ONLY two games remain in the 2018-2019 NBA regular season and with the Brooklyn Nets and the Orlando Magic securing the 6th and 7th slots in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the battle for the last remaining spot will be contested by three teams who are still all in the race mathematically – Detroit, Miami and Charlotte.
The Nets with their win over the Indiana Pacers secured a post season berth after five years. Brooklyn has to beat Miami today to secure the sixth spot. The Magic after seven years, earned another spot with a road win over the Boston Celtics. If they win over the Hornets and the Nets loses to the Heat, Orlando gets the sixth seeding.
The top five EC teams are locked into their seeds (Milwaukee, Toronto, Philadelphia, Boston and Indiana) but the Bucks, Raptors and Sixers still have to officially know who they will be facing in the first round. The Celtics and Pacers battle each other when the playoffs begin next week owing to their 4th and 5th seeding.
Currently, the Pistons unofficially sit at the 8th and final playoff spot. All Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and company needs to do is to win their last two remaining games. They won their match against Memphis yesterday and must win over New York to make their post season entry official.
Kemba Walker and his swarm of Hornets won against Cleveland, needs to win over Orlando and hopes the Pistons lose either one of their games. Miami is out of the playoff race, even with the win against Philadelphia because of the Pistons’ comeback win.
The Heat lost their last four assignments and had they won their last two games versus Minnesota and the Raptors that were both two-point loses, they would have been in the Piston’s position and could have extended to the post season their team’s all-time leader in points, assists and steals. The overtime thriller against Toronto was specially a heartbreaker.
Picked 5th after LeBron James, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh during the 2003 NBA Draft, Dwayne Tyrone Wade, Jr. will finally be saying goodbye to his active basketball career after 17 seasons, which is surely Hall of Fame bound.
Gone is the Flash and the fourth quarter scorer that we used to know. We missed his aerial ballets, those twisting lay-ups and slam dunks over taller and heftier opponents. Age has finally caught up with him, he who had become one of the greatest post season scorers of all time. Yet, at 37-years old, he still submitted decent numbers off the bench with 14.7ppg and 4apg in 26 minutes.
After a pre-game retirement ceremony, Dwayne Wade exploded for 30 points in the victory over the Sixers. Miami was eliminated but we saw a vintage Flash in his one last dance./PN
