Last Place Update - March 18

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. The waters near the cellar are murky, so let's get started.

   Bobcats win!! Bobcats win!! Bobcats win!!

   Okay, they only won one game, but Charlotte's win over the Boston Celtics on  Tuesday does break their ten game losing streak. However, the 14-52 Bobcats are still this week's Kings of the Cellar. They went 1-2 last week, but still have a 3.5 game lead over the 18-49 Orlando Magic. The Magic whiffed all three games and went 0-3.

   Now here's where it gets murky. The 23-42 Washington Wizards went 3-1 last week and moved themselves off the radar. Way to go Wizards!!

   Two other teams made moves to get themselves on the radar, one of them a return trip. The 22-45 New Orleans Pelicans, uh, Hornets and the Phoenix Suns are 7.5 games behind the Bobcats and 4 games behind the Magic. The Hornets are 2-8 in their last ten games, losers of their last three. The Suns are 1-6 in their last seven games, losers of their last four.

  This week's honorable mention goes to the 23-45 Detroit Pistons. Detroit is 1-11 in their last dozen games, losers of their last eight. In all but two of those losses, the Pistons allowed their opponents to score more than 100 points. They start this week at home against the Brooklyn Nets tonight. Then the spend the rest of the week along the Atlantic coast by visiting the Miami Heat on Friday and to Charlotte to play the Bobcats on Saturday. The Pistons could get two wins this week, but will probably only get one.

Next Losses...

   Charlotte will spend most of their week at home. They host the improving Washington Wizards tonight, the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, and as previously stated, the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. The Bobcats will finish the week on the road on Sunday in Miami to take on the Heat. This has all the makings of an 0-fer, but they did surprise the Celtics. Could Charlotte stun Miami on Sunday? Actually, that's possible, but not probable. The Bobcats could win one, maybe two games, but will most likely post another 0-fer.

   Unlike Charlotte, Orlando will spend most of their short week on the road. The Magic will go to Indiana to play the Pacers on Tuesday and to New York to play the Knicks on Wednesday. Then they return home on Friday to lose to, us play the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unless Orlando has a good game or one of their opponents has a bad game,  Otherwise, the Magic will whiff through their games and extend their losing streak to six games.

   New Orleans has a homestand this week. They host the Golden State Warriors tonight, the Boston Celtics  on Wednesday, and the Memphis Grizzlies on  Friday. They could win one game, depending on which Hornets team shows up. If the one who put together a couple of winning streaks shows, then they could go 2-1. If last week's team shows, then it's an 0-fer. They should get at least one win this week.

   Phoenix will also spend their week at home. They host the Los Angeles Lakers tonight, the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, the Minnesota  Timberwolves on Friday, and the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. This is a tough one to call. The Suns should win one or two games this week, but could also lose them all. Chances are, Phoenix will go 2-2.

Other Stuff...

   As predicted, Grambling State went one and done in the SWAC Tournament. However, they did lose  by less than ten points, the first time this season. Maybe next year.

   Let the madness begin!! Yes, it's March Madness and the NCAA Tournament berths are filled. This appears to be one of the tougher tournaments to call. We'll see.

   There's a lot of hype over the Miami Heat's 22 game winning streak, but there's another team with a nice winning streak. The Denver Nuggets have won 11 straight. They go to Chicago to play the Bulls tonight and to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder on Tuesday. The Nuggets spend the rest of the week in the rarified air of Denver hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday and the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. The streak should end in Oklahoma City, but if it doesn't, Denver should go undefeated this week.

  Will Miami and Denver continue their streaks? Will any of the #1's fall early in the NCAA Tournament? Will anybody threaten Charlotte in their quest to repeat as Kings of the Cellar Champions?

Stay tuned. Have a great day!!!