This season’s dragging. Is it playoff time yet?
Monday: Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors (7:30 PM PST on NBA TV)
This week’s Homer Game features my beloved Golden State Warriors taking on the hated Los Angeles Lakers in a playoff-like slug fest at Oracle Arena. Thanks to a well-timed four game losing streak for the Utah Jazz, both the Lakers and Warriors can probably both stop worrying about not qualifying for the postseason altogether. But at what cost for my Dubs? Steph messed up his ankle again (though he’s listed as “probable” for tonight’s game), and now each contest from here on out will feature me looking away from the screen each time he gets knocked to the ground. This isn’t fun.
Tuesday: New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (4:00 PM PST on TNT)
There was a time when the Celtics looked strong enough to challenge the weakened Bockers, currently learning what any of us could have told them in November: your team full of forty-somethings and knee-creakers are going to break down completely by April. But the C’s are on a four game losing streak, while the Knicks are on a four game winning streak, and looking pretty strong to finish the season. So c’est la vie, Celtics. This should be a good game, at the very least.
Wednesday: Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs (5:30 PM on League Pass)
Two winning streaks will be put to the test on this evening. The Heat, winners of 26 straight, will be playing the stingy Bulls, who aren’t buying LeBron’s turn towards Jordan-esque “Got my ring, and the haters are all gone, so how else can I troll the league?” professionalism. The Bulls have been making me mad recently (rest your guys, Thibs) so I’m going to watch the Spurs try and end Denver’s 15 game streak of their own. Given the way the Nuggets destroy their opponents — run them out of the gym and out-muscle them on the offensive glass — I really think they’re the best equipped team to win any seven-game playoff series. They just really look air-tight at this point. We’ll see if Timmy and Co. have anything to say about that little piece of hyperbole.
Thursday: Los Angeles Lakers at Milwaukee Bucks (5:00 PM PST on League Pass)
The NCAA Racket will demand TNT’s attention again. I’ll happily watch the Lake Show take on the Bucks. Or, you can watch Chuck mispronounce Victor Oladipo’s name for the thousandth time since the tourney began. Work with me, Chuck: Oh. Lah. Dee. Poh. Not Olipoly. Not Oliphant. Not Oliroo. Are you doing this on purpose, Chuck?
Friday: Houston Rockets at Memphis Grizzlies (6:00 PM PST on League Pass)
I’ve had this one circled on my calendar since…well, right now. Though these teams aren’t currently slated to play each other in the postseason, the Grizz could easily trudge their way as high as third seed, and the Rockets are only a half-game out of sixth. So there’s a chance we could see the Rockets high-powered offense (which stayed in the top 5 the entire season) take on the Grizzlies’ stifling perimeter defense. The Rockets look like this season’s spoiler team out West, and with the postseason clubs starting to turn up the intensity just a bit, I want to see if McHale’s Heroes past the eye-test. It will be a stellar Friday, y’all.
Saturday: Charlotte Bobcats at Philadelphia 76ers (4:00 PM PST on League Pass)
Bobs at Sixers? Is Jacob having a stroke? Nope. This was intentional. You see, dear casual fan: when you get to the final 10 games of the season, the worst teams suddenly start playing their best ball. I can’t tell you why; some mixture of injured rotation players getting shut down, younger players getting new opportunities, and perhaps a sense of pride overtaking “make my money, get through this season” as a major motivator for performance. But in any case, the shit teams beat up on each other like preteens fighting for Bieber tickets. I guarantee you this game will be close.
Sunday: Miami Heat at San Antonio Spurs (4:00 PM PST on NBA TV)
You didn’t think we were going to get through a whole week without checking in on the greatest show on Earth, would you? Nah man, even I’m interested in seeing whether the Heat can beat the 1972 Lakers record 33-game win streak and solidify themselves as one of the greatest regular season teams of all time. Provided they beat the Magic, Bulls and Pelicans over the course of the next week (none are givens but I feel pretty good about Miami’s chances in them) this Spurs game will be for the big three-zero. Even my friends who are professedly anti-NBA have asked me about the Heat’s win streak. Let’s see if Pop can get everyone to stop talking. I’ll be stream-hunting for this one.