NBA Playoffs 2013: Western Conference Standings 4 / 11 / 2013 -- While you were sleeping

Man, logic states I shouldn't be worried; however, every night something crazy happens.

And here we go...

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The Good:

• The Denver Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs, so they have increased the lead on the Memphis Grizzlies for the #3 spot in the West. The more and more DEN wins, the easier it will be for MEM to call it a night on our last game and go easy on us. If MEM still has something to fight for, it will be harder for us to win. DEN winning makes it less likely that MEM has something to fight for.
  

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The Bad:

• The Denver Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs, which now put the Oklahoma City Thunder as the #1 seed in the West (same record, but they have the tie breaker right now). The Spurs are a team we have shown an ability to be competitive against. We've played them a lot. We have been able to handle Tim Duncan for the most part, and right now Manu Ginobili isn't playing. The Spurs of 2013's Playoffs will not be the Spurs of the 2012 playoffs. The Thunder, on the other hand? They are certain death. And we saw that in our last game.
• The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers. Kobe Bryant continues to be numerically indomitable right now. The Lakers now have a 1.0 game lead on the Jazz. They have one more win, and one fewer loss. The rest of their games are at home, and two of ours are on the road. If we go 2-1 they just have to hold serve and do the same.

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The 'Meh':

• The Sacramento Kings beat the New Orleans Hornets. I didn't watch this game, but that kind of ends "The Race for #14" in the west. Now the Minnesota Timberwolves have a chance to catch the Kings in "The Race for #13" in the west. That made end up helping us if the Timberwolves do their best to drop the two games we play against them down the stretch.
  

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Tonight:

There are just two games on tonight, and only one Western Conference Game. WE have the Golden State Warriors hosting the Thunder. I guess we want the Thunder to win because we'd love it for Golden State to drop to #7 in the standings (currently at #6, and 1.0 games ahead of the Houston Rockets), because we on their 1st round draft pick. If we miss the playoffs, and tonight's standings are THEE standings we'd get a #14 and a #19 draft pick. I think it would be easier to move up (and I understand moving up would me no chance to get Myck Kabongo with our 2nd first rounder) if it was the #14 and #18 pick than than the #16 and #20 pick (which it easily could be if we make the playoffs and Golden State does well while the East messes up on their side of the bracket). Of course, some people think there's no appreciable difference and that the playoff experience will be good for us. I'm sure it will be. I'm just thinking that this year is dunzo, and this core is dunzo. I don't see the value of (if I was a chef on a boat) decorating the cake I was working on after our boat has hit an ice berg and is going down. Trying to coax a benefit out of this season and this core is like trying to finish decorating a cake on a sinking ship. Good job, good effort. But instead: save yourself and hope that the next boat your own has a better captain / navigator / engine. Some of our vets are doing precisely that right now, and would only continue to do more of it in the playoffs as their last audition before signing elsewhere.