[Izulde]

Eight games left to decide our fate.

Game #1
-119-102 win over New Orleans. Stephen Curry lights up Chris Paul for 27 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds. Joakim Noah abuses Emeka Okafor for 25 points and 16 rebounds. All five of our starters score 11+ points.

We're a full game behind Dallas, Portland, and Golden State now, even with the win.

Game #2
-121-110 win in Denver. We certainly haven't had an easy draw the first two games. Stephen Curry has the best game of a Clipper this season with 40 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals. 15 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks for Joakim Noah, and 20 and 11 bench points for Tyson Chandler and Eric Bledsoe.

Golden State loses and we're currently in a dead heat with the Warriors for the 8 seed. Dallas wins, putting the Mavericks ahead for the 6 seed.

Game #3
-Back end, so no surprise to see the Lakers win 109-102. 18 points, 13 assists by Stephen Curry, 16 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks by Joakim Noah, and 12 bench points from Timofey Mozgov.

We're back to a game behind Golden State, but now we're just a half-game behind Portland.

Game #4
-116-91 blowout of the Timberwolves. Stephen Curry is really starting to adapt to the Jestorball role - 19 points, 14 assists, 6 rebounds, and just 2 turnovers. Joakim Noah motors for 12 points, 12 rebounds, and Tyson Chandler (16), [b]Timofey Mozgov (12) and Eric Bledsoe (11) all score well in the rout.

Half-game behind Golden State and we've inched ahead of Portland for the 8 seed. We're still in this thing halfway through.

Game #5
-We dethrone the Kings 120-84. Raymond Felton takes over with 30 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds and 0 turnovers. Tyson Chandler and Eric Bledsoe do work with the second team, scoring 19 and 10 respective points.

Still a full game behind the Warriors, but the Mavericks have slipped a bit and now we're tied with Dallas for the 7 seed. Portland lost again and it appears the Trailblazers might be blowing it at season's end.

...And we play the Blazers tonight on the back end of the doubleheader. It's no lie to say this is the biggest game of our season. This one's nationally televised, folks.

Game #6
-Stephen Curry was pissed about Sacramento shutting him down, so he comes out with a vengeance in the national spotlight. 26 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and just 1 turnover to earn Player of the Game honors in the 104-76 statement win. Nicolas Batum hits 5 of 10 three pointers for 22 points and holds Al-Farouq Aminu to just 8 points. Bet Portland fans are feeling pretty damned salty over that deal now, my first with the Clippers. 12 bench points for Eric Bledsoe.

That victory clinches the playoffs for us! We're tied with Golden State for the 6 seed, even. Man, what a great feeling, especially knowing the Blake Griffin for Stephen Curry trade played a major role in our reversal of fortunes.

91-79 loss to Utah pretty much consigns us to the #8 seed when Dallas and Golden State win, I think. The Mavericks win their last two games to clinch #6, but things get interesting when the Warriors lose their last game and we win, beating OKC 100-82 on Stephen Curry's 23 points and usual suspects Tyson Chandler and Eric Bledsoe with 11 and 10 points.

...Wait a minute. Dallas, Golden State, Houston and us are all tied at 48-34. OMG, I've never seen this before in any basketball sim I've ever played. Holy cow!

West Conference Playoff Seeding
1. Denver Nuggets
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. New Orleans Hornets
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Houston Rockets
7. Golden State Warriors
8. Los Angeles Clippers

...What a ripoff. Well, we've proven we can beat Denver, so it's actually a fortunate drawing. Far worse would have been the Lakers. We've beaten the Hornets and Spurs too, so as long as we avoid the Lakers, it's cool.

East Conference Playoff Seeding
1. Miami Heat (61-21, only 60+ win team in the league)
2. Orlando Magic
3. Boston Celtics
4. Chicago Bulls
5. New Jersey Nets
6. Atlanta Hawks (45-37)
7. New York Knicks (39-43)
8. Indiana Pacers (37-45)

Sheesh. Lucky draw for the two Florida teams. The East is nowhere near as deep as the West, which probably means the Heat have a free trip to the Finals. Ugh.