Tap Dancing

I ended up going 13 for 16 on my playoff picks this season which was just as good as ESPN’s vaunted “Forecast” and better than most experts.  #humblebrag 

EAST 

I had in… 

6. Charlotte Hornets – They fell from 6^th to 9^th in defensive efficiency but bad chemistry and injuries really did them in.  Marquee free agent addition Lance Stephenson’s PER fell from 14.72 to 8.87 and he somehow managed the lowest 3-point percentage EVER (17.1%) for players with at least 100 attempts.  None of that stopped him from raising his usage rate from 19.0 to 20.7 though, and not coincidentally the team had their best stretch of the season while he was injured.  Beyond Lance being out for 21 games Al Jefferson missed 17, Kemba Walker 20, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 27 and Cody Zeller another 20. 

8. Detroit Pistons – After jettisoning Josh Smith 28 games in they were on track for the playoffs but without Brandon Jennings for the final 41 games they just didn’t have enough (sorry Reggie Jackson).  Greg Monroe missed 13 games and Jodie Meeks 22 but after that most of their rotation guys were healthy.  I’ll give Stan Van Gundy, both the coach and the GM, a pass this year but next year he is officially on the clock. 

I had out… 

12. Boston Celtics – From last season to this one they moved from 27^th to 20^th in offensive efficiency and 20^th to 12^th in defensive efficiency.  That’s pretty impressive when you consider that GM Danny Ainge traded arguably their two best players in Rajon Rondo (after 22 games) and Jeff Green (after 33 games).  Credit goes to Coach Brad Stevens for keeping this group engaged and cobbling together several different rotations that worked during the course of the year.  Let’s not get too excited about them though since they were still an under .500 team. 

13. Milwaukee Bucks – When I look at their roster I still have trouble believing that they made the playoffs, and that’s including Jabari Parker (missed 57 games) and Larry Sanders (waived after only appearing in 27).  Other than those two guys they were mostly healthy though and Coach Jason Kidd deserves all the kudos he gets for taking them from 29^th in defensive efficiency all the way up to 2^nd in one season.  Regardless of how you feel about Michael Carter-Williams GM John Hammond also did well selling high on the overrated Brandon Knight. 

WEST 

I had in… 

4. Oklahoma City Thunder – Explaining how they missed the playoffs is simple.  Kevin Durant missed 55 games, Russell Westbrook 15, Serge Ibaka 18, Steven Adams 12 and Nick Collison 16.  Then factor in that Dion Waiters and Kendrick Perkins played 47 and 51 games for them respectively and there you have it.  If GM Sam Presti wants to fire Coach Scott Brooks I’m ok with it, but not because Brooks couldn’t get this injury ravaged bunch to the playoffs this season. 

I had out… 

9. Houston Rockets – They had more than their fair share of injuries yet somehow still managed to finish second in the rugged West.  There are two morals to that story.  First, never question the greatness of The Beard.  And two, doubt mathketball at your own risk.