It's the NBA's version of March Madness. At week's end the Sixers had won seven in a row to climb within two games of the final playoff spot in the East. If Philly could somehow make the postseason -- minus Allen Iverson and Chris Webber -- it would be a Cinderella story indeed.
Meanwhile, the NCAA Tournament won't be the only place to catch compelling hoops matchups this week. Among the NBA's marquee games are the Suns at Mavs (Wed.), Pistons at Suns (Fri.), Jazz at Cavs (Sat.) and Mavs at Pistons (Sun.) They might not be one-and-done situations, but they should feature some of that same Big Dance intensity.
This week's high riser: Sixers (No. 12 from No. 26)
This week's big drop: Lakers (No. 19 from No. 11)
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Right now this top seed is making every foe look like a college team. Sunday's win at the Lakers ran the Mavs' win streak to 17 as Dirk Nowitzki & Co. continue to toy with the opposition. But can they hold off the highly motivated Suns in Big D on Wednesday night? |
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They can tie their longest win streak of the Tim Duncan era (13 games) with a victory Tuesday over the Clippers. As usual, defense has been the key to their turnaround. At week's end they had yielded an average of just 82.3 points over their past 12 games, with no opponent reaching 100. |
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Gordan Giricek has come on strong of late to bolster their shooting guard spot. The 6-6 Croatian had hit double figures in seven of his last nine games through Sunday while shooting 55 percent. It's one more reason the Jazz remain so hot (six straight wins and 14 of 16 overall). |
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It hasn't been pretty of late, but they're still winning (four straight and nine of 10 overall). Their hopes of catching the Mavs for the best record might hinge on this week's tough slate against the Rockets (Mon.), Mavs (Wed.), Pistons (Fri.) and Nuggets (Sat.). |
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Without Rasheed Wallace (suspension), they beat the Clippers on Sunday to run their road record to 20-10. But 'Sheed better be on his best behavior now, because every other technical foul the rest of the season will result in another one-game suspension. |
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What, me worry? Yao Ming might fret over his play, but he's only driving foes mad since his return from a broken leg last week. The 7-5 center went for 37 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in Sunday's win over the Magic. It followed a 24-point, 13-rebound effort in a win over the Nets. |
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LeBron James is red hot and they had won five straight through Sunday. What a perfect time to welcome back Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, who on Saturday makes his first visit to Cleveland since his controversial free-agent departure in 2004. Look for Cavs fans to put the boo in Boozer for this one. |
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Like another in-state defending champ, the Florida Gators, Miami seems to be heating up at the right time. So it was only fitting that former Gators star Udonis Haslem would hit the game-winner Sunday against the Wizards, propelling his team to its sixth straight victory. |
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They're hoping Malik Allen's irregular heartbeat isn't another Eddy Curry situation. Meanwhile, they quietly had put together another solid stretch (eight wins in their last 11 games) highlighted by inspired play from Ben Wallace and the continued development of rookie forward Tyrus Thomas. |
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They missed Anthony Parker (ankle) during that recent three-game skid, especially on defense. But we won't drop them too far here since Parker's back and they had won two straight to regain some momentum and solidify their hold on the Atlantic Division lead. |
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