[Izulde]

The run of upsetting Atlantic contenders on their own turf continues to start March as we shock the 76ers 105-91. Kenneth Faried is our hero again for the first time in a long time - 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Bench stars: Gary Harris - 12 points, 6 rebounds and Kadeem Allen - 11 points, 5 assists, 0 turnovers. Also Mason Plumlee - 7 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, a block, and a steal.

Why have we gotten so hot? As you can probably guess by the scorelines, our defense has transformed into one of the league's elite units. In the starting lineup, on the bench, we've got defenders everywhere who know how to sag off (we have a passive defense, remember) and wall off when we need to.

And because I opened my big fat mouth, we lose in Toronto, giving up 107 points and failing to break 100 ourselves.

Philly comes to town looking for revenge and doesn't get it, walking out embarrassed 105-90. Kenneth Faried rips his way to 20 points, 15 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. The rest of it is the bench mob yet again - Nerlens Noel with 12 points, 8 boards, 3 steals, and a block; Kadeem Allen with 17 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, and a block, and Joe Harris with 14 points.

Brooklyn, our most likely first round opponent, continues to kick our tails no matter where we play. Incredibly frustrating. We just can't solve Kyrie Irving.

We take out our frustrations on the Suns, treating them to a 30 point blowout. All of our bench players except DNP Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 8 points or more and Kenneth Faried picks up his third straight Player of the Game in our wins with 21 points, 5 rebounds, a block, and a steal. Guess he got sick of everyone talking about how this turned into Andrew Wiggins' team in his absence.

Drop one in New Orleans, then bounce back a few days later to edge the Hawks 111-106 in Atlanta. Kenneth Faried leads the charge with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals, while Nerlens Noel heads the second team with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Also bench greats - Joe Harris with 14 points and Kadeem Allen with 13.

Nauseating 2 point road loss in New York, followed by ANOTHER 2 point loss in Philly two nights later. JHRC! It demoralizes the team and we hit the skids - losing in Brooklyn (of course), then get mauled by Memphis on the backend of a two set. In Charlotte, no less.

A 125-111 W in Dallas stops the bleeding and stabilizes us at .500 (Monte Morris (22 points - PotG), Nerlens Noel (12 points, 15 boards, a block, a steal), Joe Harris (18 bench points), Kadeem Allen (10 points, 6 assists). But I'm already thinking about the season postscript. A first round sweep to Brooklyn seems the most likely, and while we've gotten miracle work out of a limited talent roster, there need to be major changes to keep us from being what we are now - a scrappy team that plays tough D and is full of heart, but doesn't have the horses to be more than a middling Leastern squad.

...Unbeepingbelievable. 4 point home loss to the Knicks? Suddenly we can't beat any team from the NYC area. Hell, Manhattan College would probably find a way to beat our suddenly psychologically damaged outfit right now.

A two-step of Kenneth Faried (35 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Andrew Wiggins (22 points) is enough for us to crush Cleveland in Charlotte 106-90 and return to .500. We're able to finish off March on the winning side by taking the front end of a B2B. 102-91 road win in the nation's capital by virtue of Andrew Wiggins scoring 23 with 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. All starters bar Nicolas Batum score 12 or more, and Kadeem Allen contributes 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists off the bench.

April leaps straight into the back half, hosting the 76ers. Loss by 7 as they've finally figured us out. Wish we could do that to Brooklyn.

I suddenly realize why we had such an awful March. Cody Zeller broke his foot on the 6th and I somehow never even noticed. I guess he and Mason Plumlee look a lot alike? Oops.

Anyway, we win 114-106 in Chicago on Kenneth Faried's 33 points and 9 rebounds. Joe Harris scores 21 and Kadeem Allen nets 10 points and 5 assists off the bench. We played without Andrew Wiggins who evidently missed the game for personal reasons because he didn't even suit up.

A chance to sew up .500 in Orlando and we blow it, scoring just 79 points. We get it hosting Indiana about a week later, all five starters with 11 points or more, including Kenneth Faried's 20 and 10, with Monte Morris's 26 points earning Game MVP honors.

The Pacers get their revenge in a game that was never close in the regular season finale. We finish 41-41 - a perfect .500. That really does feel like the topline for this squad, so I'm not upset or anything.

Actually, yes I am. You see, I haven't been paying attention to the standings. Here's what happened.

Eastern Conference Playoff Seedings
1. Philadelphia 76ers (54-28)
2. Boston Celtics (54-28)
3. Milwaukee Bucks (49-33)
4. New York Knicks (42-40)
5. Orlando Magic (42-40)
6. Charlotte Hornets (41-41)
7. Brooklyn Nets (40-42)
8. Indiana Pacers (39-43)

That regular season finale not only caused us to lose the Southeast crown on the very last day of the regular season (Orlando got hot while I wasn't looking), it also allowed the Pacers to surprise sneak into the postseason.

I suppose I should be happy I don't have to face an NYC team in the first round, but maaaaaaaaaan.

Cheering thought: The Lakers got lazy once they locked everything up and finished 67-15. Maybe they'll be so rested and lacksadiscal they'll get knocked out by Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks - the 8 seed at .500.