Thursday Heat Check

Three Up:

Nate Robinson-Uhh, what is going on. Sure he can drive, and the big guys can barely see him, but how is he scoring this much? Last night, the surging Knicks beat the Pistons behind Nate's 30. Besides the game he missed, he hasn't scored less than 10 since January 17th. Also, his 4.1 rebounds per make a lot of taller guys feel embarrased

Atlanta Hawks- After a bad last week, they have now rolled off 3 straight wins against playoff teams, including potential 1st round matchup Detroit. Josh Smith's double-doubles have helped, but Joe Johnson's play is near angelic!

Dallas Mavericks-Just when you think the Mavericks are glue, (sorry if I offended any horses) they win 3 straight. A win over Washington at home is no big deal, but they did beat Portland and Phoenix. Jason Terry has caught fire, scoring 24, 25, and 33. However, I think the Mavs are relaxing because they really don't have anybody on their tail anymore. And really, they are only 1.5 games out of the second seed. The Western Conference is crazy.

Three Down:

Boston Celtics: After a huge win over the LeBron's, they trip and fall against the Magic and the Heat. I really don't expect this to continue. Over the next two weeks, they play the Grizz twice, the Bucks, the Bulls, and the Clippers

Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets fell how far? After starting March 2-5, they are now the 7th seed in the West, and the Suns and Mavs are licking their chops. The perimeter D is looking a little shaky, especially after giving up 14 3-Pointers in a loss to Sacramento

Toronto Raptors: I thought there would be big things in store for this team this year. I did not mean a draft pick. The Raptors are nearly out of contention, which is pretty hard to do in the East. I thought Shawn Marion would help get this team to the playoffs. Perhaps they need to give more minutes to Roko B. Ware

Tonight:

Lakers at Spurs: The two best teams in the West square off (sorry, Houston.) I like the Spurs, who should grind it out against a Lakers team that already had a tough game against the Rockets last night. Give me the Spurs by 2.

Cavs at Suns: The big questions is how many LeBron can score. I however would like to see if the Suns can keep hanging on to the hope of a playoff spot. I have the Suns by 6.