Mavs chances down the stretch

Mavericks chances to shake things up in the west

There are ten games left in the regular season and the Dallas Mavericks are currently the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but could the Mavs shake up the West with a win on Sunday?

If the Mavs were in the Eastern Conference they would currently be the fourth seed, with home court advantage and a contender to win the East, unfortunately that is not the case but they do have a chance to shake up the West on Sunday when they face the league leading Cleveland Cavilers.

If the Mavs can get a win on Sunday they would be just half a game out of the seventh seed and a one game out of the six seed. For the Mavs to make a solid run in the playoffs they have to avoid the Lakers for as long as possible.

The Mavericks have six of their remaining ten games at home where they are 26-9 on the year. However seven of the ten games are against plus .500 teams, with huge match ups with Utah, New Orleans and Phoenix all in one week. The playoffs start now for the Mavericks, its win or go home

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Six game streak snapped

Blazers snap Suns six game winning streak

The Phoenix Suns came into last nights game against the Portland Trailblazers on six game winning streak and had some momentum to make a push for the final playoff spot in the western conference. It is amazing how one game can change things.

The Suns lost to the Blazers 129-109 last night in Portland. The Suns, who are currently three games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the west really needed to keep their winning streak going last night but were not able to get it done.

"We cut ourselves into a deep hole with too many mistakes, and they capitalized on out mistakes," said Shaquille O'Neal, who had 20 points for the Suns. "We left their shooters open way too much and they knocked down the shots. They had a lot of energy."

The Suns do not have time to dwell on the lost as they have another tough game as they face the Utah Jazz on Saturday in Salt Lake City.

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Suns still burning

Phoenix gets BIG win against Utah to remain in playoff hunt

The Phoenix Suns needed a big win last night against the six seed Utah Jazz to remain in the playoff picture, they got it.

The Suns were able to beat the Jazz by a score of 118-114. The Suns were led by 36-year-old veteran Grant Hill with 26 points and 5 rebounds.

"He's playing as good as when he was 25. The big thing is he's healthy. He's made a lot of big plays for us," said Alvin Gentry, head coach of the Suns.

The win puts the Suns three games back of the Dallas Mavericks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the western conference. Both teams have 11 games left in the regular season and will meet April. 5 in Dallas. It is coming down to the wire and every game counts, especially in the western conference.

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First place Lakers beat eighth place Mavericks 107-100

If the playoffs started today this would have been a first round match-up between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks, and this probably would have been the result.

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers beat Dirk Nowitizki and the Mavs 107-100 earlier this afternoon. The Mavs had the lead deep in the fourth quarter but the Lakers, lead by Kobe Bryant went on a 12-0 run to end the game giving them the win.

"It's why he's Kobe Bryant," said Jason Terry, who led the Mavs with 29 points. "He does things in the fourth quarter that only a few players can do."

The Mavericks have a four-and-a-half game lead over the Phoenix Suns for the final playoff spot in the western conference with 16 games to play. However, if the Mavericks stay in the eighth seed in the west and are forced to play the Lakers they may not want to be in the playoffs at all.

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Best in the West Battle

Best in the West, Lakers beat Spurs 102-95

In a match-up between the two best teams in the western conference the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio last night by a score of 102-95.

The Lakers started off hot and lead the Spurs by 18 points in the first quarter. The Spurs were able to come back however they were not able to mount enough of a comeback on the west best team.

"It's difficult to spot the best team in the league 18 points and then go play," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It was a really tough first quarter. They played great and didn't miss many shots. They made shots and we played badly."

This could be a preview of the western conference finals as the Lakers and the Spurs know what it takes to win down the stretch as both teams have won a combine seven championships since 1999.

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Suns Struggle

Suns continue to slip away from playoff contention, lose to Spurs 103-98

The Phoenix Suns are in a position where they cannot afford to lose a lot of games coming down the home stretch of the regular season if they want to make the playoffs. They did not help their cause tonight.

The Suns lost their fourth straight game today losing to the San Antonio Spurs 103-98. The Suns, who are still without Amare Stoudemire, had everyone else available but they still were not able to pull out a win against their arch rivals the Spurs.

"We're in desperate position," said Steve Nash "Let's do our best, not panic."

The Suns are now four games out of the eighth seed in the western conference with only 19 games left to play. The Suns have a huge match-up against the Dallas Mavericks next week who currently control the eighth seed.

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Saturday Night Ball

LeBron gets triple-double as top seed Cavs beat Wade and Heat

In a match-up between arguably the two best players in league lived they up to their reputation in what could be a potential playoff match-up in a month.

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavilers beat Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat tonight 99-88. James recorded a triple double with 14 points 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Wade almost did the same as he had 25 points 12 assists and 8 rebounds. The win puts the Cavs as the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

"It's something we've been able to do this year," James said. "It's something we really haven't been good at in the past, but we've been able to bounce back from certain losses and games where we thought we could play a lot better."

This match-up could be a possible first or second round playoff series when they start in a month from now. James and Wade facing off against each other in a seven game series would be one of the greatest playoff battles in recent memory.


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Potential Playoff Match-Ups

Mavs beat Spurs in potential first round match-up

In what is arguably the best rivalry in the entire league the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs battled once again to show who was the superior in the Lone Star State.

The Mavs were able to beat the Spurs by a score of 107-102. This match-up is a potential first round match-up between the two playoff experienced teams. The Spurs are currently in second place in the Western Conference and the Mavs are in the seventh seed.

"If we play hard every possession like we did tonight, we can beat a really good team," said Mark Cuban, owner of the Mavericks, "Now it's up to the guys to keep on doing it. ... I knew what we were capable of."

The Mavericks who have struggled all season needed to prove to themselves and their fans that they are still capable of beating good teams. Will they be able to continue there strong play in the last third of the season. Only time will tell.
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Crazy Sunday in NBA

Shaq gets revenge on Kobe, Suns beat Lakers 118-111

Last Thursday Shaquille O'Neal returned to Los Angeles where he and the Phoenix Suns were defeated by Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, tonight the Diesel got his revenge.

The Suns beat the Lakers 118-111 in Phoenix this afternoon. O'Neal lead the Suns in scoring with 33 points and 7 rebounds. This was the second straight game that the Suns were able to get a win without two-time former MVP Steve Nash and All-Star Amare Stoudemire.

"It's what I do," O'Neal said. "I've been doing it since 1992. If you don't believe it, Google me."

Bryant was the leading scorer for the game with 49 points, he also was able to pull-down 11 rebounds.

"We're going through a period right now where everybody is just kind of tired a little bit," Bryant said.

This was an impressive win for the Suns. Currently Phoenix is in the 9th seed in the Western Conference, two games out of a playoff spot. This was a big win beating arguably the best team in the league. If the Suns are able to continue this great play behind O'Neal the Suns might be able to sneak into the playoffs and make some noise.

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