Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. The Warriors did it! This didn't look much like a championship team in the second half of the year (after a 29-7 start they went 24-22 the rest of the way, including an abysmal 7-15 stretch), but Golden State managed to win their 4th title in 8 years. I think it's…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. Well, the Mavs finally lost! Hooray! I did manage to pick both of these series correctly this time, and now we're down to just two teams, the Warriors and the Celtics. Boston survived a very tough seven game battle with the Heat, while Golden State handled Dallas in five. This suggests…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. And then there were 4! (this is the tournament version of "the Oxford dictionary defines blank as..."). One big surprise at the end, which ruined my perfect round. Stemshul is probably enjoying how the Mavericks pulled a Giants-over-the-Patriots at-Super-Bowl-XLII on the Suns himself, for that matter. But let's keep the usual…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. I see the future! And I'm about to lie to you! Ok, the first round is in the books! Did I get my predictions right? Almost! The only one I missed was the only upset I predicted (Utah over Dallas). That's right, every higher seed won their matchup. Not very exciting,…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. All right, no faffing about, let's get to it! Atlanta took out Cleveland and New Orleans eventually dispatched the Paul George-less Clippers, so we have our 8-seeds and are ready to roll. We'll start in the East. #1 Miami Heat vs. #8 Atlanta Hawks Miami is tough, well coached, and really…
The 1946 Buffalo Bisons, who would eventually become the Atlanta Hawks. Part one of the play-in is in the books. How did I do? Pretty good! The only game I missed was the San Antonio/New Orleans match-up. The other three went as I thought they might, and what we have left now is the final phase of this opening round. Contest number one pits…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. The NBA regular season has just ended and tonight we begin the play-in round. Let's briefly look back at the regular season, remind ourselves how the play-in rounds actually works, and then make some predictions! First up, the regular season. Not too many surprises at the end here; the Suns kept…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. Back in week 13 we talked about how Boston was stuck spinning its wheels in mediocrity, unable to leverage the Tatum/Brown duo and their array of solid veterans into a dangerous title contender. The Celtics were 21-21 and had just bumped up three spots to #16. Since that time, they've gone…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. How about a team we haven't covered yet this year? The Minnesota Timberwolves have been stuck in mediocrity since Kevin Garnett was traded to Boston in 2007. The eventual prize from that deal became Kevin Love, and although he put up some great numbers, the team continued to struggle. Relatively poor…
Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid. Katohater or doppleganger? You decide! Let's look at another team who made a big trade at the deadline: the 76ers. Since adding James Harden, Philadelphia is 7-3, with one of those losses not including Harden in the lineup. The Beard's stats are very similar in most respects to his before the…
