7 Nights to Go...

It's becoming easier as the nights go on just how each of the top 3 teams can win the title...
It no longer requires a ouija board; a compass; or a rocket scientist diploma. It's almost crystal clear.

I could go through all the scenarios - and believe me - there really aren't that many left. But instead, I think we should let it play out and see what happens.

So, what's going on in the Association tonight?

How about another dominating performance from Avery Bradley?! 28 pts on 12/22 and 4 steals. I'm digging this kid's potential for next season when the Celts should have space at SG when they let Ray Allen walk this off season. I envision Ray-Ray in a Clippers jersey next season beside Chris Paul. I also envision Avery Bradley as the Celts starting 2 guard and the draft night sleeper everyone is talking about. Too bad I left this kid on my bench for the final period.

How about Joe Johnson with 30 pts? How about Josh Smith with another full line of 19pts, 12rebs, 3 stls, and 3 blks. Oh, Mr. Woo loves those 'stocks'. Josh is a top notch fantasy player. Definitely top 10 because he can contribute in every category (except for 3PT%).

Hey - the Bobcats have lost 19 in a row. Shocker. Gerald Henderson did have 32 points for the Kitty Cats tonight and could be on Maui's radar as a potential keeper. Mike Conley had 20 pts for the Grizz against the Cats tonight. French will be happy with his line.

New York, one of the hottest teams in the league, lost to Cleveland by 8 tonight??? What the ???
What changed? Amare. Amare came back. That's what changed. Carmelo, the recent dominant offensive force, turned in a 13 shot 12 point effort. Ugh. Steve Novak went 5/12 from downtown. This guy should always be on a JBL Fantasy team for those stats alone.

Dallas beat GS. Brandon Rush had 20 pts, 8 rebs and another 2 blocks. Rush might have taken over the title of 'best little man blocker'. This title belt is usually reserved for D-Wade but I seriously think Rush deserves consideration. Rush now has 56 blocks on the season. Wade has 63. But Rush plays almost 9 minutes less than Wade on a nightly basis. Amazing stuff. Another cheap guy to have on your JBL roster (Rush, not Wade). Klay Thompson continued his offensive assault with 26 points. His offense is getting as much notice as the lack of defense he plays. Apparently it's atrocious. So....he'll fit in nicely in Golden State. Vince Carter had 19 and 9 tonight and clearly Bangkok made the right call playing him over Howard this week.

The late games include Lakers v. Spurs and Thunder v. Kings.
Kobe is playing for the Lakers tonight - it could be his last game of the season.
Duncan is playing for Golden - he had a big first half.
The Thunder are up on the Kings (no surprise). Cousins is struggling tonight - but I hope he gets some blocks for Juan.

So...each night that passes I can now say - this is the last Friday night of the NBA season.

As I mentioned off the top - I can see how this all shakes down. 3 teams have a chance at a title. It's a very simple formula for each team to win. And it doesn't take much to make those things happen. So, for the next week, I'll be watching very, very closely. French can win his 1st and become just the 7th different Champion in 21 years. We've had 30+ owners in the league and so far - all the titles have been shared amongst just 6 guys. Juan de Fuca can win a 2nd title (his 1st coming back in 2000/01). Or Golden gets his 8th title and takes the title of Public Enemy #1 away from back-to-back-to-back defending champion Seoul.

And then - it will be time for summer fun. Lottery ball decorations. Determining a location for the 22nd Auction. Determining if there are any expansion applications. The June NBA draft comes along and more reading/researching begins. Ahhh, the circle of life that is the JBL.