 points per game, while giving up just 96.3 points to their opponents. Kerr was named Western Conference Coach of the Month for March.

The Warriors closed the month of March with 10 straight victories, with their last six coming against teams that are in the playoffs picture right now.

They pushed that winning streak to 11 thanks to a game-winning runner by Harrison Barnes, who had just seven points on the night, in the final seconds to give the Warriors a 107-106 victory versus the Phoenix Suns (38-38), sending them to their fifth loss in succession and dealing their playoff hopes a major blow.

Leading MVP candidate Stephen Curry lead the way with 28 points going 10 for 22 from the floor, including 6 for 11 from three-point range, eight boards and five assists.

His fellow “Splash Brother” Klay Thompson had 16 points and six rebounds and Marreese Speights was also in double figures with 12 points off the bench to go along with six rebounds.

This current winning-streak of the Warriors began with a 125-94 thrashing win versus the New York Knicks (14-61) on Mar. 14.

Thompson led the way in that one with 27 points on 9 for 17 from the field, including a 6 for 10 mark from three-point range. Curry on his 27^th birthday had 25 points and 11 assists, going 8 for 15 from the field and matching Thompson going 6 for 10 from distance. Reserve guard Justin Holiday, brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday had 13 points off the bench and Defensive Player of the Year candidate in forward Draymond Green had 12 points, seven boards, five assists and five steals.

The signature win of March occurred four days later, when the Warriors defeated the East leading Atlanta Hawks 114-95 at Oracle Arena, avenging their 124-116 set backs on Feb. 6 at Phillips Arena.

Barnes had a game-high 25 points. Swingman Andre Iguodala had 21 points and six assists off the bench. Green had 18 points and seven boards. Curry had 16 points and 12 assists. Leandro Barbosa had 13 points off the bench. Thompson was absent with a sprained right ankle, which occurred in a 108-105 win versus the Los Angeles Lakers (20-54).

The Warriors in this contest had 39 assists on 44 baskets, marking the 25^th time this season they had 30 dimes or more in a game this season.

On Mar. 24, the Warriors won their first Pacific Division title in 39 season with a 122-108 victory at the Portland Trail Blazers (48-26), winning for 10 time in 12 chances.

Curry led the way with 33 points and 10 assists. Iguodala had 21 points off the bench. Thompson had 16 points. Green had 14 points, 11 boards, eight assists and three blocks. Barnes had 13 points and Bogut had 10 points, 16 boards and six assists.

Trailing 62-57 at intermission, the Warriors outscored the Trail Blazers 36-18 in the third to take control of the contest. Portland was without All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge, reserve center Chris Kaman and starting small forward Nicolas Batum because of injuries.

“Feels great. As Alvin [Gentry] said if you haven’t done something for 39 years, you better celebrate when you finally do,” Kerr said after the game.

“Great moment for our franchise. Kind of shows how far we’ve come the last few years. All the hard work so many people have put in.”

They followed that up with a 107-84 win at the Memphis Grizzlies (51-24) three nights later and made more history winning a new franchise record 60^th game and clinching the best record in the NBA with a 108-95 victory at the Milwaukee Bucks (37-38).

Curry had a game-high 38 points and 10 assists going 12 for 22 from the field, including 8 for 12 from three-point range, which broke a tie with Hall of Famer and NBA on TNT color analyst Reggie Miller for hitting five three-pointers or more in a game as Curry did it for the 80^th time in his young career. Thompson had 28 points on 10 for 17 shooting, which included 6 for 9 from three-point range.

The Warriors closed the month with a 110-106 win at the Clippers, overcoming a 17-point deficit and snapping their division rival’s seven-game winning streak and winning their 27^th game on the road this season, the most in the NBA.

While Curry and Thompson may grab the headlines for the special season the Warriors have had so far, they are not in this positions without the stellar play from the likes of Green, Barnes, Speights, Shaun Livingston, not to mention the health of Bogut and the sacrifice of Iguodala and David Lee.

It is very rare that two former All-Stars in the league willingly sacrifice for the betterment of the team. Iguodala and Lee are established starters in the NBA and came to the Warriors two and three years ago respectably and were big time parts along with Curry and Thompson. They have been willing to come off the bench and the team has benefited greatly.

Another big key to the team’s success so far and in the upcoming playoffs is Bogut. Coming into their contest earlier in the week at the Clippers, the Warriors were 51-7 in the game Bogut has played, giving scoring 109.3 points and giving up just 97.1. In the 15 games Bogut has missed because of injury, the Warriors were just 9-6 giving up 105.5 points in those contest.

In the tough Western Conference, the Warriors so far have been the best of the best. The big question is, will it translate into success in the playoffs. Two seasons ago, they reached the Semifinals, but lost in six games to the eventual Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs. Last season, their season ended against the aforementioned Clippers in seven games.

They have home court advantage this time around. A strong starting five and a solid bench. Star players in Curry and Thompson that are clutch. They have no excuses, but taking that next step to becoming champions is a hard one. Will see what the Warriors can do.

Rising Rockets

It is rare in the NBA that when key cogs to a team miss a combine 147 games due to injury can say they are a top their conference. That is where the Houston Rockets (52-24) stand despite missing the likes of center Dwight Howard, forward Terrence Jones, forward Donatas Motiejunas, guard Patrick Beverly and rookie forward Kostas Papanikolaou because of injuries.

A big reason for that has been the play of MVP candidate James Harden, who is having the best season of his career. The All-Star guard is second in the league in scoring at 27.6 points and is averaging 5.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists, which is tied for eighth in the league, 1.9 steals.

He was special in the month of March averaging 28.3 points, 5.5 boards, 7.1 assists and 1.9 steals. One big reason he has been scoring at a high clip all season long is his ability to get to the free throw line at a high rate and make a great percentage of them. So far this season, Harden is averaging 10.2 trips to the line per game, hitting 8.8 of those tries and is shooting 86.5 percent from the charity stripe. In March, Harden averaged 12.6 trips to the line, making 10.9 for a shooting percentage of 86.2.

To put Harden’s spectacular season into perspective, he leads the NBA in 40-plus point games with nine. He and Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving are the only players in the NBA to have multiple games of 50 points or more with two.

The first of those 50-plus point performances came on Mar. 19, a 118-108 win versus the Denver Nuggets (28-47). Harden had a career-high of 50 points exactly going 12 for 27 from the field, 22 for 25 from the charity stripe, 10 boards and four assists.

Harden became the sixth player this season to score 50 points or more; the first guard to have a 50-point, 10-rebound game since Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade did it on Mar. 14, 2009. He also became the first Rocket to score 50-plus since the Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon on Jan. 18, 1996.

“It’s a blessing. All the glory to God. Credit my teammates and coaches. They did an unbelievable job as they do every single night getting me in positions to be successful,” Harden, who became the ninth player in franchise history to score 50-plus said after the game. “I got shots to fall tonight and I was just in attack mode all night.” 

He was one point better this past Wednesday versus the Sacramento Kings (26-48) with a new career-high of 51 points on 16 for 25 from the field, including 8 for 9 from three-point territory, 11 for 13 from the free throw line, eight boards, six assists and three steals in the 115-111 win. Harden became the first Rocket to have two 50-plus point games in a single season. Olajuwon and Hall of Famers Moses Malone and Elvin Hayes each did it just twice in their Rocket careers.

Ariza had 22 points, hitting 6 for 14 from three-point range. Jones had 16 points, seven boards and a career-high seven blocks.

Along with the stellar play of Harden, the Rockets have continued to win at a high level despite the injuries because of the steady play of the aforementioned Ariza, who was dealt to the Rockets in the off-season; Corey Brewer and Josh Smith, who joined the team via trade and signing during the season and veteran and former champion Jason Terry.

The Rockets went 17-9 without Howard, who was out because of a right knee injury that required surgery. He made his return to the lineup on Mar. 25 at the New Orleans Pelicans (40-34), scoring four points and grabbing seven boards in 16 minutes as the Rockets won 95-93.

Howard (15.6 points, 10.5 rpg-leads team) had 11 points and 10 boards in 19 minutes this past Sunday as the Rockets won at the Washington Wizards (42-33) 99-91.

Howard sat out the back end of a back-to-back at the Toronto Raptors who defeated the Rockets 99-96 as they closed the month of March with a 12-6 record.

Thanks to winning their last two games in a row and nine wins in their last 11 chances, the Rockets find themselves battling the Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs for not just the Southwest Division, but the No. 2 spot in the West.

Despite all the injuries, the Rockets find themselves in prime position to make some serious noise in the postseason in quite a long time.

In the aforementioned contest on Mar. 19 versus the Nuggets, the Rockets celebrated the 20-year anniversary of their back-to-back championship teams that were led by the likes of Olajuwon, Robert Horry, and Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler and then head coach Rudy Tomjanovich. There are high hopes that Harden, Howard and head coach and three-time champion with the Boston Celtics Kevin McHale can lead the Rockets back to the top.

Ascending Cavaliers

At 19-20, the Cleveland Cavaliers (49-27) were looking no wear close to a title contender. After the acquisition of two New York Knicks, four-time MVP LeBron James return after two weeks off to rest nagging injuries and a true commitment to playing defense, the Cavaliers turned their season around in a big way.

The team has gone 30-7 since Jan. 15, which includes an 11-4 mark in the month of Mar. where they averaged 107.0 points per contest with a +9.1 point differential. They allowed just 97.9 points to the opposition. They have also won their last 17 games at home, where they are 28-9 at Quicken Loans Arena. The 17^th straight victory came this past Thursday as the Cavs beat the Miami Heat (34-41) 114-88.

James had 23 points eight rebounds, seven assists and three blocks. Kyrie Irving had 23 points and Iman Shumpert had 17 points, hitting 3 for 6 from three-point territory and four steals.

Their 11-4 record by the Cavs earned first year head coach David Blatt, who everyone in NBA circles wanted to bury in the ground was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for March.

In the month of March, the Cavs had three signature victories.

The first came on Mar. 10, a 127-94 at the Dallas Mavericks (46-30), thanks to 41-22 second quarter that blew the game wide open.

James had 27 points, eight boards and seven assists. Irving had 22 points, five boards and five assists. Love had 21 points and 14 rebounds and J.R. Smith had 21 points and eight rebounds on 8 for 1 from the field, including 5 for 8 from three-point range. Timofey Mozgov had 17 points and two blocks.

Two nights later, the Cavs made a major statement with a 128-125 victory at the Spurs in overtime.

Irving had a NBA season-high and career-high 57 points on 20-32 from the field, which included a 7 for 7 mark from three-point range and 10 for 10 from the charity stripe. James had 31 points, seven assists and five boards. Tristan Thompson had 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench and Mozgov had 10 points and six rebounds.

On Mar. 25, the Cavs took down the Grizzlies 111-89 in their gym 111-89 behind 24 points from Irving. Love had 22 points and 10 boards. James had 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Mozgov had 14 points and Smith scored 13.

The Cavs shot 51.3 percent against one of the best defenses in the business; hit 14 for 34 from three-point territory and out-rebounded Memphis 49-32.    

In March, James averaged 24.7 points, 6.3 boards and 7.3 assists on 48.2 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from three-point range.

Irving has also picked up his play as we near the playoffs with averages of 22.6 points, 4.9 assists on 47.7 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three-point range in March.

As mentioned earlier, the Cavs really turned the corner this season with the acquisitions of Shumpert (6.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg with Cavs) and Smith (13.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 43. 3-Pt.% in Mar.) from the New York Knicks and Mozgov (11.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg in Mar.) from the Nuggets.

They have provided stability and balance for the Cavs in the starting lineup and the bench, which has allowed the likes of Tristan Thompson (8.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg), Matthew Dellavedova, James Jones, Mike Miller and Shawn Marion to not play to many minutes and wear down during the season.

The only question if any the Cavs have to deal with is the way Kevin Love is used offensively?

When the Cavs signed James and traded for love from the Minnesota Timberwolves this off-season, the one word that this new trio had to learn was sacrifice. In the case of Love, he was the likely guy that had to give up more in terms of production.

His season statistically has been good with averages of 16.5 points, 10.0 rebounds. His shooting has been shaky at best with a 43.3 FG%, but a solid 36.2 from three-point range. In March, Love averaged 14.7 points, 8.8 boards on 45.3 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from three-point range.

If there is one thing that the Cavaliers can do a lot better with Love is post him up more at the offensive end instead of just keeping him out on the perimeter shooting long two-pointers and three-pointers.

The Cavs went from an underachieving team to a serious title contender in the span of three months. Their big challenge for the next two weeks is to look down the No. 2 Seed and get primed for a serious playoff run. This time will be especially important for Love and Irving, who will be in the postseason for the first time in their careers.

Surging Clippers

There was a time when the Los Angeles Clippers (50-26) and winning 50-plus games was a dream. It is now a reality. That is what happen when L.A.’s other pro basketball team did when they won the back end of a back-to-back set beating the Trail Blazers 126-122. This following a tough 110-106 loss versus their Pacific Division rival the Warriors the night before.

In the month of March, the Clippers went 11-5 where they garnered victories over playoffs teams like the Chicago Bulls (96-86 on Mar. 1); the Oklahoma City Thunder (120-108 on Mar. 11) and versus the Washington Wizards (113-99 Mar. 20).

Two Clippers who led the way in March were perennial All-Star floor general Chris Paul and Defensive Player of the Year candidate in DeAndre Jordan.

In March, Paul averaged 22.6 points, 10.8 assists and two steals on 50.8 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent from three-point range.

On four occasions he scored 30 points or more in March and on three of those four occasions he had double-digit assists.

Jordan in the month of March averaged 11.4 points and 17.3 rebounds, about 2.5 more than his league leading 14.8. The league leader in field goal percentage at 70.7 percent also shot an incredible 65.4 percent from the floor in the month of March.

One other Clipper who has risen his game in the month of March is J.J. Redick. The former Duke Blue Devil whose team will be playing in the Final Four this weekend averaged 20.6 points in March on 50.0 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range.

His play was especially big in the absence of All-Star forward Blake Griffin, who’s missed 15 games following surgery to remove a staph infection in his right elbow.

He had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in 40 minutes in his return on Mar. 15, but the Clippers lost versus the Rockets 100-98.

Since returning, the Clippers leading scorer has averaged 19.9 points, 6.6 boards and 8.3 assists in nine games in March.

While the Clippers stars in Jordan, Griffin and Paul are the backbone of the team, it is the role players like Redick, Matt Barnes, Austin Rivers, Glen Davis, Hedo Turkoglu and Spencer Hawes are the keys for how the Clippers will do in the playoffs.

Their play will be very big down the stretch, especially with perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jamal Crawford, the Clippers’ third leading scorer at 16.4 per game has been on the shelf recently because of a calf strain.

When head coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers came to the Clippers a season ago, he made it clear that this team was one that was going to compete for titles and nothing more.

Last season, the Clippers fell in the Semifinals to the West runner up the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games.

They are currently fifth in the West right now and because they won the season series with the Trail Blazers 3-1, they would have home court advantage in the opening round if they remain at No. 4 in the West.  

If the Clippers hope to do anything in the postseason, the aforementioned supporting cast along with Paul, Griffin and Jordan must perform at a high level someway somehow.

If they are subpar like they were in both losses to the Warriors in March, that dream of winning a title will vanish in the blink of an eye.

Here Come the Spurs

While the month of March is all about collegiate basketball in terms of the NCAA Tournament, this is also the time when the San Antonio Spurs (49-26) make their mark and begin their run for a championship. This month of March was no different.

The defending NBA champions finished this month of spring 13-3 and over the last two seasons are 28-3 in the month of March.

A big reason for the Spurs high level of play has been the return to form of last year’s Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and starting lead guard Tony Parker.

Earlier in the season, both were not functioning at 100 percent dealing as Leonard was dealing with an injured hand and Parker with a bad hamstring.

In the last 16 games, Leonard has played the best basketball of his career averaging 19.5 points over the last 16 games.

This past Tuesday at the Heat, Leonard had a game-high 22 points to go along with nine rebounds, four steals and two blocks in leading the Spurs to a 95-81. Parker had 16 points, Tim Duncan had 12 points, 11 boards and three blocks and Boris Diaw had 11 points off the bench.

“I think guys are starting to get healthy and just playing together and getting a good rhythm out there,” Leonard, who has averaged 23.0 points and 8.2 rebounds on 63 percent from the floor, said to NBA on TNT’s David Aldridge after the victory this past Tuesday.

To put the importance of Leonard to how the Spurs have gone this season, they are 37-19 when he plays and just 9-9 when he does not.

The main starting quintet of Parker, Leonard, Duncan, Danny Green and Tiago Splitter is 17-5 this season.

Besides Leonard and Parker missing games because of injury, the Spurs have also been without at times this season Manu Ginobili and Patty Mills, who missed much of this season because of shoulder surgery in the off-season.

In terms of their record, the Spurs turned things around after their first losing record on their annual Rodeo road trip ever near the end of February, where they went 4-5.

They took the five games of a six-game home stand at the start of March by an average of 16.6 points.

The Spurs dropped a tough one on Mar. 17 at the Knicks 104-100 in overtime and head coach Gregg Popovich was not pleased.

“We didn’t respect the game,” he said. “We didn’t respect the opponent. It was a pathetic performance, and I hope every player is embarrassed. Not because we’re supposed to win the game, quote unquote, but it’s about how you play the game.”

The team took their head coaches words to heart and won seven of their last eight games to close March by an average of 18.1 points.

If the playoffs were to begin today, the Spurs would be in the sixth position facing the Grizzlies.

They have a serious chance to move as high as the No. 2 spot if the Rockets or Grizzlies slide in these finals days. With that being said though, the Spurs are the defending champs and off all the teams in the West, they have the pedigree to win a game or games in another team’s building.

The Bad

Trail Blazers lose Key Starter

Over the last two seasons, the Portland Trail Blazers (48-26) have had one constant, the starting five of All-Stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, Robin Lopez, Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews.

That starting five has not always been intact this whole season because of injuries to Aldridge (thumb), Lopez (broken hand) and Matthews, who was lost for the rest of the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon back on Mar. 5, a 94-75 win versus the Dallas Mavericks.

In Matthews (15.9 ppg, 44.8 FG%, 35.9 3-Pt.%), the team not only lost their best perimeter defender and one of their best marksman from three-point range, but their emotional leader and toughest minded player.

The good news if there is any is that they were able to plug in a very solid replacement in Arron Afflalo, who the team acquired along with forward Alonzo Gee from the Denver Nuggets at the trade deadline. In March, Afflalo averaged 10.6 points per game, but shot just 40.4 percent from the field, but shot 37.7 from three-point range.

The Trail Blazers began the month of March with six wins in their first seven chances as they recovered nicely from the loss of Matthews, but followed that up with a five-game losing streak.

They got back to their winning ways with a tough 92-89 win at the Utah Jazz (34-41) on Mar. 25.

Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 23 points, 12 assists and eight boards as they outscored the Jazz 37-24 in the fourth quarter overcoming a 10-point deficit. Aldridge had 19 points and nine rebounds and Dorrell Wright had 15 points and five boards off the bench.

Aldridge lead the Blazers with 27 points and nine rebounds, scoring 10 in the fourth quarter as they came from behind again to for a 87-81 win at the Suns two nights later, outscoring them 27-15 in the final stanza.

Lopez had 12 points and 10 boards. Lillard had 11 points and his understudy Steve Blake had 10.

On the back end of back-to-back Aldridge had his 37^th double-double of the season of 32 points and 11 rebounds in leading the Trail Blazers to a 120-114 win versus the Nuggets.

Afflalo had 21 points on 8 for 11 from the field. Batum had 15 points and seven rebounds. Kaman had 14 points and nine boards of the bench and Lopez had 12 and eight boards.

Within striking distance of winning the Northwest Division, the Trail Blazers are right now the No. 4 Seed in the West. Unfortunately because they lost on Wednesday night at home versus the Clippers 126-122, the won the season series 3-1 and would have home court advantage because they have better record.

Last season, Portland won a playoff series for the first time in 14 years thanks to Lillard’s game-winning three pointer at the buzzer to sink the Houston Rockets in six games. Without Matthews to deal with the likes of Chris Paul and J.J. Redick, it will not be easy if the Clippers and the Trail Blazers meet in the opening round in a couple of weeks.

Struggling Raptors

Coming into this season, the Toronto Raptors (45-30) were no longer a secret in the East. The question was how would they handle the success of last season where they won their second Atlantic Division title in team history?

At the start, things were very good for them as they went 13-4 in October/November 2014 and 11-4 in December 2014.

When the calendar turned to 2015, the Raptors went as cold as the weather in the Northeast part of the U.S. going 9-7 in January; 4-7 in February and just 7-8 in March.

Two big reasons for the Raptors struggles over the past three months has been the absence of first time All-Star in lead guard Kyle Lowry, who has missed seven games since the All-Star break because of nagging injuries, primarily his back and the team has struggled at the defensive end, where they are just 26^th in opponent’s field goal percentage giving up 46.1 percent; 20^th in points allowed at 101.1 and 26^th in rebounds per game at 41.4.

“Our defensive approach hasn’t been the same since the early part of this year,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, whose team is 18-25 when they give up 100 points or more said to Vince Cellini, Sekou Smith and David Aldridge on NBATV’s “The Beat,” this past Monday.

“Some of it is getting DeMar (DeRozan) back in the fold. Some of it is getting Kyle healthy again. Whatever is said; whatever is done, our problems have started on the defensive end. If we don’t come out with the defensive mentality. A defensive disposition to start the game, we usually get off to a bad start.”

As far as Lowry, he averaged 18.6 points and 7.2 assists prior to the All-Star break. Since the break, Lowry when he has played is averaging just 14.8 points and 5.5 assists per contest on 38.3 percent shooting.

A big part of that is he had to carry a major load offensively when DeRozan, the team’s leading scorer at 19.5 points per contest missed 20 game earlier this season because of injury.

The team has played a lot better the past three games. They defeated the Lakers on Mar. 27 94-83. Starting center Jonas Valanciunas lead the way with 19 points. Sixth Man of the Year candidate Louis Williams had 18 points off the bench. Fellow reserve James Johnson had 17 points. Amir Johnson had 11 points and six boards and Terrence Ross had 10. DeRozan struggled with just 6 points on 1 for 10 shooting, but did had 10 boards and seven assists.

The Raptors held the Lakers to just 34.5 percent from the floor and 23.4 percent from three-point range.

DeRozan bounced back in a big way with a career-high 42 points on 14 for 27 from the floor and 12 for 17 from the free throw line to go along with 10 boards as the Raptors won versus the Rockets 99-96, garnering their eighth straight win at the Air Canada Centre against them.

DeRozan outscored his good friend from California and rival from their Pac-12 days in college in Harden, who had 31 points, five boards and five assists. DeRozen went to the University of Southern California and Harden went to Arizona State.

The Raptors held the Rockets to 41.7 percent from the field, 29.6 percent from three-point territory (8 for 27) and they out-rebounded their opponent 48-41.

They have won the Atlantic Division for the second straight season and the third time in team history.

The Raptors remaining schedule has them playing teams that under .500 and six of those seven are in a major fight for the last two playoff spots in the East. They will meet the Boston Celtics (34-41) and the Charlotte Hornets (32-42) twice in that span.

The Raptors have a lot to play for themselves as they are trying to win 50 games for the first time in team history and are in a fight with the Chicago Bulls (45-30) for the No. 3 Spot in the East. That is major because finishing No. 3 means facing the inexperienced Milwaukee Bucks (37-38) in the first round and finishing at the No. 4 spot means facing the Wizards, who occupy the No. 5 spot.

With that being said, if Lowry is not healthy when the playoffs start and their defense does not get better, they likely will have an early exit.

Thunder Lose Durant

At the trade deadline, the Thunder acquired the likes of Enes Kanter, D.J. Augustin, Kyle Singler and Steve Novak. Those additions along with the stellar play of Russell Westbrook (27.6 ppg-Leads NBA, 8.7 apg-4^th NBA, 7.3 rpg) who has nearly averaged a triple-double over the last two months, the Thunder have taken a serious hold on the No. 8 and final playoff spot in the West.

Unfortunately for the Thunder, they will be without last season’s MVP Kevin Durant, who had another surgery on his right foot that he fractured back in Oct. 2014.

On top of that, the second leading shot blocker in the league, the Thunder’s leading rebounder and fourth leading scorer Serge Ibaka, who averages 14.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks is out because of bad knee that he had surgery. He hopes to return in the playoffs, if the Thunder make it.

Durant had been rehabbing that foot trying to return this season for the stretch run, but in late part of March experienced a setback and the organization and GM Sam Presti decided that Durant should have the surgery, which occurred this past Thursday. His recovery time will be four to six months. He averaged 25.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 51.0 percent from the field and 40.3 from three-point range in 27 games.

While the team had a solid month of March going 10-6, they are far from securing that No. 8 spot as the Pelicans are right on their heels just 1.5 games out of that last spot.

Since winning four in a row and six out of seven from Mar. 13 to Mar. 24, the Thunder have lost three out of their last four games.

They were blown out at the Spurs 130-91 on Mar. 25. They fell 94-89 at the Jazz 94-89 three nights later. Following 109-97 win at the Suns, overcoming a 20-point deficit early, the Thunder fell at home versus the Dallas Mavericks 135-131 this past Wednesday.

While he has done a much better job this season of scoring the ball and getting his teammates involved, Westbrook reverted back to some of his bad habits.

Despite garnering his 10^th triple-double of the season with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, he shot just 10 for 32 from the field, including 2 for 11 from three-point range and he had six of the Thunder’s 10 turnovers.

The loss wasted a 32-point night off the bench from Anthony Morrow, who went 11 for 16 from the field, which included a 6 for 9 performance from three-point range. Kanter, 17.7 points and 11.2 rebounds in the month of March had a career-high of 30 points and 16 boards on Wednesday. Waiters was also in double-figures with 19.

The problem for the Thunder in this game is that the Mavericks shot 61.5 percent from the field and seemingly scored at the rim over and over again.

Of the team’s final seven games, five of them will be against the Grizzlies, Rockets, the Spurs again, Pacers and Trail Blazers. Any slippage could see them on the outside looking in.

If the Thunder are going to make the playoff s and meet the Warriors in the opening round, Westbrook must continue to balance shooting and getting his teammates involved.

On nine occasions this season, he has shot the ball 30 or more times. Harden, James, Anthony Davis and Curry combined have five games where they shot 30 times or more.

As Westbrook said to the The Oklahoman back on Feb. 27, “I got to do a better job in leading. Honestly, I think I was actually shooting too much. I think I got to do a better job of trusting my teammates more. I am not saying I don’t, but consistently trusting them regardless of the time, score and possession. Just find a way to trust them and let them make some plays as well.”

 

Spattering Wizards

At one point this season, the Washington Wizards were a serious contender in the Eastern Conference and a dark horse to make it to The Finals at 31-15.

Since then, the Wizards stellar play has vanished as they have gone 11-18 since then, which includes going 9-7 in the month of March.

While two-time All-Star and lead guard John Wall (17.6 ppg-leads team, 9.9 apg-2^nd NBA, 4.7 rpg, 1.8 spg), his backcourt mate Bradley Beal has regressed, a lot of it because of injury. He averaged just 14.2 points in March and shot just 43.1 percent from the floor.

On top of that, the front court of Marcin Gortat, Nene have been up and down. Free agent Paul Pierce has also been inconsistent with his play and the bench of Rasual Butler, Kris Humphries, Otto Porter, Jr., Drew Gooden and Martell Webster have been very inconsistent.

In taking a closer look at the team from our nation’s capital, the biggest issue for head coach Randy Wittman’s team has been an inability to have a straight line focus in games.

Following five straight wins from Mar. 9 to Mar. 18, they lost four consecutive games from Mar. 20 to Mar. 25. The last of those defeats came versus the struggling Indiana Pacers (32-43) when their lead guard George Hill hit a driving layup with no resistance with 2.7 seconds left to complete a 10-point fourth quarter comeback and capping a 103-101 win.

The Wizards had some time left, but as they attempted a desperation shot, Wittman began walking to the locker room.

Even though they defeated the Hornets two days later 110-107 in overtime to end their four-game skid, the Wizards many times in that game had the agony of defeat staring them right in the face as they blew a six point lead late in regulation.

Wall, who had 32 points, nine rebounds and six assists saved the day with a pull-up jumper with 9.9 seconds left in overtime to give the Wizards a three-point edge, that they would hold on to win the game.

The Wizards came out of the gates soft in their Sunday matinee tile on national television as they suffered a 99-91 loss to the Rockets this past Sunday.

Despite a solid game from Wall with 25 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, the team shot just 29.2 percent in the first quarter and 38.7 percent for the game.

The team did put their losing ways behind them for the moment this past Wednesday night with a 106-93 win at home versus the Philadelphia 76ers (18-58).

Gortat has his first solid game in a while with 23 points on 10 for 11 from the field to go along with 14 rebounds and two blocks. Beal had 20 points, five boards and five assists, Porter, Jr. had 15 points and seven boards. Wall had his 38^th double-double of the season, which leads all guards with 13 points and 15 assists. Gooden and Kevin Seraphin each had 10 points off the bench for the Wizards, who had lost five of their last six coming into their contest with the Sixers.

As the postseason nears, the Wizards have to make a choice. Either they will stand up and be the team they were early in the season or they will have an early exit, especially if they play the Bulls in the opening round, who the Wizards defeated in five games last postseason.

The Ugly

 

The Knicks Called Out By a Trusted ESPN Voice

There have been many adjectives to describe the worst season record wise by the New York Knicks, who are 14-61. Awful, terrible, pathetic, horrible to name a few. They have been called out by every news outlet, radio show and sports television program in New York and most likely across the nation. After team president and 13 time NBA champion Phil Jackson sent a message to Knicks season ticket holders to “remain optimistic about their future,” one of ESPN’s most trusted voices and host Stephen A. Smith gave his opinion of the Knicks situation on Tuesday’s edition of “Sportscenter” in the most emphatic, let me be clear, no sugar coating it matter.  

“It’s ridiculous. Absolutely adscendin. Nobody in New York should buy anything for the New York Knicks right now,” Smith said.

“They are an atrocity of the highest order…They’ve been absolutely awful. They’ve been abysmal.”

There is no better way to describe the situation of a team that just three years ago was in the second round of playoffs, but lost to the Pacers in six games.

They have gone backwards in a big way. They traded away J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, two of their biggest assets besides star forward Carmelo Anthony to the Cavaliers, who as mentioned earlier really turned their season around, for basically nothing. Then after the All-Star game, Anthony, who had been bothered by an injured knee had surgery days after the game was lost for the rest of the season.

To put this stomach churning season into perspective, this was the first time in the storied history of the Knicks that they have lost 60 games in a season. Never.

With the position that they are in now, forget about big time free agents even wanting to pay a visit let alone sign with the Knicks this off-season.

It has been hard to see one of the winningest coaches in league history in Jackson and one of the truest clutch players in first year head coach Derek Fisher go through what they are going through this season. However, they signed on to this challenge and hopefully with the return of a healthy Anthony next year, getting a top pick in the Draft Lottery and really retooling this roster, things might look a little better.

As Smith also said this past Tuesday, the Knicks have to show they can do it. It is not just enough to talk about it.

“Nobody should buy a season ticket until we see what happens in free agency because we’ve been given no reason to believe in the New York Knicks,” Smith said. “None!”   

 Information, quotes and statistics are courtesy of www.espn.go.com/nba/standings/teams/statistics; 3/20/15 1:30 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime” with Jared Greenberg, Dennis Scott and Tracy McGrady; 3/23/15 6 p.m. & 3/25/15 6:30 p.m. NBATV’s “The Starters” with Trey Kerby, J.E. Skeets, Tas Melas and Leigh Ellis; 3/24/15 10:30 p.m. Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers on TNT with Dick Stockton, Brent Barry and Rebecca Harrlow; 3/25/15 1 a.m. edition of “Inside the NBA” on TNT with Matt Winer, Isiah Thomas, Dennis Scott and Shaquille O’Neal; 3/28/15 2 a.m. NBATV’s ‘Gametime” with Rick Kamla, Dennis Scott and Brian Shaw; 3/29/15 4:30 a.m. NBATV’s “Gametime” with Jared Greenberg, Rick Fox and Brian Shaw; 3/30/15 6 p.m. of NBATV’s “The Beat” with Vince Cellini, Sekou Smith and David Aldridge; 3/31/15 10:30 p.m. Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clipper with Kevin Calabro, Mike Fratello and Jaime Maggio; 3/31/15 6 p.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” with Lindsay Czarniak and Stephen A. Smith; 4/1/15 1 a.m. “Inside the NBA” on TNT with Matt Winer, Shaquille O’Neal, Isiah Thomas and Dennis Scott; 4/3/15 1 a.m. “Inside the NBA” on TNT with Matt Winer, Shaquille O’Neal, Brian Shaw and Rick Fox.