Toronto

[HawkItus]

4 games up. Toronto 8-2 in last 10, we are 5-5. They are closing fast. If we fall out of the Top 4 what does that mean for Woody and Joe this summer?

[High5]

It would suck to finish 5th after such a great start, but the playoffs would play out the same way. Toronto can't win 4 games.

[spotatl]

I'd bet serious money that Toronto doesn't finish within 5 games of the Hawks this season. I would still be shocked if the Hawks don't win 50 games this year.

[Diesel]

4 games up. Toronto 8-2 in last 10, we are 5-5. They are closing fast. If we fall out of the Top 4 what does that mean for Woody and Joe this summer?

I honestly think Boston should be worried.

Toronto has some players but no defense. When they play good teams, the good teams will exploit that.

[T21]

4 games up. Toronto 8-2 in last 10, we are 5-5. They are closing fast. If we fall out of the Top 4 what does that mean for Woody and Joe this summer?

... yeah man... the last time I checked the standings, I was surprised!

I just don't think Toronto can keep this pace for long now... but they're legit 45-47 W team!

I think that we need to make a run and try to win the division and see what happens'... looks like the worst case scenario is 50-32, the best, well... 54-28... very close to what most of us predicted prior to the start of this season.

[High5]

I'd bet serious money that Toronto doesn't finish within 5 games of the Hawks this season. I would still be shocked if the Hawks don't win 50 games this year.

Yeah I'm not worried about it. The Hawks have an excellent opportunity to build on their lead over the next 13 games. Only 3 teams over .500 and I like our chances in all of them (DAL, @CHI, @TOR). Hopefully we can get some revenge on Miami.

[dlpin]

I honestly think Boston should be worried.

Toronto has some players but no defense. When they play good teams, the good teams will exploit that.

Boston should be worried, but the Hawks shouldn't?

The celtics have 16 home games and 11 away games left, are finally playing better (4-1 since the all star break even though 4 were road games, 7-3 over past 10), and don't play the magic or the lakers again.

the hawks have 14 home games and 13 away games (and the hawks are just .500 on the road), and have games against the lakers and orland (both the celtics and the hawks have 2 games against the cavs).

Add to that that the celtics are one game ahead of the hawks and the hawks haven't been playing so well (2-3 over the past 5, 5-5 over the past 10), that the raptors still have a shot at having the tiebreaker over the hawks (2 head to head games left, similar conference records) but no shot at having the tie breaker over the celtics, and I don't see why the celtics should be worried, but not the hawks.

[pimp]

The reason i don't see Toronto as a real threat for the 4th spot is their road record.

They are 10- 17 on the road , and only have 2 wins on the road VS teams with winning records (Orlando and NO)

The Hawks are 14-14 on the road and only have 3 road games left vs teams with winning records (cavs, raptors, bulls)

[pimp]

Boston should be worried, but the Hawks shouldn't?

The celtics have 16 home games and 11 away games left, are finally playing better (4-1 since the all star break even though 4 were road games, 7-3 over past 10), and don't play the magic or the lakers again.

Do you really think the Celtics are playing better? They are 7- 3 in their last 10 because they played alot of bad teAMS.

the last 10

Wins

Wizards

heat

nets

kings

Lakers -without Kobe

blazers without Roy

Knicks

loses

hornets

magic

nuggets

[dlpin]

Do you really think the Celtics are playing better? They are 7- 3 in their last 10 because they played alot of bad teAMS.

the last 10

Wins

Wizards

heat

nets

kings

Lakers -without Kobe

blazers without Roy

Knicks

loses

hornets

magic

nuggets

Blazers without Roy? Funny:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=300219022

Brandon Roy, SG 34 3-8 1-2 2-5 1 3 4 1 0 1 2 1 -17 9

Was he hurt? Sure, but so was Pierce.

And last I checked the lakers were 4-1 without Kobe, and won all 4 games by double digits.

And last I checked, the Heat lost to the celtics just a week before beating the hawks by 18. The hawks were without Crawford and Zaza, but the Celtics were without Pierce and Daniels.

The "lot of bad teams" you mentioned had just 3 teams with losing records.

Edited February 24, 2010 by dlpin

[TruJerz]

4 games up. Toronto 8-2 in last 10, we are 5-5. They are closing fast. If we fall out of the Top 4 what does that mean for Woody and Joe this summer?

If they're close to us that means they are close to Boston too. Hawks are Boston are better teams than the Raptors and should finish ahead of them if they stay healthy. And either way if we fall to 5 and play Raptors I still think we'd win the series..but I did like Toronto coming into the season..i thought they would be the next best team in the East after the top 4 and looks like that will be the case. Bosh and Turkoglu are tough matchups for anyone

Edited February 24, 2010 by TruJerz

[pimp]

Blazers without Roy? Funny:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=300219022

Brandon Roy, SG 34 3-8 1-2 2-5 1 3 4 1 0 1 2 1 -17 9

Was he hurt? Sure, but so was Pierce.

And last I checked the lakers were 4-1 without Kobe, and won all 4 games by double digits.

And last I checked, the Heat lost to the celtics just a week before beating the hawks by 18. The hawks were without Crawford and Zaza, but the Celtics were without Pierce and Daniels.

The "lot of bad teams" you mentioned had just 3 teams with losing records.

OH MY BAD , I I the Roy was gonna be out along time. t

The Knicks, Wizards , kings and nets all have losing records that's 4 ,

The heat are just 500 and the fact they they blew us out at home says more our sorry play in the last 2 games vs the Heat then anything else.

[dlpin]

For the record, I actually believe that if Wade comes back healthy soon the Heat should actually overtake the raptors in the standings.

[dlpin]

OH MY BAD , I I the Roy was gonna be out along time. t

The Knicks, Wizards , kings and nets all have losing records that's 4 ,

The heat are just 500 and the fact they they blew us out at home says more our sorry play in the last 2 games vs the Heat then anything else.

Which is my point. My point is not that the celtics are the contenders they used to be. Just that they are playing better than they were, and the hawks are playing worse than they were. There is no reason for the celtics to be worried about the raptors but not the hawks.

[HawkItus]

I hope you guys are right, but I'm worried. Look we've been relatively healthy, but we are one injury away from a dog fight with Toronto. And we aren't a good road team. We're average. So the prospects of winning one on the road a sweeping at home aren't insurmountable, but nothing I'd like to face.

[dhawk]

If you have never seen a hawk kill and eat a raptor, then yea, I can see how you might be worried.

But I had a dream and the hawk killed and ate the Raptor like it wasn't nothing. Then the hawk glance over at the cavalier gentleman walking bye and said "Next".

Edited February 24, 2010 by dhawk

[busdriver4687]

I hope you guys are right, but I'm worried. Look we've been relatively healthy, but we are one injury away from a dog fight with Toronto. And we aren't a good road team. We're average. So the prospects of winning one on the road a sweeping at home aren't insurmountable, but nothing I'd like to face.

The Raptors just had a very easy stretch of games, with 9 out of 12 at home, and I believe only one of those games was against a team above .500 entering tonight (LAL, which to the Raptors credit, they won that game). They're next 11 games include a 4 game west coast roadie, along with games against Cleveland, OKC twice, Houston, and Atlanta. If they are still hanging around us in 3 weeks, I'll really start to get worried about them. But I think they will drop back a little just looking at their schedule.