The Last Stand

The Celtics, Bucks and Pelicans are all down 0-2 and are hoping to even up their respective series. Most of us see this as just delaying inevitability. It's time to scrape what's left of the stars and line them up for picking.

* Anthony Davis (NOLA). He is the hottest pick for a third of DTTF. He's been smoking and will continue to do just that. He has shown he can dominate. Let's see if he can carry this team to a win. Pick him if you haven't yet. If I'm his GM and they go down 0-3, I'll limit his minutes in Game 4 because I need him away from injury.

* Isaiah Thomas (BOS). The only reliable pick from the Celtics. He introduced himself to the world in good fashion in Games 1 and 2. Now it's time to treat the home crowd. Game 3 is his last chance to keep their hopes up.

* Giannis (MIL). Don't wait for MCW to shine, nor hope he ignites -- he had two games to prove himself and failed. A home game against the Bulls won't change that. Giannis is the only high PRA option there. Least of all four listed here.

* Tyreke Evans (NOLA). Game 1 was a head-scratcher, but his Game 2 showed that he is back. Playing at home will drive that point further. I already picked the three mentioned above, and so Tyreke gets my pick.

Which team can even up their series? 

Comments

  1. Quite happy with the 27 PRA of Brook Lopez last night, is an avarage result that i like. Was all planned and Brook was the best possible pick for me, even if the best pick of last night certainly is Griffin, a 52 PRA that probably won't repeat and furthermore the Clippers lost the game and the home court advantage, Congrats to those who picked Blake!

    As for tonight, my plan continues and it's Thomas for me. 99% he will get my pick. 0,8% for Tyreke and 0,2% for Giannis. I think Isaiah has the best points potential for a game 3 at home, and I'm confident he will do 25/30 PRA.
    I like your pick Taong, Tyreke can do everything and in front of his home fans he had great games against the Warriors this season,

    Analizing last night games:

    -CLIPPERS-SPURS: AMAZING game, I was so excited watching it, two great teams and I hope the series will go to 7 because this is BASKETBALL guys. The Spurs took the home court advantage, but probably it's still too early to decide for a pick. After game 3 I'll do something.

    -HAWKS-NETS: nothing surprising, the Hawks will go straight into the Eastern Conference Finals (the Wizards won't stop them). JJ will get my pick in game 3 or 4 at home.

    -GRIZZLIES-BLAZERS: nothing surprising for me 2.0, Memphis is too much for this Blazers. Lillard in game 3 or 4 at home, he MUST have a big game after 2 bad performances in Memphis, I expect him to be more aggressive at home.

    Analizing tonight's games:

    -CELTICS-CAVS: I already told you about my Thomas pick, not much more to say. Cavs are already waiting for the Bulls in Eastern semifinals. Could be a good game to watch, but the Cavs can win 4-0 if they want.

    -BUCKS-BULLS: the bucks can steal one at home, but not more..Giannis is on my radar for next games if needed but I can live well even if I don't pick him in these playoffs. I keep the Bulls for the next tough round against LeBron.

    -PELICANS-WARRIORS: I'll watch this game, and i'm sure it can be really entertaining. The Pelicans gave some problems to Curry and co. in the first 2 games, more than the expected, and they have the chances to steal one at home. AD is dominating and with Tyreke back they can be more dangerous.

    Cheers guys!!

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    1. Excellent rundown.

      Let's see if Tyreke lives up to his home stats.

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    2. Which team can even up their series? I say none of them, all are series expected to be one sided coming in, it would be amazing if 2/3 even force a game 5. Bucks probably have the best chance since the Bulls aren't as consistently sharp as the Cavaliers and Warriors.

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  2. The question is - Giannis or Evans?

    I think only coin can decide...

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    1. Giannis (and MCW) seems to be just happy to be in the playoffs.

      Evans over Giannis.

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    2. Good point, thank you.

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  3. There isn't much left to say that Matteo or Taong haven't already said. There really aren't any option other than the 4 tonight. My pick will depend on what time I get home; I have an event to attend late this afternoon. If I get home on time to switch my pick and watch the Bucks, I'll take Giannis. If not, I'll take Tyreke. As I've already said, we can't forget that this is first and foremost for fun, and half the fun comes from watching our player.

    I'm a bit disappointed with last night, not going to lie. The streak ends and I got my first under-30 performance. Thanks Lopez! I was considering Johnson over Lopez, which would have been the right move, but it's not a bit deal as the difference was only 4.

    Best player last night was Griffin. No doubt, even if he does win his series.

    My picks so far / Best picks:
    1. Anthony Davis (43) / Quincy Pondexter (35)
    2. Isaiah Thomas (37) / Beno Udrih (34)
    3. Derrick Rose (31) / Tyreke Evans (33)
    4. Monta Ellis (32) / Monta Ellis (32)
    5. Blake Lopez (27) / Blake Griffin (52)
    Total: 170; 2'940th; 87th percentile.

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    1. 27 PRA is not bad. You can still top100

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    2. All of us apologize for our collective gravity bringing down Lopez away from the elusive 30 PRA.

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  4. Tonight's pick is the one I've been waiting for all playoffs, and we will soon see if it pays off. I predicted this would be the biggest game for the biggest player of Round 1, so we will see if Anthony Davis can top his 43 from Game 1. I believe he can, and I'm excited that I get to watch it. As it's been mentioned, it's always fun when you get to watch the player you've picked, and usually that fun is increased exponentially when that player is a superstar.

    As for tomorrow, the logjam has officially begun. Never expected it this year, but with so many teams down 2-0, here we are. The problem for me is that I want to pick DeRozan, Nowitzki, and Thomas, and need to find the time to pick Clippers if the Spurs take their home games. I think I'm going to take a risky strategy and wait until Game 5 for Clippers-Spurs, which could mean picking no Clippers and them facing elimination, and just holding out hope they don't lose in 5. Really hoping the Clippers steal Game 3 on the road. I want them to win. Also going to take a risky approach and hope that the Raptors can avoid the sweep. If they do, DDR gets another home game, but more importantly, switched from the logjam day to a day with Nets-Hawks (only Joe Johnson left) and Grizzlies-Blazers (which I plan to already have Lillard picked). So my pick on Friday goes to Dirk Nowitzki. This is more of a legacy pick. Dirk is my favourite player in the NBA (now that Steve Nash has retired) and to me I really just want to pick him. For the Sunday logjam, I'll have Isaiah Thomas and DDR as options, and will probably pick Thomas and hope DDR escapes to play at home again. Thomas is stuck on the same day as the Clippers-Spurs for the rest of this thing. I won't consider a Clipper until Game 5. Plus, I think Dirk has himself a very nice game back at home.

    You asked which teams can even up their series, so I'll present a power rankings of the teams in order from most likely to least likely:

    1) Portland Trailblazers - A much stronger team at home than on the road, so a good chance they head back to Portland and flip the switch on the Grizzlies.

    2) Boston Celtics - Have played very well holding tough against the Cavs, so a good chance they win their home games before the Cavs take them down back at home. Like I said before, this series is going to be more competitive than people think it will be

    3) Brooklyn Nets - Another team who have been giving their opponent all they can handle. Could easily win their home games and make this interesting.

    4) New Orleans Pelicans - I expect they bow out in five games after winning game 3, but they could tie it up. I just think the Warriors are too good of a team to let that happen.

    5) Dallas Mavericks - With all the injuries and drama, this has "Rockets in 5" written all over it.

    6) Milwaukee Bucks - The Bulls could sweep here, but perhaps the Bucks can take their home games. Who knows. Hard to tell with the Bucks.

    7) Toronto Raptors - Will need 2 road wins, which is very tough in the NBA. Here's hoping they win game 3. I'd appreciate that very much so that I can slot my players where I want to. This could follow a similar path to last year's Wizards-Bulls series, with the Wizards dropping game 3 but winning the rest.

    Really looking forward to watching Anthony Davis play tonight! Going to be a ton of fun to watch!

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    1. More like Rockets in 4.
      i'm already looking onward for next season. Hope they keep the core.

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    2. Hope so too. Ellis, Dirk, and Chandler squared. Rondo can walk. Dealing Wright, Crowder, and Nelson backfired big time. Will have to rebuild the bench in free agency. I still think Dallas can pull of one win! Go Maverick! :S

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    3. I would reverse your power rankings. Portland will be without Afflalo and Kaman again next game, in addition to Matthews. They haven't even shown signs of being competitive. I'd have it: Milwaukee - Toronto - Dallas - Portland - Norleans - Boston - Brooklyn.

      Also, are you sure you want Dirk in game 3? As someone mentioned recently, game 4 might be his last career home game. That seems like a situation in which Dirk would thrive.

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    4. I loved Wright (even though he is a situational sub-in) and Crowder (hardworker on D). Nelson was good offensively but we can't win it all with subpar D on PG.

      2012 Lamar Odom got kicked out in playoffs, got swept by Thunder. Topknox should know that too well.

      2015 without Rondo and Parson, much worse. I would love the Mavs to defy my thoughts though and prove me wrong. Anyways more on this later

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    5. Dirk last career home game? Nope he is signed for two more attempts.

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    6. Did not realize this. Apologies.

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    7. Are you telling me that A. Crabbe and C. McCollum can't carry the Trailblazers to the promised land? Fair point. These rankings could easily flip, although I think you've got Boston and Brooklyn too low, but I may have put Milwaukee too low. I would rather have Dirk in Game 4, but that might need to be Isaiah Thomas, so I'll settle for Dirk in Game 3. I think he thrives regardless. They need him and he knows it. No more rest for the old legs, time to ball!

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    8. The last career home game for Dirk Nowitzki and his impending retirement turned out to be an internet hoax, and yes I fell for it as well. It was an April Fool's joke for this year, that you can still find remnants of on the internet.

      The internet is such a "reliable" place for information. Too bad half of the things on there never have a date on them, and things that are untrue never get removed. This item was carried by several news/sports outlets, but has later since been removed with little fanfare, after the obvious initial reaction huge.

      Apparently Dirk Nowitzki is not retiring after this year, or at least other than the internet hoax which was only a joke, he hasn't made a real announcement concerning that yet.

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  5. Picking Tyreke as well. The Pelicans need to steal both games at home and G3 seems to be the "momentum shifter" in the playoffs from a 0-2 or 1-1 standpoint. It will be exciting to see if I made the right decision to pick Davis in G2 instead of G3

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    1. 0-2 hole is hard to climb up of, based on history. one of the few times it happened i witnessed, so yeah there is still hope (except for Mavs without Rondo and Parsons, more on that on a near future post)

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  6. Watching your own player has it's drawbacks. As I've had to suffer through MCW Monday, and a half of Lowry and Lillard. So infuriating. Needless to say - not where I wanted to be after a very solid Brow and Brook Lopez weeekend.

    Now I'm kind of behind the 8-Ball and am forced to go Isaiah Thomas tonight - even though my gut says Tyreke. Looks to be too crowded on Sunday with Mavericks/Raptors picks when Isaiah would play Game 4.

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    1. I actually enjoy watching the games more coz of DTTF, especially if my pick is playing. Every FT, rebound, assist... I celebrate more than usual, "YES!"

      To be honest, I cringe whenever the other hot pick makes a basket, "NOOoOOOoOoooO!"

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  7. Now the decision for me is... Tyreke or Isaiah. Hmmm maybe tyreke asap because of how fragile he is? Tough decision because they're both coming off great games so the defensive scheme may be around them. Both may have great defenders on them.

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    1. Isaiah. You want no part of the logjam that's coming on Sunday, in my opinion. There will be other times for Tyreke Evans.

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  8. Tyreke or Thomas tonight?!? I read Tyreke played through 40 min of throbbing pain last game and his game today is a the late game. Kind of worries me.

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    1. Thomas if you are worried.
      Tyreke if you can xalm yourself :P

      Late night game means more rest before game. These players sleep after morning shootaround. Well, some of them.

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    2. xalm = calm
      small iphone keyboard buttons
      i need a smart keyboard

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  9. Monta or Dirk tomorrow ?? Such a tough decision

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    1. Monta for me. With Rondo and Parsons out the Mavs offence is on his shoulders, more than the old Dirk. I'll go with Monta.

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  10. I don't consider Giannis for tonight anymore, so for me is 90% Thomas and 10% Tyreke. The chances of Evans to get my pick are a bit increasing, but my personal feeling is still saying Isaiah by far. I'll give you an update later.

    WHY THOMAS: he is on fire in this series, he had 37 and 30 PRA, enough to think he can easily reach those numbers in game 3 in front of home crowd too, He shoots a lot of FT's and those are easy points for him every night. He is the safest pick, no doubts.

    WHY EVANS: in game 1 he got injured and this is the only reason why he scored 2 PRA..11 minutes on the floor..But this season he avaraged 17points, 5rebs, almost 7 assists..a triple double threat. Game 2 just confirmed this line, and he played 40 minutes, 10 more of Thomas. With AD dominating, the Warriors will mainly focus on him and Tyreke can have more space and more responsability in the Pelicans offence to score and assist. The BIG concern is on his health.

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  11. 100% agree with you, but I'm more 50/50. Fully intended on picking Tyreke when DTTF started & not Thomas so I'm super torn

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    1. Yeah Jerry, same for me, as I started DTTF planning to play Tyreke soon in the series and I was not considering Thomas. Something changed and now it's difficult not to pick Thomas, that's the point.
      But Tyreke healthy and at home makes me think A LOT now.

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  12. Thanks for the birtday wishes yesterday :)

    Joe Johnson did what I hoped he would do, he topped 30 (31, to be exact). He even got 4 more than Lopez that everybody seemed to pick. A little birthday present to me in the form of four bonus points, that was nice.

    As for tonight, I was so uncertain which Buck to pick. MCW? Ante...something? Why was Middleton the best of the bunch so far? But then, after reading this blog (which I usually do just after picking), you convinced me in picking Tyreke Evans. You wouldn't try to pull one over me, would you? Let's just hope he stays healthy throughout the game. I don't dare pick Thomas at all. He had a great game 1. He followed it with a great game 2. He seems to be the only Celtic worth his salt. How long before the Cavs shut him down? I couldn't stand the heat in picking him and hoping that he would deliver again. He isn't even a starter. I just don't dare picking him, sorry.

    Tomorrow? The Mavs won't get past the Rockets, not with all the injuries happen to the team at the absolut worst time. But, to be honest, I didn't really think they would go back to the Finals. The Rockets would have been hard to beat, and you know who would be waiting in the next round.

    With that said, who to pick? Dirk or Monta? After long consideration I will go with Monta this time. Dirk maybe later. Like, round 2 :)

    I still won't pick from the Clippers - Spurs series, and wait for DeRozan. Lowry kind of soured me on the Raptors.

    I wish all of you much fun watching the games, while I will go on the road tomorrow for the first game in the series for the German championship with my Royals. If you are interested, I can provide a link where the second game will be streamed on sunday, 3 P.M. MEZ (middle european time). I will be the commentator. Not to be missed :D

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    1. Classic Alex. I don't think you ever picked Dirk since 2011 hehe!

      More power to your Royals!

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  13. I confirm my Thomas pick tonight, I'm sure about it and I won't have other chances to play him considering the other matches in the same day going on. Furthermore the Pelicans have more chances to win one at home than the Celtics, so I'll have time to pick Tyreke i think. Good luck guys with your picks!

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    1. So ugly first half...ugh...I just can't catch a break

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  14. Lillard stunk it up again somehow managed 21pra so only 6 short of Lopez. So I didn't fall to far my first pick under 30pra.

    Honestly if I had Lillard again I wouldn't bother picking him, he's shooting is awful and seems to have lost alot of drive he had. He's getting defended way to well, all the guards have his number defensively and have a hand in his face to make it worse there's 2 trees down low meaning he isn't even going for layups. Wouldn't have picked him if I watched the 1st game.

    Spurs won and I was backing them to go through but I honestly think they're a yr too old and the Parker injury won't help. Clippers should win this series even though they lost I think they'll steal next game, I think they believe themselves even more now after that game. Give Crawford the ball at the end of the game and they'll win.

    Anyway today I wanted to pick MCW who I think will have a good game problem is the other series screwed my planning up with too many 2-0's meaning logjam. I need to pick Evans and today is the only day I can which is fine since I don't really need to pick a Buck and if somehow I can I'll pick MCW later. Hope he gets 30pra

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  15. Blake Griffin (52 PRA) or Timmy Duncan (43 PRA) will eventually turn out to be the play of the night for yesterday, depending on which team eventually gets eliminated. That was a huge win for the Spurs though taking a home game from the Clippers, and now are in the driver's seat for that series. It was a major setback for the Clippers who really needed to win all of their home games to move on, as they are not nearly as good on the road, and the Spurs usually play great at home.

    Many Nets had more than decent games last night led by Joe Johnson and Jarrett Jack with 31 PRA each, and Brook Lopez had 27 PRA. Even Deron Williams had 20 PRA. My pick of Thaddeus Young was hideous with only 13 PRA. He had 28 PRA in Game #1, but since I picked him in Game #2 naturally he completely fell apart and didn't bring anything offensively scoring only 2 points last night instead of the 15 he had in Game #1 to go with his 10 boards in the first game.

    Tonight I am picking Tyreke Evans at home vs. Golden State. Tyreke was horrendous in Game #1 with 2 PRA and suffering an early injury that made him miss mostly all of the game. Then in Game #2, a game he was never supposed to play in according to the great unreliable internet, he stormed back with 33 PRA which was the best pick from a losing team in his Game #2 vs. Golden State. That was on the road and Tyreke Evans seems to be even better at home vs. the Warriors in the past. So hoping he can at least put up 35+ PRA tonight, as I really need to start moving this in a positive direction instead of getting screwed with every pick this season so far. Off to a horrendous start and need to pick things up quickly hopefully starting with tonight's pick of Tyreke Evans.

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  16. Giannis 19 PRA with 8 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. I'm cursed. I hate you Thomas.

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  17. Holy crap, who's watching this? Unbelievable!

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    1. Curry wtg!

      Good. OT. Need more Tyreke PRA.

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    2. Wow. Just... wow.

      I need to be up at in 5 hours for a long day tomorrow. Don't expect a writeup from me, unfortunately.

      Today's best pick: Anthony Davis. Probably.
      My pick tomorrow: DeMar DeRozan, probably. Will make the pick from work at 5ish EST.

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    3. week1 and nba drive. is acting up again. 4/24/14 and can't pick a player : "Period has already locked" -twelve hours before tipoff. I emailed a support address . Anywhere else to complain

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