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Philippines, 16 Mar 2025 |
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Wild, Wild West 2.0 By Teodoro Medina Reynoso PhilBoxing.com Sun, 16 Mar 2025  The playoff placing in the Eastern Conference is almost set, with Cleveland as the runaway topnotcher, followed by Boston and New York, down to play-in contenders Miami and Chicago, in that order. No major shake-up is expected with just 14 to 15 games left in the current season. Except perhaps for the race for the fourth seeding between Milwaukee and Indiana, which are currently tied in win-loss slate, with Detroit, which is just 1.5 games behind, having the chance to join the fray. The same cannot be said once again for the Western Conference, although Oklahoma, like Cleveland, is clearly way ahead of the field. The "Wild, Wild West" nature of the scramble can be seen in the race for the second to fourth seeding with three teams—Denver, Memphis, and Houston—very much in contention. You also cannot discount current fifth and sixth placers, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State, respectively, making a big push for the top four with their respective acquisitions, Luka Doncic and Jimmy Butler. If the situation in the positioning for the second down to the sixth place, which grants automatic seeding in the playoffs in the West, is still fluid, the scramble for the play-in is just as woolly, with Minnesota and the Los Angeles Clippers fighting tooth and nail for the right to play for the 7th seed. Below, three teams, namely, Sacramento, Dallas, and Phoenix, are vying for the last spot to play the loser of the Minnesota-LAC struggle for the 7th seed for the 8th and final seed in the playoffs. Actually, both the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State, presently lodged at 5th and 6th, cannot afford to relax. They have to keep on winning to have a chance to enter the top four or at the very least keep their current places and not fall to the play-in round. The Lakers have lost four straight since March 9. Luckily, they have banked more wins to stay where they are now (5th). They are set to play Phoenix tomorrow and are hoping for a win to get them back on the right track. But Phoenix also needs to win to finally tie Dallas for the 10th position. So, the Suns could never be counted out. The Warriors have won 9 of their last 10, but they will be on a four-game home stand, starting today against tough visiting teams from both the East and West, including New York and Memphis. Will Golden State continue its winning streak? Meanwhile, the LA Clippers will also be on a four-game home stand, but that includes games against Cleveland and Oklahoma. Sacramento will be on a more lengthy five-game hosting assignment that will include Cleveland, Boston, and Oklahoma. How will these affect their present standings in the Wild, Wild West? Abangan. The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.  |
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