FOR ALL YOU NAYSAYERS OUT THERE, DREAM of 54 (my prediction from midseason) is STILL ALIVE!!!

PORTLAND WINS!  PORTLAND WINS!!!

Other than that, everything held to form the last couple days:

 SO FAR SO GOOD

Just handle your business boys, and the future looks rosy, just need to win out and have either Houston or San Antonio lose one to get homecourt, and a loss by BOTH Houston and San Antonio gives Portland the THREE SEED.  I said THREE SEED!!!

Here's how the possibilities shake out:

PROJECTED FINAL STANDINGS if all else holds steady:
2. DENVER (tiebreaker v. SA/POR)	54-28
3. SAN ANTONIO (division winner)	54-28
4. PORTLAND	54-28
5. HOUSTON	53-29
6. DALLAS	50-32
7. NO	49-33
8. UTAH	48-34

THIS JUST IN:

LA can't win in Portland.

Now, let's just hope Portland "takes care of business" in LA.

Unless something changes with a division loss by Houston and an out-of division loss by San Antonio, Houston holds the tiebreaker over SA based on respective records vs. Western playoff teams.  That means that the win last night, if everything were to end today, pushed Portland from number 5 to number 4.  The only way Portland loses out on homecourt, then is:

1) if it falls behind both Houston and San Antonio,

2) if San Antonio wins the division and Portland and Houston end up tied behind SA, or

3) If San Antonio ends up tied for the division with Houston, but Houston loses another division game while San Antonio does not, then San Antonio wins the division via this first division tiebreaker and Houston wins the 4 seed by virtue of its tiebreaker over Portland.

RESULTS:

KEY REMAINING GAMES BOLDED BELOW

DENVER

(current:  53-27)  (projected:  54-28)

(2 seed)

• Mon, Apr 13 Sacramento W (NEED TO BE A SAC. FAN!!!)
• Wed, Apr 15 at Portland L

HOUSTON

(current:  52-28)  (projected:  53-29) 

(3 seed)

• Mon, Apr 13 New Orleans W (lost to them once already)
• Wed, Apr 15 at Dallas L (EXPECTED loss)

PORTLAND

(current:  51-28)  (projected:  54-28)

(4 seed)

• Sat, Apr 11 at LA Clippers W (trap game - Clips won once in RG)
• Mon, Apr 13 Oklahoma City W
• Wed, Apr 15 Denver W (Denver may rest guys if they clinch)

SAN ANTONIO

(current:  51-28)  (projected:  54-28) 

(5 seed)

• Sun, Apr 12 at Sacramento W (SAC played 'em tight earlier)
• Mon, Apr 13 at Golden State W  (2d of back to back)
• Wed, Apr 15 New Orleans W  (already lost to NO TWICE)

NEW ORLEANS

(current:  48-31)  (projected:  49-33)

(6 seed)

• Sun, Apr 12 Dallas W
• Mon, Apr 13 at Houston L (beat them ONCE already)
• Wed, Apr 15 at San Antonio L (beat them TWICE already)

DALLAS

(current:  48-31)  (projected:  50-32) 

(7 seed)

• Sun, Apr 12 at New Orleans L
• Mon, Apr 13 Minnesota W 
• Wed, Apr 15 Houston W

UTAH

(current:  47-32)  (projected:  49-33) 

(8 seed)

• Sat, Apr 11 Golden State W
• Mon, Apr 13 LA Clippers W
• Tue, Apr 14 at LA Lakers L

If Portland wins out, the 4 spot is ours.  Simple enough, right?

That said, we are HUGE New Orleans fans at this point, as they cannot catch Portland, unless Portland loses out, which AIN'T happenin'.  On the other hand, New Orleans plays both Houston and San Antonio, and has had some success against those clubs.  NO Winning its game vs. San Antonio would help Portland a lot, as it means Portland would have homecourt in the first round, even if it drops a game.  NO wins vs. BOTH SA and Houston (unlikely), and I'll take Chris Paul out to dinner.

Wish list now?  New Orleans beats San Antonio or BOTH of the Texas teams, and Sacramento SOMEHOW, SOME WAY, by SOME MIRACLE. beats Denver on Monday, setting up a showdown for the Division on Wednesday if Portland wins its next two games.  Hey, stranger things have ALREADY happened!