1. Miami Heat (64-16, previous No. 1) - Well, Dwyane Wade is back, and the Heat look ready for the postseason. They might even consider resting LeBron James and Wade for the entire series with Milwaukee in preparation for an actual challenge.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (59-21, previous No. 2) – Kevin Durant was fined $25,000 for a “menacing gesture” last week, but what he and the Thunder do in the Western Conference should be even more menacing.

3. San Antonio Spurs (58-22, previous No. 4) - The Spurs weathered the storm that was the 2012-13 NBA regular season. But do they have enough left in the tank to go deep into the postseason? It’ll be tough.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (54-26 previous No. 3) - What to make of Memphis’ 91-87 loss to the Clippers over the weekend? One, it could be an opening round playoff preview. Two, it should be a very entertaining one.

5. Los Angeles Clippers (54-26, previous No. 5) - A win over the Griz before the postseason does wonders for L.A.’s confidence. It also helps that it could give them homecourt advantage over them.

6. New York Knicks (53-27, previous No. 6) - The Knicks beat up on the Celtics pretty good in the regular season, but make no mistake: they aren’t thrilled about their opening round matchup.

7. Denver Nuggets (55-25, previous No. 7) - On the day point guard Ty Lawson returned, Kenneth Faried sprained his left ankle. Hopefully it’s not serious, because they’ll need all hands (and ankles) on deck without Danilo Gallinari.

8. Indiana Pacers (49-31, previous No. 8) - Roy Hibbert is playing at a higher level over the second half of the season. The Pacers should be fine against a banged up Bulls team or a Hawks team that lacks an identity.

10. Brooklyn Nets (47-33, previous No. 10) - The team that nobody is talking about could give the Heat more trouble than we all think in the second round. Deron Williams is playing as good as anybody.

9. Houston Rockets (45-35, previous No. 9) - The Rockets are the only Western Conference playoff team with a losing record against Western Conference teams. Beating up on the Eastern Conference won’t help them now.

11. Golden State Warriors (45-35, previous No. 11) - The Warriors seem to be that team that every other team in the Western Conference wants to play. Can they use that as fuel? Or will they just prove all those teams right?

12. Chicago Bulls (43-37, previous No. 12) - It feels more and more like the season of “what could have been” for Chicago. Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson are banged up now. Derrick Rose doesn’t appear to be suiting up this season, either.

13. Boston Celtics (41-39, previous No. 13) - The Celtics may not have depth on their side. Or age. But one thing they’ve never lacked is confidence, and often times that’s all a team needs.

14. Atlanta Hawks (44-36, previous No. 14) - He seems to go under the radar just about every year, but Al Horford is the type of player every team wants. Can play both power forward and center effectively on both ends.

15. Los Angeles Lakers (44-37, previous No. 15) - It’s an absolute shame that Kobe Bryant is lost for the season after doing everything in his power to get his team into the playoffs. Can Dwight carry them now?

16. Utah Jazz (42-38, previous No. 16) - The Jazz didn’t trade Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap at the deadline, could lose both now, and it’s looking like they’ll miss the postseason. What a season …

17. Milwaukee Bucks (37-43, previous No. 17) - No truth to the rumor that the Bucks are raising a banner with the words “Just Happy to be Here” written on it before the Heat series.

18. Dallas Mavericks (40-40, previous No. 18) - The Dallas Mavericks all finally shaved their beards on Sunday . . . because they reached .500 on the season. Congrats?

19. Philadelphia 76ers (33-47, previous 20) - Reports are that Doug Collins will resign as head coach after the season. Not a big surprise. It was pretty clear that, like everybody else, he had had enough with that team.

20. Toronto Raptors (32-48, previous – ) - All the Raptors are doing now is costing themselves ping pong balls. Should have followed the Trail Blazers lead to end the season (an 11-game losing streak).

The post NBA Power Rankings: The playoffs are here! appeared first on Metro.us.

1. Miami Heat (60-16, previous No. 1) – LeBron James is back, but word is that Dwyane Wade (knee) could be out until the postseason. The Heat don’t need him now, obviously, but that’s certainly something to monitor.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (56-21, previous No. 3) – The Thunder are just one game out of the top spot in the West, which would line them up with the Jazz in the opening round. Tuesday, in Utah, could be a preview of that one.

3. Memphis Grizzlies (52-25 previous No. 4) - Often times it’s the toughest team – not the better team – that advances in the postseason. The Griz have “grit and grind” on their side. Is that enough to carry them?

4. San Antonio Spurs (57-20, previous No. 5) – The Spurs’ last three losses are to the Thunder, Grizzlies, and Heat. That’s not a good way to prove you belong as the No. 1 seed. Health, as always, is the main concern.

5. Los Angeles Clippers (51-26, previous No. 6) – The good news: The Clippers are healthy and determined to leave the Lakers’ shadow. The bad news: More shots of the Kardashians (and Kanye!) sitting courtside.

6. New York Knicks (50-26, previous No. 9) - Twelve straight wins, including the latest over Oklahoma City on Sunday. Melo looks great. Maybe this team is “realer” than we gave them credit for … maybe.

7. Denver Nuggets (53-24, previous No. 2) – Danilo Gallinari blew out his ACL last week, which is an absolute shame. It’ll be tough for Denver to compete in the postseason without him. *sheds a few tears*

8. Indiana Pacers (48-29, previous No. 7) - The Pacers clinched their first Central Division crown in nine years on Sunday after the Bulls lost to the Pistons. This team has bigger goals than that, though.

9. Houston Rockets (43-34, previous No. 8) – If Denver remains the No. 3 seed, it’ll come down to Houston or Golden State as its first-round opponent. That’s a matchup both of those team want now with Gallinari out.

10. Brooklyn Nets (44-32, previous No. 10) - If Brooklyn is to play Chicago in the first round, The Prokhorov will make sure that Derrick Rose is nowhere to be found. But can he make the Heat disappear the next round?

11. Golden State Warriors (44-33, previous No. 11) - Warriors Head Coach Mark Jackson desperately wants his team to be tough and “old school.” We aren’t quite sure they’re either of those things, especially if they hope to make noise in May.

12. Chicago Bulls (42-34, previous No. 12) - Derrick Rose is still keeping the option of playing this season open. His return would help an offense ranked dead last in points per game (92.8). Dude, decide already.

13. Boston Celtics (40-37, previous No. 14) – The Celtics say they don’t care who they play in the first round. With Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce returning on Sunday, you have to take them for their word. Give them this – they are fighters.

14. Atlanta Hawks (42-36, previous No. 13) – Losers of three in a row, Atlanta isn’t doing much to instill confidence in anybody associated with the team. They’re going in the wrong direction, and will be put to rest by the Knicks or Pacers in the first round.

15. Los Angeles Lakers (40-37, previous No. 15) - The Lakers go into Tuesday a half-game behind the Jazz for the eighth seed. Utah has the Thunder. L.A. has the Hornets. This battle could go down to the final game.

16. Utah Jazz (41-37, previous No. 17) - You have to hand it to the Jazz. It appeared that the Lakers were going to take the eighth seed from under them, but they are 7-1 in their last eight games. Can they hold off L.A.?

17. Milwaukee Bucks (37-39, previous No. 16) – The only way Milwaukee will have a chance to beat the Heat is if Dwyane Wade really is injured. And LeBron James. And Chris Bosh. And … you get the idea.

18. Dallas Mavericks (38-39, previous No. 18) - Losses to the Lakers and Nuggets just about sealed the fate of the Mavs, who will most likely miss their first postseason this century.

19. Washington Wizards (29-48, previous) - The Wizards were bad – really bad – without John Wall. But since the star point guard’s return, they’ve gone 24-20, which is very respectable.

20. Philadelphia 76ers (31-45, previous 20) - Good news for Sixers fans: Andrew Bynum has been playing a ton of NBA 2K13 on XBOX in preparation for next season.

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Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James each made strong cases for their MVP candidacies in entirely different ways as the Knicks knocked off the Heat, 102-90, Tuesday night.

While Anthony was busy shredding Miami’s defense for a career-high tying 50 points, James was further cementing his MVP status from the bench. James missed his second-straight game due to a hamstring injury and the void was felt greatly by a Heat squad that wilted down the stretch.

All-Star guard Dwyane Wade (ankle) also sat out – and starting point guard Mario Chalmers (knee) as well — as the Knicks took full advantage of the undermanned Heat. New York has not only won nine straight games, a season-high, but they also improved to 10-2 with Kenyon Martin. The fiery backup center, who has filled in admirably for All-Star center Tyson Chandler, helped the Knicks’ bench outplay Miami’s reserves, 29-27 in points and 16-11 in rebounds. Conversely, the Heat fell to 31-3 when their own energetic and athletic backup center Chris Andersen plays, as he could only muster six points and one rebound.

It wasn’t all rosy for the Knicks (47-26), however — even as Chandler (neck) returned to the lineup after missing the previous nine games, because the Heat (58-16) battled for the better part of three and a half quarters to stay within striking distance. Chris Bosh led the Heat with 23 points, while backup guard Norris Cole added 14 points in place of Chalmers, and Ray Allen notched 16 points off the bench.

Ultimately, the Knicks used a 13-2 run that spanned most of the final eight minutes of regulation to put away the game.

What we learned …

1. MIA stars missing in action.

Fans in attendance didn’t see James, Wade or Chalmers, and that lack of star power ultimately proved to be Miami’s undoing. The supporting cast, led by Mike Miller, picked up the slack for the better part of three quarters, but in the end, the role players’ efforts weren’t enough. The Knicks took control of the game late, stifling Miller, who didn’t score in the second half after registering 18 points in the first half. Miller’s first-half production was the most points he’s scored since Game 5 of the 2012 NBA Finals, but his shortcomings were put on full display once the Knicks shifted their focus to stopping him, as he didn’t have James or Wade to bail him out.

2. Anthony excoriates the Heat again

Anthony had 50 points, including 27 in the first half, as Heat forward Shane Battier will likely see the All-NBA forward in his nightmares for the foreseeable future. Anthony’s game-high tied a career high, as it was the third time in his illustrious career he reached that plateau. It certainly wasn’t piling on, though, as the Knicks needed every bit of his points.

3. Still living by the 3s.

The Knicks shot 14-of-27 from behind the arc, good for 51.9 percent, to offset a feisty Heat squad. Anthony knocked down a game-high seven 3-pointers – one less than the entire Heat roster — while the Knicks also saw production from Iman Shumpert, who also knocked down three 3-pointers. J.R. Smith failed to match his hot scoring pace, by only tallying 14 points off the bench, but he managed to knock down a pair of 3-pointers as well.

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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1. Miami Heat (58-15, previous No. 1) – The streak is snapped, which could be a good thing in the long run. After all, it allowed the heat to sit LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers vs. the Spurs . . . and still win.

2. Denver Nuggets (50-24, previous No. 2) – There’s a three-team race for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, and the Nuggets are just barely ahead of the Grizzlies and Clippers. They kill teams at home, so that’s big.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (54-20, previous No. 3) – Four days off for the No. 2-seeded Thunder before a big game on Thursday against the No. 1-seeded Spurs. This top seed is still up for grabs, unlike in the East. OKC should win this one at home.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (49-24 previous No. 6) - Grizzlies-Clippers in the first round of the playoffs would be appointment television … Assuming it’s not played on Sunday nights around 9 p.m.. Tyrion Lannister would NOT be happy.

5. San Antonio Spurs (55-18, previous No. 5) - Here’s some not-so-shocking news: Another key member of the Spurs is out again. Manu Ginobili is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a right hamstring strain. No bueno, Los Spurs.

6. Los Angeles Clippers (49-25, previous No. 4) – The Clippers lost to the Rockets by 17 without James Harden. I don’t know about you, but they’re just too streaky to trust in the postseason. I’ll take the other coach over Vinny Del Negro.

7. Indiana Pacers (47-27, previous No. 7) - The Pacers went into Monday’s game in L.A. against the Clippers winners of three road games in a row. That’s a great sign for a team that’s had trouble away from home.

8. Houston Rockets (40-33, previous No. 8) - The Rockets could go into the postseason with some serious momentum. Seven of their final nine games are against current non-playoff teams. But teams that have beaten up on them await there.

9. New York Knicks (46-26, previous No. 12) – And just like that, the Knicks are winners of eight in a row. They’re doing it without Tyson Chandler too, which is more impressive. If it’s Celtics-Knicks in Round 1, Boston 100 percent needs Kevin Garnett – we know that.

11. Golden State Warriors (42-32, previous No. 11) - The Warriors have been fun to watch at times this year – on offense anyways – but the Nuggets would literally eat them up and spit them out in a first round matchup.

12. Chicago Bulls (40-33, previous No. 15) – Derrick Rose is waiting for a sign from God to let him know he’s ready to play. Well, what if God isn’t a Bulls fan? Ever think of that, Derrick?

13. Atlanta Hawks (41-33, previous No. 9) – Credit the Hawks for being in the position that they’re in, but they aren’t deep enough or mentally tough enough to do damage in the postseason. Josh Smith, you are the weakest link. Goodbye.

14. Boston Celtics (38-35, previous No. 13) – We don’t have a point guard … we don’t have a center… our pets heads are falling off! Boston needs to get right before the playoffs, or they’ll be watching them on TV like the rest of us. Except on nicer TVs.

15. Los Angeles Lakers (38-36, previous No. 14) – You can’t help but think that if the Lakers just get to the playoffs, they could make things interesting. But can they get there before they all kill each other?

16. Milwaukee Bucks (35-37, previous No. 16) - The Bucks are going to need to get in touch with Ryan Braun’s people – and fast – if they want a shot at competing with the Heat. And that’s not a knock on them.

17. Utah Jazz (36-37, previous No. 18) – Four straight wins for the Jazz heading into Monday night. They’re hanging onto that eight seed for dear life. It’s almost like they don’t know they’ll have to play four games against the Spurs or Thunder if they get there.

18. Dallas Mavericks (36-37, previous No. 17) – It’s great to see Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs make some noise down the stretch. It almost drowns out all the noise Mark Cuban makes from the sidelines.

19. Portland Trail Blazers (33-40, previous No. 19) - They were 4.5 games out of a playoff spot on Mondyay, with the Mavs and Lakers ahead of them trying to get in. Time for the Blazers to start booking those offseason vacations. Tip: Avoid cruises.

20. Philadelphia 76ers (30-43, previous 20) – “Did somebody say offseason vacations?” – Andrew Bynum, as he books his fourth vacation of the NBA regular season…

The post NBA Power Rankings: Time for Heat to start a new streak? appeared first on Metro.us.

1. Miami Heat (55-14, previous No. 1) – As good as the Miami Heat are playing right now, they’re just the second-best basketball team in Florida. Hey, you’ve got to give Florida Gulf Coast University the credit they deserve.

2. Denver Nuggets (49-22, previous No. 3) – If it wasn’t for the Heat, the Nuggets would be the talk of the NBA. They went into Monday’s game against the Hornets winners of 15 in a row. Scary team that will haunt your dreams.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (52-19, previous No. 2) – Losses to Denver at home and Memphis on the road make you question the toughness of OKC in a potential matchup with either one in the second round.

4. Los Angeles Clippers (48-22, previous No. 5) – A big four-game road trip kicks off Tuesday in Dallas and includes two more Texas stops in San Antonio and Houston. Tough test for them.

5. San Antonio Spurs (53-17, previous No. 6) – The Spurs went 6-2 without their MVP Tony Parker, and it looks like he’s picking up where he left off. With Parker back, the Spurs – as always – must be feared.

6. Memphis Grizzlies (47-22 previous No. 4) – The news that center Marc Gasol is out indefinitely after an abdominal tear is an absolute killer for a Grizzlies team fighting for home court advantage.

7. Indiana Pacers (43-27, previous No. 7) – Losing to the Bulls without Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah? That could creep back into the minds of Indy players if they see Chicago in the postseason . . . with those two players.

8. Houston Rockets (39-31, previous No. 8) – In his last 10 games, James Harden has hit 34 3-pointers and 111 free throws. The guy literally scores from all over. Fear the beard.

9. Atlanta Hawks (39-31, previous No. 10) – Nobody’s talking about the Hawks, but they’re a very tough first-round opponent, especially if Josh Smith is set on proving he’s a max player.

10. Brooklyn Nets (41-29, previous No. 12) – In the middle of an eight-game road trip and they play in three of the toughest road venues coming up: Portland, Denver, and Utah. The Prokhorov embraces it.

11. Golden State Warriors (40-31, previous No. 13) – Former NBA player Dell Curry must be a proud dad. One of his sons, Stephen, is making a run at the postseason with Golden State, while the other, Seth, is making a run at the Final Four with Duke.

12. New York Knicks (42-26, previous No. 14) – Wins over the Jazz, Magic, and Raptors twice doesn’t make the Knicks “better” than they were last week. They are older, though – somehow.

13. Boston Celtics (36-33, previous No. 9) – Celtics president Danny Ainge says Kevin Garnett could be out for a couple weeks. Hey, as long as he’s back before the C’s lose to the Heat in the opening round.

14. Los Angeles Lakers (36-34, previous No. 11) – Coach Mike D’Antoni told his team that the idea of a championship is “laughable.” Well then, everybody all together now: “Hahahahahaha!”

15. Chicago Bulls (38-31, previous No. 15) – You never want to rush a player back from an injury, but Rose has been cleared to play. At what point do the Bulls say, “Derrick, you’re fine. And you’re starting tonight.”

16. Milwaukee Bucks (34-35, previous No. 16) – There’s never been a better time for the Bucks to make up ground on the Celtics and take the No. 7 spot. Somebody should tell them that.

17. Dallas Mavericks (34-36, previous No. 18) – Dallas has found life over its last 11 games, going 8-3, and now sits just two games behind the Lakers for the No. 8 seed. Nothing would make Mark Cuban happier.

18. Utah Jazz (34-36, previous No. 17) – It appears as though the Mavs and Jazz are at opposite ends of their play right now, and that’s terrible news for Utah.

19. Portland Trail Blazers (33-37, previous No. 19) – Of the final 12 games, nine are against teams currently slotted into a playoff spot. Doesn’t do much for the team’s outside playoff chances.

20. Philadelphia 76ers (27-42, previous -) – Bigger shock: Andrew Bynum missing the entire season due to knee injuries, or Punxsutawney Phil’s inaccurate “spring will come early” forecast?

Follow Jimmy Toscano on Twitter @Jimmy_Toscano

The post NBA Power Rankings: Heat, Nuggets streaking – Celtics, Lakers falling appeared first on Metro.us.

Records through March 17:

1. Miami Heat (51-14, previous No. 1) – The Heat went into Monday night’s game against the Celtics literally forgetting how to lose. With 22 wins in a row this season, Miami is just waiting to prey on postseason victims.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (50-17, previous No. 2) – Metro was burned by the Thunder last week when they lost badly to the Tony Parker-less Spurs. Two big back-to-backs ahead: Home vs. Nuggets, away vs. Grizzlies.

3. Denver Nuggets (45-22, previous No. 6) - A gritty win over the Grizzlies last Friday earned Denver its 11th straight win. The Heat may laugh at just 11 in a row, but Denver is legit.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (44-21 previous No. 4) - Two tough losses on the road in Denver and in Utah – very hard places to win in. A Memphis-Denver series will go to the home team.

5. Los Angeles Clippers (46-21, previous No. 3) - The Nuggets beat the Grizzlies, who beat the Clippers. Therefore, the Nuggets would beat the Clippers. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.

6. San Antonio Spurs (51-16, previous No. 5) - The Spurs continue to kick adversity square in the face, but at some point adversity will kick back harder – unless Tony Parker can return in time.

7. Indiana Pacers (40-26, previous No. 7) – Things aren’t going as planned for Indy lately. Exhibit A: Philly’s Spencer “Abdul-Jabbar” Hawes racked up 18 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists, and seven blocks in the 76ers’ 98-91 win Saturday. Um, what?

8. Houston Rockets (36-31, previous No. 8) - The Rockets have three days to think about their 30-point loss to the Warriors on Sunday. Hopefully they’re over it by Wednesday’s big game against the ninth-seeded Jazz.

9. Boston Celtics (36-29, previous No. 11) – They could be the second-best team in the East now, which really isn’t saying much when you consider how bad every non-Miami team in the East actually is.

10. Atlanta Hawks (37-29, previous No. 13) - Three straight wins for the Hawks, including two over the Lakers and Nets. They are pesky. They’ll put up a fight. But ultimately, they’ll come up very short in the postseason.

11. Los Angeles Lakers (36-32, previous No. 12) – Mike D’Antoni is clearly having an effect on Kobe Bryant. Bryant couldn’t believe that Atlanta’s Dahntay Jones played defense (?!) on him, which led to him landing on Jones’ ankle.

12. Brooklyn Nets (38-28, previous No. 10) - The Knicks are begging the Nets to take the division, but the hipsters in Brooklyn are way too into being “up and coming, man.” That’s fine by the Celtics.

13. Golden State Warriors (38-30, previous No. 15) - Somehow, one of the worst defenses in the NBA (Warriors) limited one of the best offenses in the NBA (Rockets) to 78 points on Sunday. Maybe there is a sliver of hope for this squad after all.

14. New York Knicks (38-26, previous No. 9) – The Knicks are officially falling apart. And honestly, who could have seen a team of 40-year-olds running out of gas down the stretch? Get Allan Houston on the phone!

15. Chicago Bulls (36-29, previous No. 14) - Pretty sure there was a report that came out last week saying Bulls point guard Derrick Rose could play very soon, or not at all this season. And that about sums up that situation right now.

16. Milwaukee Bucks (33-32, previous No. 16) - It should be Miami vs. Milwaukee in the first round of the playoffs. Nothing against Milwaukee, but American Airlines Arena can go ahead and book Game 5′s date for another event.

17. Utah Jazz (34-32, previous No. 18) - Is this almost the part where we say, “the Jazz are singing the blues”? And if so, how many years in a row is it allowed to be said. Got to be close to the limit.

18. Dallas Mavericks (31-35, previous No. 17) – Mark Cuban and the Mavericks’ fan base made sure to boo the heck out of Derek Fisher upon his return on Sunday. Whatever takes their minds off booing their own team.

19. Portland Trail Blazers (31-34, previous No. 19) – A five-game road trip starting last night and ending in OKC on Sunday should all but guarantee the Blazers’ terrible odds in the NBA lottery.

20. Toronto Raptors (26-341 previous No. 20) – To be honest, the Raptors don’t belong in the same power rankings list as the 19 teams ahead of them. Just needed to fill space.

Follow Metro sports writer Jimmy Toscano on Twitter @Jimmy_Toscano

The post NBA Power Rankings: The Knicks are officially falling apart appeared first on Metro.us.

Records through March 11

1. Miami Heat (47-14, previous No. 1) – The Heat have won their last 18 games, or in other words, five more games than the Bobcats have won all season. Miami is also the only team to already clinch a playoff berth.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (47-16, previous No. 2) – Going into Monday night’s game in San Antonio, the Thunder had a nice little five-game winning streak going. It’s not 18, but OKC looks good.

3. Los Angeles Clippers (45-20, previous No. 4) – If you haven’t seen DeAndre Jordan’s dunk over Brandon Knight, find it. If you have seen it, find it again. Also, somebody should check on Knight.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (42-19 previous No. 5) – Tough four-game road trip ahead for the Grizz (POR, LAC, DEN, Utah) who have quietly won 12 of their last 13 games.

5. San Antonio Spurs (48-15, previous No. 3) – According to Elias, the Spurs suffered their worst home loss since 1997 on Friday, losing to the Trailblazers, 136-106. What’s that all about?

6. Denver Nuggets (42-22, previous No. 7) – Winners of eight in a row including a 15-point win over the Clippers last week. Circle Friday night’s game against Memphis on your calendar.

7. Indiana Pacers (39-24, previous No. 6) – An absolute choke job at home vs. the Celtics last week, and they were blown away in Miami. Not a good week for the Pacers. Oh, and Danny Granger is out again.

8. Houston Rockets (34-30, previous No. 12) – It’s not just James Harden with Jeremy Lin cameos. The Rockets are getting big production from Omer Asik and Chandler Parsons. Offense off the charts.

9. New York Knicks (38-22, previous No. 8) – How much better is the West than the East? The Knicks’ (second in the East) record puts them at the sixth seed out West — and even that seems too high.

10. Brooklyn Nets (37-26, previous No. 11) – A relatively easy stretch over the next 10 games could fool people, but Brooklyn looks to keep pressure on the Knicks.

11. Boston Celtics (34-28, previous No. 13) – Two big wins over the Pacers and Hawks, followed by a 79-point showing in OKC. The C’s are good enough to roll with second-tier teams, but that appears to be their ceiling.

12. Los Angeles Lakers (33-31, previous No. 17) – They’re 16-6 in the last 22 games and it seems Kobe Bryant is averaging 70 points a game as of late. Dwight Howard is playing basketball. Pau Gasol is closer to a return. Watch out…

13. Atlanta Hawks (34-28, previous No. 9) – Five losses in their last six games, with a game tonight in Miami. But hey, they still have Josh Smith leading the way … to nowhere.

14. Chicago Bulls (35-28, previous No. 10) – Sorry, Chicago, it seems like a Derrick Rose return this season is unlikely. Also unlikely: A series win without him.

15. Golden State Warriors (35-29, previous No. 14) – If Golden State wants to turn their season around, they can start by never wearing those jerseys with sleeves again. Jerseys with sleeves?

16. Milwaukee Bucks (32-29, previous No. 16) – It looks like Milwaukee should hang on to make its first playoff appearance since the 2009-10 season. Toronto and Philly don’t have any fight left.

17. Dallas Mavericks (29-33, previous No. 18) – The Mavs are only three games out from the eighth seed, but they’d probably need the Warriors to complete an epic collapse to get there.

18. Utah Jazz (32-31, previous No. 15) – No surprise that the Jazz went 0-4 on their four-game road trip, where they’ve struggled all year. Now they’re on outside looking in.

19. Portland Trail Blazers (29-33, previous No. 19) – If you thought a big win over the Spurs could spark them, oops, you were wrong. Portland lost to the lowly Hornets the next game.

20. Toronto Raptors (25-39 previous No. 20) – It’s a good thing the Blue Jays look ready to contend for something, because the Raptors sure don’t.

The post NBA Power Rankings: Lakers, Nuggets, Grizzlies quietly climbing appeared first on Metro.us.

Records through March 3

1. Miami Heat (43-14, previous No. 2) – A 14-game winning streak. Is that good? Nope. It’s freaking awesome – and so are the Heat right now. They haven’t lost in over a month!

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (43-16, previous No. 3) – A tough loss in Denver was followed up by a big win against the Clippers to lock the Thunder in at the No. 2 spot this week. Miami No. 1, OKC No. 2 – not much has changed since last year.

3. San Antonio Spurs (47-14, previous No. 1) - Tony Parker (ankle) will be down for about a month. He’s been the reason the Spurs have overcome injuries. Can they pay him back the favor?

4. Los Angeles Clippers (43-19, previous No. 4) – Still one of the deepest teams in the NBA, which will be huge for them in the postseason – especially if they eventually meet that always-banged-up Spurs team.

5. Memphis Grizzlies (39-19 previous No. 5) – The second hottest team in the league behind the Heat has gone 9-1 in their last 10 games losing to just – you guessed it – the Heat. An OKC-Memphis second round sounds exciting. Then again, so does a Memphis-Denver first round.

6. Indiana Pacers (38-22, previous No. 6) – The last game the Heat lost was against the Pacers, and the two will play again – this time in Miami – on Sunday. We’ll learn a lot about the Pacers here.

7. DenverNuggets (38-22, previous No. 7) - Say what you want about the Nuggets’ lack of star power, by Ty Lawson is averaging 23.1 points and 7.6 assists over his last 10 games – including a game-winner to beat the Thunder last Friday.

8. New York Knicks (35-21, previous No. 11) – The Knicks posted 37 points in the second quarter against the Heat on Sunday, but just 34 points combined in the third and fourth. They move up the ranks this week by default.

9. Atlanta Hawks (33-25, previous No. 12) - Going into Monday night, the Hawks were ranked No. 4 in the Eastern Conference, but they were just two games from falling to No. 7. Do they have what it takes to hold on?

10. Chicago Bulls (34-26, previous No. 10) – Joakim Noah looks like a man amongst boys out there as of late, but the Bulls are playing below-.500 basketball since late January.

11. Brooklyn Nets (34-26, previous No. 9) – Hopefully Jay-Z is too busy planning his summer stadium tour with Justin Timberlake to notice his team has lost four of its last five games.

13. Boston Celtics (31-27, previous No. 14) – Four games in six days for the C’s, including a back-to-back on the road. They could easily go 4-0, or 0-4. That’s been the theme for the majority of the year.

14. Golden State Warriors (33-27, previous No. 8) – The Warriors have two big problems. They don’t play much defense and they can’t win on the road. That spells early playoff exit.

15. Utah Jazz (32-27, previous No. 15) - The good news: The Jazz are 22-8 at home. The bad news: Five of their next six are on the road, where they’ve gone 10-19.

16. Milwaukee Bucks (29-28, previous No. 16) – As it stands now, the Bucks would play the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. Imagine if they w- nah, never mind.

17. Los Angeles Lakers (30-30, previous No. 17) - It might sound crazy, but with the Warriors, Jazz, and Rockets currently ahead of L.A., the No. 6 seed is still possible.

18. Dallas Mavericks (26-33, previous No. 19) – Mark Cuban claims to have this new CBA thing down. Mavericks fans have no choice but to hope he’s right.

19. Portland Trail Blazers (27-31, previous No. 20) – It’s starting to hit the fans in Portand that the playoffs probably aren’t coming there this season.

20. Toronto Raptors (23-37 previous No. 18) - It was looking good for Toronto for a few days anyways, but losing five of six will snap everybody back to reality.

Follow Metro sports writer Jimmy Toscano @Jimmy_Toscano

The post NBA Power Rankings: No one can beat the Heat appeared first on Metro.us.

The Knicks entered Sunday’s matinee with the Heat feeling confident they could close the 6 1/2 game gap in the Eastern Conference. But judging by their crushing 99-93 loss — a defeat that featured a blown 16-point lead — maybe that was just wishful thinking.

The Heat (43-14) stormed back for its franchise-record 14th-straight win on the strength of LeBron James’s 29 points, as the Knicks showed exactly why they are not yet on Miami’s level, despite leading the season series, 2-1. James also added 11 rebounds, seven assists and three steals to push their lead over the Knicks to 7 1/2 games.

Knicks center Tyson Chandler was disappointed in the way the game unfolded, as he thought the Knicks gift-wrapped the comeback.

“I thought this was a very winnable game,” said Chandler. “I walk out of this building thinking that we let one go.”

The Knicks (35-21) had a lead as large as 16 points in the first half, but the Heat used a 28-18 advantage in the third quarter to claw their way back into the game. Shane Battier gave the Heat their first lead since 30-29 in the second quarter when he drilled his fourth 3-pointer for the 82-81 lead. The game was nip-and-tuck for the remainder of regulation. But ultimately it was Miami’s stingy defense (they allowed just 16 points in the fourth quarter), untimely miscues from the Knicks (two costly J.R. Smith turnovers and a bevy of ill-advised shots) and timely buckets from James and Chris Bosh, which give them the win.

Head coach Mike Woodson was pleased to see a slumping Jason Kidd (14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-5 on 3-pointers) shake his doldrums, but the coach wasn’t in the mood to extol the virtues of moral victories.

“Kidd came out of his shooting slump and made some shots, but we just didn’t finish the game,” said Woodson. “We only played one half and you have to play two. … I think we knew what was at stake, we just didn’t close out. But expectations are still high. We’re still ahead in the division. We just need to handle our business and not look over our shoulders [because] we’re in a fight.”

By showing such fight, the Heat showed why they are the defending champions and the class of the conference.

“We got stops and made a couple of baskets when we needed it most,” said James, who had a terrific block of the 7-foot-1 Chandler on a layup attempt in the final moments. “But that’s what you have to do when you’re behind and need a comeback.”

James added the game was just as important to Miami as it was to New York, mostly to show their rival their place in the pecking order.

“We came out with a sense of urgency, especially in the second half. We just continued to fight,” James said. “It’s good to get wins like this, just knowing that we can go out and compete against one of the best teams in the East at a tough venue like the Garden.”

But while the loss should have been demoralizing for a Knicks squad that blew such a lead, they still sounded confident afterward. Perhaps it’s because they still hold the season series advantage and appear to be one of the few bad matchups for the Heat.

“We’ve just got to keep moving on,” said Iman Shumpert. “We had some chances, so we know we’ve got to keep it moving.”

The Knicks can perhaps still take solace in defeat because the Heat’s largest lead was six points, and that didn’t happen until Bosh canned a 15-foot- jumper with 1:06 remaining for the 97-91 lead.

Carmelo Anthony did all he could by scoring a game-high 32 points, but he was suffocated by James in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and conspicuously watched as guys like Kidd and Smith took forced shots.

Bosh in particular took great pride in the win. But while stopping short of saying it was a must-win situation, he acknowledged finally beating the Knicks this season and at the Garden, no less, was a boost in the team’s morale.

“It’s about beating the Knicks,’’ said Bosh, who had 16 points. “Winning streaks come and go. Most importantly, this game meant something because we have a chance to see them again in the postseason, especially late [rounds]. … We don’t want them to have a ton of confidence going forward.

“Of course we’re always confident, but you also have to know you can beat a team. We couldn’t just drop these first three games to them and think everything was OK. We had to know that we can beat them here, too.’’

Dwyane Wade was more defiant about the early success the Knicks had on the Heat, even though Anthony didn’t play in one of New York’s 20-point wins. Wade added that all that matters is postseason performance, although it was nice to win at the Garden.

“Yeah, it was good to get that [revenge],’’ Wade said. “But a couple of teams have beaten us before. Psychologically, we were always fine, because we’ve lost to teams in the regular season and beaten them in the playoffs. … It was just good to get this one because we’ll possibly face them in the playoffs.’’

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

The post Heat knocks Knicks back to Earth with comeback win appeared first on Metro.us.

Many hoops fans complain about how there aren’t any “great buildings” anymore when it comes to making noise, nostalgia and the “big stage” atmosphere. I tend to agree, for the most part. The original Boston Garden is long gone, Chicago Stadium is history, same for the Spectrum in Philly and the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, Calif. rarely houses sports events these days (you’re more likely to see an American Idol taping there).

College basketball still has some great old barns where it gets loud and you can always feel the history: Cameron Indoor at Duke, “Phog” Allen Fieldhouse at Kansas, Pauley Pavilion at UCLA. Madison Square Garden might be the one arena left in pro basketball where you would pay money just for the atmosphere of the building.

But part of the issue with the lack of “big stage” atmosphere today is the fact that there isn’t nearly the same amount of danger involved in professional sports anymore. You will never in a million years again see an NBA fight as “dangerous” as when Houston Rockets center Ralph Sampson decked Celtics guard Jerry Sichting in the 1986 NBA Finals. The fight spilled into the stands and nearly every member of the Celtics and Rockets got involved. Maybe it’s the grainy, dark, ’80s-style video that helps – but you get the sense that you’re watching a horror movie, not a basketball game, when watching that tape.

Today, the NBA likely has a team of 76 people or so in their New York offices that scour the internet daily for traces of “Basket-brawl” videos … all documented footage is immediately ripped down – those guys are good.

The Ron Artest brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills (click here for video while you still can) of course changed the game. Now, if two players even look at each other crosseyed there is a chance both will be ejected. It has taken away a lot of the physicality in the game, particularly under the boards, but we all understand now that it had to be done. When fans are getting decked in the face (like in the Artest melee), there has to be new order.

Obviously, things can still escalate in the league. Last night we saw Roy Hibbert of the Pacers and David Lee of the Warriors “go at it.” Not one true punch was thrown but it was still a bit frightening to see players so close to the fans with tempers reaching that level.

Last November I was in the house for the Kris Humphries-Rajon Rondo tussle that ended up in the first three rows behind the basket. While the TD Garden has absolutely nothing on the original Garden in terms of atmosphere, the place had that “big stage” buzz you read about. I was 100 percent certain that some fool would throw a beer on Humphries as he walked towards the tunnel back to the lockerroom. But it didn’t happen.

I’ll admit, there was a small, evil part of me that was disappointed that it didn’t go down. I wanted to relish just a few more seconds of that atmosphere, that buzz that you can only get when things get a little dangerous. Then, just about a minute after Humphries left the floor, everyone’s right mind took over and we all agreed that we were happy the days of 24-man brawls were over.

Matt Burke is sports editor and a columnist at Metro Boston. Follow him on Twitter @BurkeMetroBOS

The post Playing the Field: NBA fights create that buzz we miss appeared first on Metro.us.

Records through Feb. 24:

1. San Antonio Spurs (45-13, previous No. 1) – The Spurs finished their nine-game road trip with a 7-2 record, and continue to win games despite fighting the injury bug. Health seems to be the only roadblock for this team come postseason.

2. Miami Heat (40-14, previous No. 3) – Eleven wins in a row, seven of which have come by double-digits. Is that good? Not for the rest of the NBA. The Heat are pulling away from the East with relative ease.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (41-15, previous No. 2) – A 30-point beat-down of the Bulls is comforting. Not comforting? Signing Derek Fisher a few hours later. Do they really need him?

4. Los Angeles Clippers (40-18, previous No. 4) – Would Kevin Garnett put them over the top? We’ll never know. But the Clippers still have as good of a chance as any team to win a title.

5. Memphis Grizzlies (37-18 previous No. 6) – It’s not the strongest seven-game winning streak around (two wins over playoff contenders), but it’s a streak nonetheless. Still, it’s hard to include them with the elite right now.

6. Indiana Pacers (35-21, previous No. 8) – The Pacers are the team keeping somewhat of a “pace” with the Heat over the last 11 games, going 9-2 in that span. And they just got Danny Granger back. Fun times.

7. Denver Nuggets (35-22, previous No. 5) – Can we just bottle up everything about Kenneth Faried and give it to every NBA player? It would make for some pretty intense and amazing games.

8. Golden State Warriors (33-23, previous No. 9) – It looked like the wheels fell off for the Warriors after six straight losses. But a comeback, overtime win over the Spurs on Friday has them living up to their team name.

9. Brooklyn Nets (33-24, previous No. 11) – Went into and out of the break strong – two wins each – but have since lost to the Rockets and Griz. Joe Johnson can only hit so many game-winners, ya know?

10. Chicago Bulls (32-24, previous No. 7) – Sunday’s loss to the Thunder was ugly. Here’s some salt for that wound: According to Elias, it was Chicago’s eighth-straight game in which none of its players scored more than 20 points, the longest such streak in franchise history.

11. New York Knicks (33-20, previous No. 10) – The Knicks have just one win against a playoff team (the Bucks) in February. They are fading, and fading fast. Is anybody that surprised?

12. Atlanta Hawks (31-23, previous No. 13) – It almost seemed like a guarantee that Josh Smith would say buh-bye to ATL at the deadline. Instead, it’s a guarantee that the Smith-led Hawks are first or second round playoff exits.

13. Houston Rockets (31-27, previous No. 14) – With the position Houston has put itself in since last offseason, it’s easy to picture the Rockets as a top dog in the West next season. Not this season though.

14. Boston Celtics (29-27, previous No. 12) – Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will live to see another full season in Green. That may have not been the case if it was a seller’s market at the deadline.

15. Utah Jazz (31-25, previous No. 16) – The Jazz have both Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap ready to hit free agency. They aren’t good enough with them, can’t re-sign both, but didn’t trade either. Figure that one out.

16. Milwaukee Bucks (26-28, previous No. 15) – A round of applause for the Bucks who tried as hard as possible to land Josh Smith. Now, a moment of silence.

17. Los Angeles Lakers (28-29, previous No. 19) – The Lakers are 11-4 in their last 15 games, which can only mean one thing: they’ve finally tuned out Mike D’Antoni.

18. Toronto Raptors (23-33 previous No. – ) – The Raptors are 6-1 over their last seven games, including wins over the Pacers, Nuggets, and Knicks (twice). Playoffs?!

19. Dallas Mavericks (25-30, previous No. 18) – Mark Cuban loves hypotheticals (“Amnesty Kobe”), so here’s one: “Let’s just say the Mavericks make the playoffs this season…”

20. Portland Trail Blazers (26-30, previous No. 17) – The problem with Portland is that they need lots of production from their starters because their bench is extremely weak. No offense, Sasha Pavlovic.

The post NBA Power Rankings: Spurs, Heat, Thunder battle at top appeared first on Metro.us.

“You claim to be a player but I f***ed your wife.” – Tupac Shakur

The above is the most simple, yet effective rap/song insult in the history of writing rap/song insults. Watching “Tupac: The last 24 hours” last night on Current TV (yes the network still exists and yes, the John Belushi ’24′ is fantastic as well), I was reminded that you can never be 100 percent honest about people within your own industry 100 percent of the time. For instance, I could write “I heard that (insert name) from the Boston Globe is the laziest bastard going” or “(insert name) from the Boston Herald doesn’t watch a second of the actual game when he covers Celtics games – he simply plows through the free buffet and then proceeds to kiss the largest amount of athlete ass you’ve ever seen, only to get a C-minus quote.”

You might whisper about such things within an industry and once in a while drop some hints, but to ALWAYS flat-out say these things in a public forum? That’s a recipe for ostracism but more likely, death.

Rapper Lil’ Wayne is treading on thin ice these days. With hip-hop and the NBA tighter than ever (Nick Cannon is apparently the Pat O’Brien of today’s league, right down to the embarrassing voicemails), Lil’ Wayne needs to know better than to blatantly say in a public forum that he had sex with the wife of the third best player on the league’s world champion.

After leading an audience in chants of “F*** the NBA!” and “F*** the Miami Heat” this past weekend, Lil’Wayne pulled a Tupac:
“Let them n****** know I’m from the streets,” he said. “Ain’t no Twitter beef. Take it to the f***ing streets. Fuck all them n******. F*** Lebron [James]! F*** She-Wade! F*** Chris Bosh….And I f***ed Chris Bosh’s wife!”

(Click here to watch video)

The Miami Heat organization put in a request to the league to ban Lil’ Wayne from performing at NBA events, according to the rapper. Of course the league may have just decided that things got a little too strange with Wayne during last year’s All-Star activities and simply decided to not invite him back.

Either way, the next time Lil’ Wayne shows up in the stands at American Airlines Arena, you can bet that ABC’s conservative cameras won’t find him.

Follow Metro Boston sports editor Matt Burke on Twitter @BurkeMetroBOS

The post Playing the Field: Lil Wayne, Adrienne Williams-Bosh story could get nasty appeared first on Metro.us.