The Western Conference is up now, here’s my breakdown of the first round matchups in the East.

#1 San Antonio Spurs vs. #8 Memphis Grizzlies, Game 1 – Sunday 1 PM

When it comes to 1 vs. 8 matchups, this is a pretty interesting one.

For the first half of the year, the Spurs were a buzz saw, tearing through the West with ease. Quietly, San Antonio stumbled down the stretch, finishing just 12-11 en route to finishing a game behind the Bulls in the race for the NBA’s best record. They dealt with injuries and age over a long regular season and enter the playoffs playing far from their best ball.

Memphis, on the other hand, found an identity as a close-knit solid defense team even though their most talented player, Rudy Gay was injured. They have a front-court with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol that presents problems for anyone, the Spurs included. OJ Mayo has reemerged as a contributor and Tony Allen has upped his offensive game.

PREDICTION – SPURS IN SIX

This will be a competitive series, but Duncan, Ginobili and Parker will turn out to be too much for the dangerous Grizz.

#2 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #7 New Orleans Hornets

The Lakers have been micro-analyzed all season long, but now is their time. They’ve had their losing streaks, but they are still may favorites for the title and I question anyone who thinks otherwise. They had a scare put into them with Andrew Bynum’s knee injury, but he’s apparently good to go for the playoffs.

The Hornets, on the other hand, did not. David West tore his ACL in March and he won’t be taking the floor in the playoffs, ending any chance for New Orleans to present any problems for the LA. Chris Paul will score some points and dish some assists though.

PREDICTION – LAKERS IN FOUR

No chance the Lakers lose here and I’ll be surprised if they even lose a game.

#3 Dallas Mavericks vs. #6 Portland Trailblazers, Game 1 – Sunday 3:30 PM

This is everybody’s upset pick for the first round, and rightfully so. Portland has six or seven quality guys, including defense stopper Gerald Wallace who has made a big difference for the Blazers. The Mavs have Dirk, Jason Terry and a combination of old dudes and young guys who are only occasionally capable.

The thing is, though, that Dirk is ridiculously good. I used to make fun of him for a lack of clutchness, but I can no longer rationally make that claim. He’s awesome and if you have him on your team in a close game, you have a much better chance of winning.

PREDICTION – MAVS IN SEVEN

If I was a little more confident about Brandon Roy being even marginally capable, I would switch my pick, but this is going to be a series with a bunch of close games. In the end, I say Dirk makes the difference.

#4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #5 Denver Nuggets, Game 1 – Sunday 9:30 PM

This is another great matchup.

It’s an example of two of the teams that made the biggest deals at the trade deadline – deals that turned out beautifully in both cases. Denver let go of their superstar in Carmelo, but they found their identity as a fast-paced, run-and-gun team in the process and have played unbelievably well. The Thunder, on the other hand, acquired Kendrick Perkins, who has unleashed OKC defensively. Serge Ibaka can now play on the weak side, where he is a terror.

Denver, with their combination of youth and altitude, would present problems for most any team, but Oklahoma City should be able to run with them for the most part. Russell Westbrook is a terror in the open floor and should run roughshod over Denver’s smallish point guards.

PREDICTION – THUNDER IN SIX

There will be some really, really high-scoring games in this series. In fact, if I could watch just one of the eight first round matchups over the next couple weeks, this would be the one I would choose.

Although Denver is a better overall team having lost Carmelo, they now lack an elite crunch time scorer, while OKC has one of the best in Kevin Durant. I say he makes the difference.

Finally

The interminable NBA regular season has been going on for what seems like three years, the last month of which became utterly unbearable. It’s all over now and we finally get our reward: the NBA Playoffs. This year’s edition figures to be one of the best in recent memory. There are contenders and compelling stories all around.

While the first round of the playoffs may be a little boring at times and a couple games too long, there are compelling matchups. First, we’ll be taking a look at the Eastern Conference and later today the West will be up.

#1 Chicago Bulls vs. #8 Indiana Pacers, Game One – Saturday, 1 PM

For all the talk about the Heat and Celtics coming into the season, it’s the Bulls that are sitting with the best record in the NBA. They missed out on LeBron and D-Wade this off-season, but it turns out they are doing just fine with Carlos Boozer, Tom Thibodeau and a next level edition of Derrick Rose.

Chicago has been in the playoffs numerous times over the past few years, but they have yet to win a series since Michael Jordan’s departure. This year, though, they enter as overwhelming favorites against the up-start Pacers.

As brilliant as Derrick Rose has been in positioning himself for an MVP, defense is the reason why the Bulls will enjoy home court throughout the playoffs. Thibodeau has transformed Chicago into one of the toughest teams in the league. They’re physical, they protect the basket and they rebound.

The Pacers, on the other hand, are just average defensively. They actually score more points per game than the Bulls, but the Bulls allow about 10 fewer points on average. Indiana has some nice young pieces, led by Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert, Darren Collison and a much-improved Tyler Hansbrough.

PREDICTION – BULLS IN FIVE

I think the Pacers will steal a game at home, but the Bulls will overwhelm Indiana with their defense. The Pacers have bright days ahead, but not quite yet.

#2 Miami Heat vs. #7 Philadelphia 76ers, Game 1 – Saturday 3:30 PM

After the way they started the season and all the flak they got for their difficulties against the leagues top team, the Heat will have home court until at least the Eastern Conference Finals.

We know about the Heat. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are as good as ever and have learned little by little how to play with one another. Playing in their first post-season together, you have to figure they’ll be taking things up a notch. The problem is that they guys around them might not be able to follow suit.

Their holes are also well-known: no defensive post presence, poor rebounding and point guard play. Although the Heat are big first round favorites, the 76ers are a team that I believe can expose some of Miami’s flaws. The Sixers are deep and they have Andre Iguodala, the players who is perhaps best suited to guard LeBron one on one.

Miami easily swept Philly in the regular season, but the two teams have played just once since November. Since then, former Wildcat has, in spite of recent shooting woes, steadied the shooting guard position and Philly has played arguably the best ball in the East outside of the top three in the conference. They have six guys who average double figures eight that play over 20 minutes a game, plus two quick point guards in Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams that could give the Heat fits.

PREDICTION – MIAMI IN SIX

I think Philly will steal a game or two, but Philly’s lack of a clear go-to guy is going to keep them from really competing.

#3 Boston Celtics vs. #6 New York Knicks, Game 1 – Sunday 7 PM

How’s this for a first rounder? Tons of history, tons of tradition and two cities that care very little for one another.

Boston enters the post-season much like last year: stumbling. This time feels a bit different though with the team playing terribly since trading Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder for Jeff Green. Even still, this veteran group knows how to put it together when the playoffs get started.

New York won seven straight toward the end of the regular season before being dismantled by the Bulls and Celtics in the final two games. However, it’s hard to put any stock into Boston’s win since it was essentially a JV game with both team’s starters resting.

PREDICTION – CELTICS IN SIX

I would really like to pick an upset here, but I just can’t do it. Madison Square Garden will help carry the Knicks, but the Celtics are not the best matchup with their experience and defensive prowess.

#4 Orlando Magic vs. #5 Atlanta Hawks, Game 1 – Saturday 7 PM

I feel like I’ve seen this movie before. The Magic and Hawks have a regular season ‘rivalry’ (with the Hawks winning three of four this year), then the two meet in the playoffs and Orlando pounds them.

These two teams are largely the same as previous years, with Orlando making some minor changes and Atlanta a couple years older but really no better.

PREDICTION – ORLANDO IN FIVE

I see no reason why it will be any different this year.

Let’s be honest here: the casual basketball fan just does not care about the NBA right now.

I’m not making some big pronouncement about how the NBA no longer has wide appeal (which may or may not be true), but during the month of March, who really watches the NBA?

This is college basketball’s time. The NCAA Tournament was front and center all of last week heading into the best four days in all of sports. When you’ve got 12 straight hours of win or go home basketball, are you really spending your time worrying about the T’wolves or the Warriors?

Besides, the NBA season already seems like it has been going on for about a year already and teams still aren’t down to their final 10 games of the season. Interest will pick up again once battles in the East for home court and the final playoff spot come down the stretch, then it will really pick up once we enter what should be an awesome playoffs.

Although no one really is paying that much attention (except for the rest of the league), the Los Angeles Lakers are rounding into form. After a three game losing streak on the back end of a long road trip right before the All-Star break, the annual “are the Lakers finally done?” questions started to pop up. The answer: no.

Since then, the Lakers have won 12 of 13, with eight of those wins coming over surefire playoff squads. LA also dismantled the Spurs, the team running away with the best record in the league. The only loss came on the road against the Miami Heat, after which Kobe Bryant famously took to the floor to launch lord knows how many shots, then begrudgingly answered reporters’ questions while dripping with sweat.

What does it mean?

It means that the Lakers sense that playoffs are nearly here and it’s time to take things into overdrive. It also means that, as I have been saying all year, the Lakers are the favorites to win the NBA title.

I don’t care about the Miami Heat’s Big Three or San Antonio’s best record. I don’t care about how Oklahoma City might be ready to the next level or how the Celtics are out for revenge. As long as the LA Lakers have Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and a few other capable sidekicks, the Lakers are the team to beat.

Even though I hate them.

Amidst the interminable attention paid to the Miami Heat and the buzz surrounding the upstart Chicago Bulls, it’s not surprising that the Boston Celtics are a sometimes forgotten team.

The C’s had their day in the sun. For the season following Danny Ainge’s cobbling together of the Big Three, they were the focus of many a SportsCenter lead highlight. Although none of the attention showered on them comes even close to what the Heat have dealt with, they were indeed the story of the NBA in 2007-2008.

They won a title that year and since then have become the grizzlied veterans of the East. They had a down year in their title defense, leading many to permanently write them off, but a return trip to the Finals and a seven game defeat at the hands of the Lakers in 2010 showed that the squad still has juice.

In 2010-2011, it seems to me that the Celtics have, in some ways, been reduced to an existence in the eyes of many of simply acting as a foil for the now more interesting Heat and Bulls.

With the Heat, you have the parallels between the new Big Three and the old Big Three. On Boston’s side, you have a group of savvy old veterans, getting by on guts and guile, while Miami overwhelms opponents with sheer talent and athleticism. Also, Miami is a new team with new faces all around, seeking to bond and learn each other’s games on the fly, while Boston has played together for years.

With the Bulls, many of the same points of interest exists. Old Money vs. Nouveau Riche, veterans vs. upstarts. Plus, the two franchises are steeped in tradition and the two star point guards, Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose, have a budding rivalry borne out a dramatic seven game series in 2009 and resentment built from tryouts for the 2010 national team.

While all of these story lines are certainly interesting and worth paying attention to, I think we are sometimes guilty of forgetting that the Boston Celtics remain the clear favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.

Not only do the Celtics have the best record in the East, but they also have the fact that they’ve won eight playoff series as a team since coming together in 2007. The Bulls and Heat have yet to win a playoff series as currently constituted.

I’m sure some will argue that the Celtics don’t have the same nucleus as those previous teams after the trade of Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rondo are still lacing up for the C’s.

It remains to be seen whether acquiring Jeff Green will end up panning out for Boston, but not having Perkins does not figure to hurt Boston substantially in potential series with the Heat or Bulls. The Heat lack interior bulk and Green can take on the onus of guarding LeBron James and D-Wade for significant minutes. The Bulls have a much better front line, but Joakim Noah is not a huge one on one threat in the post.

We’re in for a stellar NBA post-season, especially in the East, but please do not forget that the road to the Finals goes through Boston.

The SEC Tournament is not exactly the crown jewel of Championship Week, but it’s going to be quite the event nonetheless and I’m here to break it down for you. Here’s what the bracket looks like.

The Favorite – Florida Gators

When you win the conference’s toughest division by three games, finishing your season by winning eight of nine games, you’ve earned the designation as conference tournament favorite. Florida has had an absolutely superb regular season and they deserved to sweep Coach of the Year and Player of the Year honors with Billy Donovan and Chandler Parsons. I’m not going to lie, I didn’t buy them as pre-season conference favorites, but they’ve lived up to the billing and then some.

Working against them, though, is a very tough bracket. To make the title game, they will have to knock off Tennessee (assuming the Vols beat Arkansas) and either Vanderbilt or a very motivated Mississippi State team. Florida has less to play for than most teams in this tournament since they are assured of at least a three or four seed in the NCAA’s.

The Dark Horse – Mississippi State

Yes, I know Mississippi State is the West’s two seed, so calling them a ‘dark horse’ may be a bit strange, but by consensus there are six teams that have had better regular season than the Bulldogs so I have no problem giving them this designation. Rick Stansbury’s team is in a familiar spot of having to win this Tournament to make the NCAA’s and if not for this play, they would have pulled it off.

This year, it would come as no surprise to me if they made another run. MSU always plays well in this tournament and they are a very, very talented squad. They only need to win three games and will be more motivated than pretty much any team they face. They do have the disadvantage of playing the late game on Friday, meaning they would have short rest on Saturday, but this team could end up stealing an at-large bid by winning in Atlanta.

Most to Play for – Georgia Bulldogs/Alabama Crimson Tide

These two squads are listed as the first teams on Joe Lunardi’s Last Four Out, so they need to make noise in Atlanta to put themselves on the right side of the dreaded bubble. The Tide and Bulldogs played just this past Saturday in Tuscaloosa, with Alabama winning a big game, but if UGA takes care of business in round one, the two will go at it again in what figures to be an elimination game for a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Toughest Road – Tennessee Volunteers

UT opens with Arkansas, a talented team that hung a loss on them in Thompson-Boling earlier this year. If they win that one, Florida will be rested and waiting. Then, it will be either a desperate Mississippi State team or a Vandy squad that the Vols would be trying to beat for the third time. Alabama, Kentucky or Georgia would be another tough finals match-up.

To my amazement, UT seems to be relatively safe in their quest for an NCAA Tournament berth. They are just 18-13 with an 8-8 record in conference, but they have enough quality wins to feel pretty good about making it to the NCAA’s. However, going one and done in the SEC Tournament will cause some serious worry come Selection Sunday.

One Man Wrecking Crew – Chris Warren, Ole Miss

Warren has been a fantastic player since he set foot in Oxford and will be playing in his final SEC Tournament. He has shown the ability to beat teams nearly single-handedly and could build some confidence in a relatively favorable opening round match-up against South Carolina. A win there would build some confidence entering a match-up with Kentucky, a team Warren already knocked off earlier this season with a late three pointer.

Best First Round Match-up – Tennessee-Arkansas

With how bad the bottom of the SEC has been this year, we have a couple first round stinkers in LSU-Vandy and Auburn-Georgia. Ole Miss-South Carolina is pretty interesting, but UT-Arkansas is much more compelling for a few reasons. First of all, Tennessee doesn’t want to put themselves in a position of having to worry on Selection Sunday should they loses this one. Second, John Pelphrey could be making his last stand as Arkansas coach, as the chopping block could be waiting. Finally, Arkansas upset UT earlier this year so the revenge factor is in play.

The Picks

First Round
Georgia over Auburn
Ole Miss over South Carolina
Tennessee over Arkansas
Vanderbilt over LSU

Quarterfinals
Georgia over Alabama
Kentucky over Ole Miss
Florida over Tennessee
Mississippi State over Vanderbilt

Semifinals
Kentucky over Georgia
Florida over Mississippi State

Finals
Kentucky over Florida

With just two games left in the SEC regular season (wow), it’s clear who will have the top seed in the East and West divisions in the SEC Tournament. Alabama has an insurmountable four game lead out West, while Florida has a two game lead with remaining over Vanderbilt. Even though Vandy can tie Florida, the Gators hold the tie breaker over the Commodores and will be the top seed.

There’s still a TON to play for though. With that in mind, we’re going to do things a little different this week and rank the top five games of the week by overall significance, taking the conference title race, SEC Tournament seeding and the NCAA Tournament into account.

#5 – VANDERBILT @ KENTUCKY – TUESDAY 9 PM, ESPN

There’s a chance this Super Tuesday encounter turns out to be the best game of the bunch this week, but with both of these teams comfortably in the tournament and with no SEC title implications, this one gets a bit of a discount in the pecking order. Vandy, behind only Kentucky, has suffered most in the SEC from the “can’t win a big one on the road” stigma and this one would obviously be huge.

Forgetting road record, UK is one of the top teams in the nation in Rupp but they have also recently struggled mightily in guarding the three point line. If Vandy (especially John Jenkins) gets hot like they did when the two squads played in Nashville, Vandy could steal one and thereby clinch the two seed in the East for the SECT.

#4 – FLORIDA @ VANDERBILT – SATURDAY 6 PM, ESPN

Even if Florida is able to win on Tuesday against Alabama, Florida will need to pull off a road win here to ensure an outright SEC title. Like UK-VU, neither of these teams are in bubble danger, but the SEC title implications give it a slight edge. These two teams went to OT when they played in Gainesville in their first match-up, as Vandy was just 6-23 from three point range. They tend to shoot a bit better in Memorial and could be smarting from a road defeat in Lexington (or riding high with confidence after pulling off maybe the toughest win in the league.

#3 – KENTUCKY @ TENNESSEE – SUNDAY 12 PM, CBS

If UK knocks off Vandy in Lexington and Tennessee holds serve against South Carolina on Thursday, Tennessee will have a shot at the two seed with a win over UK. The tie breaking scenarios are a bit crazy though, so we won’t get into that.

There are two more important things in this game, though, in my estimation. First and most importantly, Tennessee could cinch a tournament berth by beating UK. Second, UK could pick up a badly needed road victory and significantly strengthen their case for a top four seed in the real tournament. Having beaten Tennessee handily in Rupp earlier this month, the Wildcats may be more confident than in past road affairs.

Interestingly, this is the first time this season that UK has played an SEC East team on the road having already played them at home. UK has played seven road games in SEC play this year and every single one of them was UK’s first match-up against that team. It’s a bit of a scheduling quirk, but does it suggest a stronger performance by UK.

#2 – GEORGIA @ ALABAMA – SATURDAY 1:30 PM, SEC NETWORK

For SEC title purposes, this is a big one. As I previously mentioned, Florida has a tough game at Vandy this weekend. Even if Florida beats ‘Bama during the week, Alabama would salvage a tie for the SEC title by winning this one and if Florida loses to Vandy.

Perhaps more importantly, this is huge for NCAA bubble purposes. It’s not quite an elimination game, but it is a huge opportunity for a resume win for a couple teams that are far from sure about their prospective Selection Sunday fates.

#1 – ALABAMA @ FLORIDA – TUESDAY 7 PM, ESPNU

First of all, this is a huge one because these two teams are tied for the lead in the SEC with identical records of 11-3. The winner gets a massive upper hand in the SEC race. Even though both squads want this one bad, Alabama will likely be a bit more motivated.

In spite of their stellar SEC record, their status for the NCAA Tournament is very much up in the air due to a weak non-conference and bad RPI. If Alabama can pick up a huge road win and get one step closer to clinching the SEC title, it gets harder and harder to envision them being left out of the Big Dance. Winning at Florida would erase much of the sting from a BAD loss against Ole Miss. Oh yeah, this is also Grant’s first trip back to O-Dome, where he won a title as an assistant, since taking over at Alabama.

When the SEC honchos put together the schedule this year, this one didn’t look to be too interesting, but it sure turned out to be.

Other Games

Ole Miss @ Auburn – Wednesday 8 PM, SEC Network
LSU @ Georgia – Wednesday 8 PM, SEC Network
Mississippi State @ Arkansas – Wednesday 9 PM, CSS
Tennessee @ South Carolina – Thursday 7 PM, ESPN
South Carolina @ Mississippi State – Saturday 2 PM, ESPN2
Arkansas @ Ole Miss – Saturday 4 PM, SEC Network
Auburn @ LSU – Saturday 7 PM, FSN

Power Rankings

1. #14 Florida 22-6 (11-3) – There’s no shame in losing at Rupp
2. #20 Kentucky 20-8 (8-6) – Have you ever seen a team so bi-polar?
3. #21 Vanderbilt 21-7 (9-5) – That home loss to Tennessee was ugly
4. Alabama 19-9 (11-3) – Last week was bad, they narrowly beat Auburn and lost to Ole Miss
5. Georgia 19-9 (8-6) – They’ve won the games they’ve needed to so far
6. Tennessee 17-12 (7-7) – Road win @ Vandy followed by home loss to Mississippi State, huh?
7. Arkansas 17-10 (7-7) – They’ve won four of five, could they be a Cinderella in Atlanta?
8. Mississippi State 15-13 (7-7) – Such wasted talent
9. Ole Miss 18-11 (6-8) – Chris Warren showed ‘Bama he can beat a good team by himself
10. South Carolina 14-13 (5-9) – Young team has dropped five of six
11. LSU 11-18 (3-11) – They won for the first time in over a month this week
12. Auburn 9-19 (2-12) – Battle of the cellar dweller is next weekend

When you hear “strained left calf” you think alright, he’ll miss a week or so, maybe longer if it’s a bad one. Six weeks ago, Francisco Garcia went down with a relatively innocuous seeming calf injury…he has yet to set foot back on the floor for a game.

There’s still no definite word on when ‘Cisco will make his long awaited return but when he does, there’s going to be some new competition in the Kings’ back court. Before last week’s trade deadline, Sacramento acquired shooting guard Marcus Thornton from the New Orleans Hornets for forward Carl Landry. Garcia was a fixture in Sacto’s starting lineup before he went down, but between the amount of time he has been out and Thornton’s arrival, regaining his spot in the rotation is going to be a tough task.

Earl Clark’s minutes have been very unpredictable of late. Against Garcia’s Kings, he got the old DNP-CD on Wednesday, but played 21 minutes the night out against Oklahoma City. On Sunday, he played eight minutes in a comfortable win over Charlotte. Orlando is fighting hard for playoff position, so their rotation figures to be tightened up, which could make minutes harder to come by.

In a back-to-back this weekend, Terrence Williams got his first clock in nearly a month, playing 10 minutes against the Nets then seven more in New Orleans. He didn’t exactly tear it up statistically (4 points in each contest), but I’m sure seeing the floor was a welcome change for T-Will.

Samardo Samuels had the best statistical week of any former Card, scoring 12 points in two of the Cavs’ three games and playing nearly 20 minutes a game. His other outing was just a 2 pointer, but Cleveland did pick up a rare win in that one against the trade-depleted Knicks.

When the Washington Wizards drafted John Wall first overall in the 2010 NBA Draft, the former Wildcat was stepping into one of the most difficult situations I can remember a top pick entering.

The Wizards were absolutely in shambles. Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler were the cornerstones of a mediocre franchise for a number of years before his arrival, but Jamison and Butler were recently traded while Arenas was embroiled in an ugly controversy. To say the cupboard was bare would be an understatement.

It was going to be a while before the Wiz did any kind of winning as the team rebuilt around their new star point guard. Even with that knowledge, this year has been a trying one. Wall was immediately named a team co-captain (with the recently traded Kirk Hinrich), so he would shoulder a substantial load from day one.

After a welcome, albeit brief, respite in LA for All-Star festivities, Wall returned to his team. In the first two games after the break, the Wizards were absolutely crushed by borderline playoff teams in the Pacers and 76ers. After those defeats, Wall openly questioned the effort of his teammates. Some criticized a rookie speaking out in such a way, but those who realize the role that Wall is being asked to play know he was not overstepping his bounds.

His team has responded. Facing the Mavericks and Heat, two of the top teams in the league, the Wizards held their own in a pair of close losses. It’s never fun to lose, but it’s a lot more palatable to do it when your team is playing hard.

Since the All-Star break, Wall is averaging 21 points, 9.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds in four games for his struggling team.

Wall can only hope that he finds himself in the kind of situation that Rajon Rondo plays in. Rondo’s not a scorer every night for the East-best Celtics, but he doesn’t need to be. He runs his team and runs his team well. In the C’s first game out of the break, Rondo posted 19 points and 15 assists. In his most recent game against the Clippers, he scored just two points but the Celtics won behind his 11 assists.

Rondo also gave fellow former ‘Cat Eric Bledsoe fits in the game. With Baron Davis’ trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bledsoe has stepped into a starting role, playing nearly 41 minutes against Boston. He managed just 6 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals along with 5 turnovers.

The only former ‘Cat to change addresses in an exceptionally busy trade season was Nazr Mohammed, who has to be happy to move to a backup role with the contending Oklahoma City Thunder. Nazr has yet to play for his new team.

Tayshaun Prince, on the other hand, is still in miserable Detroit, braving the continuing disaster that is the Pistons’ season. I really don’t feel like going through all the shenanigans in Mo Town, so let’s just say things aren’t going well. Tayshaun played just 10 minutes this week due to a back injury (not a Richard Hamilton-orchestrated walkout).

The Chicago Bulls tried to trade for a replacement for starting shooting guard Keith Bogans, but as things stand, he’ll stay in the role. He’s just a serviceable option at this point and is really not being asked to do much.

Chuck Hayes, on the other hand, is more than just serviceable as a starter. In four games this week, he grabbed an averaged of 11.8 rebounds, 8.5 points and 5.0 assists. His offense has taken a big jump this season and his defense in the post remains elite.

Hayes is tutoring another Wildcat in Patrick Patterson. Patterson played his best game of his career in the first game out of the break with 20 points and 5 rebounds against the Pistons. Patterson was THE clutch scorer for the Rockets and hit all kinds of big buckets to get the win. He has scored just 6 points in his next three games, but that kind of inconsistency is to be expected for a rookie.

Inconsistency is something familiar to DeMarcus Cousins, who has just one double-double in four game since the break after five in a row prior to that. The Kings also brought him off the bench on Saturday after started four times in a row before that.

Jodie Meeks didn’t even have the benefit of inconsistency in his rookie season because he barely got to play. Things have changed in his second year. Jodie has started every game for the past three months for the playoff contending Sixers and has been a key cog. In three straight wins since the break, Meeks has scored double figures in two of the outings.

Let’s be honest here: it’s been a long time since anybody looked more forward to playoff action in the Eastern Conference than the West.

Over the past decade, nearly every series in the West has been of interest. We’ve had dominant teams like the Lakers and Spurs with exciting teams in the Mavericks, Suns and Nuggets periodically challenging those top squads. The Jazz and Trailblazers have been consistent threats and the Thunder have emerged as contenders over the past two seasons.

The East, though, has been short on drama. Early in the 2000′s teams like the Nets and 76ers made the Finals before the Pistons rose to power. LeBron’s Cavaliers, D-Wade’s Heat, Dwight Howard’s Magic and the Big Three-era Celtics have been the preeminent teams over the past few years.

There have been some nice series from those teams but, for the most part, they have been few and far between. The gap between the haves and have nots has been so wide that there have only been a couple teams capable of even making the Finals. Besides, big name teams like the Knicks and Bulls have been largely absent from any sort of meaningful involvement.

Oh how things have changed. The Celtics, in spite of age, remain strong. The Magic are still contenders. The Bulls have turned into serious threats as Derrick Rose has made the leap. The Heat…well, you know what happened there. The Knicks signed Amare’ and pulled off a trade for arguably the best pure scorer in the NBA. Pretty much every series in April, May and June is going to be eminently watchable, a claim that could not be made last year or any other year in recent memory.

If the season ended today, here’s what the first round match-ups would look like:

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Indiana Pacers
(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
(3) Chicago Bulls vs. (6) New York Knicks
(4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks

C’s-Pacers is the only clunker in the bunch. Bulls-Knicks would obviously be great. The Bulls are elite defensively and the Knicks are going to be putting up plenty of points. The Hawks and Magic have been going head to head in the Southeast for years. Even the Sixers are playing much better ball and could steal a couple from the Heat.

Things would really get good in the semi’s though.

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Orlando Magic
(2) Miami Heat vs. (3) Chicago Bulls

Those would be a couple slugfests. You’ve got defense, you’ve got superstars, you’ve got fantastic cities, you’ve got great arenas. I’m already getting excited about this and that doesn’t even take into account an Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and the Bulls/Heat.

The best part of all of this is that these teams really don’t like each other. This has been written about elsewhere, but that hatred has been missing and I’m so happy it’s back.

It’s hard to believe, but we’re coming down to crunch-time in the SEC schedule. In the most recent edition of Bracketology, Joe Lunardi had six SEC squads making the tournament. Florida, Vanderbilt and Kentucky all are looking to be in pretty good shape to make the NCAA’s, with Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee in dangerous bubble territory.

Each team has played 12 games in-conference, so there are just four games left for everybody to jockey for position. Let’s take a look at what happened this week.

Games of the Week That Was

Vanderbilt 64 Georgia 56 (Wednesday)

Outside of Kentucky, Vandy has been the quality team in the SEC that has had the most trouble on the road this year, so picking up this win against a very motivated Georgia squad was very impressive. Georgia had a 14 point lead behind some stifling defense with just over 13 minutes remaining, but that’s when John Jenkins went crazy. Before then, he was scoreless, but notched 21 points down the stretch to lead the ‘Dores to the win.

Vandy, including another road win Saturday at Auburn, has won six in a row.

Georgia 69 Tennessee 63 (Saturday)

Especially having lost earlier in the week at home to Vandy, UGA needed to make up ground. They responded, picking up a massive road win over the Vols which keeps them on the right side of the NCAA bubble…for now.

Georgia had not won in Knoxville in 10 years and it looked like they were en route to blowing another one as UT closed to within two with 42 seconds left. Dustin Ware, though, sealed the game with four free throws, allowing the Bulldogs to survive a career-high 32 points from Scotty Hopson. The Vols, now, are left hoping their non-conference successes will be enough to let them keep playing.

Other Results

Kentucky 85 Mississippi State 79 (Tuesday)
Tennessee 73 South Carolina 67 (Wednesday)
Ole Miss 90 Auburn 59 (Wednesday)
Arkansas 94 Florida A&M 55 (Wednesday)
Alabama 67 LSU 56 (Thursday)
Mississippi State 71 Ole Miss 58 (Saturday)
Vanderbilt 77 Auburn 60 (Saturday)
Kentucky 90 South Carolina 59 (Saturday)
Alabama 69 Arkansas 56 (Saturday)
Florida 68 LSU 61 (Sunday)

Games of the Week That Will Be

Tennessee @ Vanderbilt – Tuesday 9 PM, ESPN

Lunardi still may be projecting UT to make the tournament, but you have to think Bruce Pearl wants to pick up one more quality win to cinch a spot. This one, along with a home finish against UK, is a chance to do just that. Unfortunately, winning in Memorial against a psyched up late night ESPN crowd is quite the tall order.

Jeff Taylor entered the season as the Commodore with the most hype, but John Jenkins has clearly taken over that mantle, leading the SEC in scoring and potentially in line for conference POY honors as just a sophomore. UT will counter with a wing player of their own who is playing at a high level in Scotty Hopson. The two don’t figure to guard each other, but their production will go a long way to determining a winner here. Pearl will break out the creamsicle jacket Tuesday night, but I don’t think it will be enough.

Georgia @ Florida – Thursday 7 PM, ESPN2

In principle, this is a very similar game to Vandy-UT. It pits a road team fighting for its tourney life against a home-standing squad with a very solid home floor and NCAA profile. Florida, though, is a bit more susceptible to a loss in my opinion. Florida has had unpredicted hiccups this year and Chandler Parsons is unlikely to play. The Gators have a quick turnaround after this one before a trip to Lexington to face UK, so there’s a chance they could be looking ahead a bit. It should be interesting to see if the Bulldogs can capitalize on an opportunity.

Florida @ Kentucky – Saturday 4 PM, CBS

And here’s the game I was referring to. It’s always rowdy in Rupp for the Gators, especially when Florida has already knocked off UK earlier in the year. Florida will be coming off of a tough test against the physical Bulldogs with less than 48 hours of rest, while UK plays on Wednesday and does not have to travel. Advantage: Kentucky.

Florida, though, has played the most consistent basketball of any team in the SEC East in conference play, so past performance suggests they will win at least one game this week. If they don’t, the race for the title in the East could get very interesting in the final week of the season.

Other Match-ups

Ole Miss @ South Carolina – Tuesday 7 PM, ESPNU
Kentucky @ Arkansas – Wednesday 8 PM, SEC Network
Auburn @ Alabama – Wednesday 8 PM, SEC Network
LSU @ Mississippi State – Wednesday 9 PM, CSS
Arkansas @ Auburn – Saturday 1:30 PM, SEC Network
Vanderbilt @ LSU – Saturday 1:30 PM, SEC Network
Alabama @ Ole Miss – Saturday 4 PM, SEC Network
Mississippi State @ Tennessee – Saturday 6 PM, ESPN
South Carolina @ Georgia – Saturday 7 PM, FSS

Power Rankings

1. #13 Florida 21-5 (10-2) – They’ve won nine of 10 entering a very tough closing stretch (UGA, @UK, ‘Bama, @Vandy)
2. #18 Vanderbilt 20-6 (8-4) – Could sneak away SEC East title with some help from Florida
3. #22 Kentucky 19-7 (7-5) – Are they primed for a big stretch run?
4. Alabama 18-8 (10-2) – Conference title could be theirs thanks to cannibalism in the SEC East
5. Georgia 18-8 (7-5) – Resume still short on quality wins, but in decent shape
6. Tennessee 16-11 (6-6) – Vols probably need four wins in last four+SEC Tourney to feel good
7. Mississippi State 14-12 (6-6) – Thanks to divisional set-up, they’ll likely get first round SEC Tourney bye
8. Ole Miss 17-10 (5-7) – With SEC West way down, this was a wasted season for the Rebs
9. Arkansas 16-10 (5-7) – Gotta love the random Feb. match-up with Florida A&M
10. South Carolina 13-12 (4-8) – Lost five in a row in consecutive games against SEC East teams
11. Auburn 9-17 (2-10) – Eight of 10 SEC losses have been by nine points or more
12. LSU 10-17 (2-10) – Trent Johnson has aged considerably this year