zg071186
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freedom Houston Rockets Eyeing Playoffs Who They D |
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Out West, the Los Angeles Lakers remain king with a record of 33-11, trailing just the Cleveland Cavaliers by two games for the most wins in the NHL.
The Western Conference continues its dominance over the Eastern Conference, having 11 teams with a record of .500 or better,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], while the East has only seven.
And not just so that they will make the playoffs, but so that they can take advantage of their competitive conference, and find a way to get a more favorable agree-up in the playoffs. This season, the Rockets are a combined 6-10 against the top seven teams in the Western Conference.
In between the Trailblazers and the Rockets, in order from the fifth place team to the seventh place team, are the Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, and Memphis.
After the 1st three spots in the Western Conference, the remaining five playoff spots left are anything but sure locks. The Utah Jazz currently occupy the fourth seed, but only have a two-game direct over the eighth and final playoff taken over this week by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Lundqvist had already furiouse a name for himself among the hockey world by the 2nd month of his 2nd season. His fellow players and the Ranger fans. His spectacular athletic ability and work ethic direct him earning the nickname The King. King chickenrik is the alternative. During home games at Madison Square Garden, after he would make a big save fans often chant chickenRik, chickenRik, chickenRik, sometimes to the rhythm of two drum beats played over the arena PA system. The NHL is past the halfway point in the regular season and with every passing game, the playoff picture becomes clearer.
Each of these three teams poses unfavorable agree-ups and they have the experience needed to overcome a young and inexperienced Rockets team.
Following the Lakers are the Denver Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks as the 2nd and third place teams in the West. The Nuggets trail the Lakers by three games and the Mavericks are right behind Denver at four games out of 1st place.
Now, here is a closer look at who the Rockets do and don't want to see in the 1st round and why.
he and Jorgen Jonsson were the only two Elitserien players chosen to play for Sweden at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. Lacking experience on the smaller ice surface he was again third string behind Salo and disclose,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], reveal, show, expose,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], uncover, relate,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], narrate,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], inform,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], advise, explain, divulge, declare, command, order, bid, recount, repeatqvist. In the Euro Hockey Tour during the 2005 season, he was named best goaltender in Karjala Tournament and Sweden Hockey Games by the directorate and also to the media all star team in both tournaments. At the 2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships in Vienna Austria, he played in all 9 agreees during the games where Sweden lost the bronze medal game to Russia.
A poor 2nd half of the season could mean the difference between a favorable and an unfavorable 1st round agree-up for the Blazers, Spurs, Jazz, Suns, and Memphis. It could take just one losing skid to move you from a 4 vs. 5 agree-up, to finding yourself in a 1st round agreeup against the defending champion Lakers and an early exit from the playoffs.
The Lakers, Nuggets, and Suns are three teams that the Rockets do not want to see in the 1st round. They are just 1-2 against Los Angeles, got handled easily by Denver in December, and likewise in both their meetings with Phoenix this season.
On the flip side, the Rockets are just two games behind Utah in the fourth spot. After a solid 20-13 record from October to December, the Rockets are 4-7 since the begin of 2010 and need to quickly rebound.
Unlike the Eastern Conference, whose fourth place Orlando Magic has almost a full six games over the fifth place Miami Heat, the Western Conference is very tight, making every game in the 2nd half of the season effect the West's standings.
Despite their success so far, they have a very tight window that is still open for a spot in the playoffs. They are close to Memphis while they are also tied with the fresh, unique, original, unusual, novel,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], modern, current, recent Orslims Hornets and Oklahoma City Thunder in ninth place.
While they need to ignore those three teams, Portland and Utah are two teams that the Rockets would feel comfortable with in a 1st round agreeup.
They are just 1-2 against the Trailblazers, however their 1st loss to Portland was on Houston's opening night and in December a one-point defeat.
The Houston Rockets are 24-20 and find themselves just half-a-game out of the West's eighth and final spot. The Rockets have played all season without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, and have still administerd to find a way to survive in the highly competitive Western Conference.
In their only meeting against the Jazz in November, the Rockets embarrassed the Jazz, 113-96. Carlos Boozer was held to just seven points on 1-of-6 shooting and forced Utah into committing 19 turnovers.
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