The latest Power Rankings are out, and since I’m too lazy to do one myself, I’ll just link you to theirs. A couple of notes:

• The Celtics are back to No. 1. Yay. I just love the Celtics, with overglorified players like KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Please, LA or Cleveland, please beat them in the playoffs.
• The Nuggets are No. 6. How is it that one good point guard can change a team around so much? No AI, insert Chauncey, and this team is rolling.
• At 23-19, the Heat are No. 10. I know they’ve been surging, but c’mon. No. 10?
• In the same conference and same division, and three games up on the Heat, the Hawks are No. 11. This is the power Dwyane Wade has on a team.
• Beware the 76′ers, who sit at No. 12. After their terrible start, they’ve come on strong and are looking like the playoff threat they were last year.
• At No. 30, is there really any hope for the Kings? They don’t have the worst record, at least, which belongs to No. 26, the 9-35 Thunder.

It’s not so much that the playoffs are set — teams can still win and lose and change their seeding — but we know who will be in there. Based on the two scores below, the Hawks and Nuggets have assured themselves a spot in the Final 16 (Sweet 16?). The Nuggets won their way in, while the Hawks kinda just lost less. That’s kind of a simple theme here in Atlanta.

Indiana Pacers 110, Washington Wizards 117: Thanks to the Washington Wizards, the Hawks will visit the playoffs for the first time since 1999. The last time the Hawks made the playoffs, they had Steve Smith, Dikembe Mutumbo (still in his prime, and not quite 50), and Mookie Blaylock. Yes, it’s been a while. Thank you, Washington. Thank you. To make Indiana fans feel sick, listen to this stat: The game in which they were eliminated from playoff contention, Washington’s starting five scored a combined 47 points. The Wizards got 70 points from their bench. The Pacers bench scored 22 points.

Golden State Warriors 116, Phoenix Suns 122: It’s a sad day for the Warriors, who were last year’s upset darlings, and who won’t be participating in the ‘08. With 48 wins — compared to the Hawks 30-something — the Warriors won’t be making the trip to play LA/New Orleans/San Antonio, while Atlanta will be making the trip to get swept by Boston (I’m hoping for just one win; give me one home win, and let it be the game I’m attending, and I’m cool with this season’s effort).

Toronto beat Miami, assuring them of the six-seed in the East and not playing Detroit in the first round, while also assuring that Miami will have the No. 1 pick. Other than that, there’s still some stuff up in the air, which will be resolved over the last couple games of the season.

Charlotte Bobcats 107, Indiana Pacers 103: This probably isn’t the highlight of everyone’s NBA Saturday, but it was mine. With the Hawks gripping a two game lead in the East for the final playoff spot, their last three games are against Boston, Orlando, and Miami. Indiana, who’s two games back, has Charlotte at home, at Washington, and New York at home to close the season. The Hawks lost to Boston, and beating Orlando will be tough. Thankfully, though, Indiana seems to be worse down the stretch than the lowly Hawks. The Pacers had Charlotte at home, a perfect opportunity to gain one on the Hawks, and choked it up. Danny Granger had 37 points for the Pacers, but it wasn’t enough to stop a well balanced Bobcats team (that almost sounds like an oxy-moron), who were led by Jason Richardson’s 26 points. Jermaine O’Neal played 20 minutes for the Pacers, getting seven points and five rebounds. The Hawks magic number is now down to one.

Boston Celtics 99, Hawks 89: When you look at their final three games, and figure how they’re going to clinch, you don’t really chalk this one up as a W. I’m a Hawks fan, and I’ve been stuck with many, many years of terrible teams, so this year I’m not getting any hopes up for the playoffs; that said, I can’t blame them for losing to a team that has far better talent and players. All five Hawks players scored in double digits, led by Joe Johnson’s 21, but KG had 24 points for the Celtics, and Sam Cassell came off the bench to add 20. It was Boston’s 64th win of the season.

Denver Nuggets 97, Utah Jazz 124: A couple of days ago, Denver had a two game lead after beating the Warriors. A couple of days later, their tied with the Warriors, and what was looking like their playoff spot to be had suddenly looks like something they’re losing their grip on. It was a three point Jazz lead at the half, but Utah outscored Denver 62-38 in the second half, showing why they’re one of the best teams in the NBA when they’re playing at home. Carlos Boozer, Ronnie Brewer, Mehmet Okur all finished with 20 points for the Jazz, and Deron Williams finished with 19. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson combined to score 50 points in the losing effort.

New Orleans Hornets 91, Sacramento Kings 94: The loss puts the Lakers and Hornets tied for first, and the Spurs are only half a game back. I can’t remember the last time three teams were this close to winning the West this far into the season, but it’s making the NBA season fun to watch.

LA Clippers 116, Golden State Warriors 122: Read above about the Warriors and Nuggets: They’re now tied for eighth place, though Denver does take the tiebreaker. Let me ask you this: If you’re LA, New Orleans, or San Antonio, and you finish first in the West, who would you rather play: The Warriors, who beat the Mavs in Round 1 last year, or the Nuggets, who often choke in the playoffs?

Denver Nuggets 114, Golden State Warriors 105: When you play the Nuggets, you can pretty much assure yourself of scoring in triple digits. Unfortunately, you can also assure they’re going to score in triple digits. It was the Nuggets’ 20th game in a row scoring 100 points or more, and of those twenty games only twice did they hold their opponent under 100: They held the Spurs to 96, and the Clippers to 99. Allen Iverson, JR Smith, and Carmelo Anthony all combined for 82 points for the Nuggets. With the loss, Golden State allowed Dallas to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

Utah Jazz 94, Dallas Mavericks 97: The Mavs were scared there for a minute, but with the win and the loss of the Warriors, Dallas has stamped its way into the playoffs, and will probably be the seven seed. Dirk Nowitzki scored 32 points and had hte game winning three, and Jason Terry chipped in with 21 points. I said it before the trade, I said it after the trade, and I say it now: Jason Kidd was a rip off. He scored seven points and had seven assists, and you have to start wondering: Was he partially responsible for the Nets slide? VC and Richard Jefferson can score, and at some point, we just have to face facts — maybe Jason Kidd isn’t very good anymore.

Los Angeles Lakers 106, Los Angeles Clipppers 78: There was a time where it was thought the Clippers were on their way up. That was two years ago. What a difference time can make.

Atlanta Hawks 98, Indiana Pacers 112: Mike Dunleavy dropped 28 points for the Pacers, and Jermaine O’Neal had 10 points in his return, as the Indiana Pacers beat the Hawks to help avoid playoff elimination. Both teams have four games left; the Hawks play Boston, Orlando, New York and Miami, and Indiana faces off against Philadelphia, Charlotte, Washington and New York. It’ll be hard for Atlanta to blow this, but don’t put anything past them. They are, after all, the Hawks.

Utah Jazz 77, New Orleans Hornets 66: Chris Paul had four points and nine assists on 2-11 shooting. Peja led all Hornets players with 15 points. The Hornets shot 36 percent from the field, and only 21 perecent from beyond the arch. With the loss, the Hornets still hold the best record in the West, and can avoid having to play Dallas in the first round, which, I assure you, will give San Antonio serious problems should they meet then.

Boston Celtics 107, Milwaukee Bucks 104: Go, Boston, go. Next up for the Celtics: Chewing through the Hawks in Round 1 of the playoffs like they’re some kind of super buzzsaw.

Phoenix Suns 127, Memphis Grizzlies 113: The Suns are starting to win with Shaq, and like the ongoing theme in the West, are going to make the third ranked team seriously mad that they’ll have to play these guys in Round 1. If you’re the No. 1 seed, you play Denver. No. 2 seed, you play Dallas. No. 3 seed, you play Phoenix. Compare that to out East, where the No. 1 seed gets Atlanta, the No. 2 seed gets Toronto, and the No. 3 seed gets Philadelphia. The question of “Who’s more battle tested?” when they get to the Finals won’t be a hard one to answer.

Sacramento Kings 132, Golden State Warriors 140: Nelly’s still alive, and so are his Warriors. The game didn’t feature a whole ton of fundamental defense, but it did feature a lot of up-and-down game with multiple guys scoring multiple points. Both teams featured six players in double digits, led by Baron Davis’ 33 points. Golden State is tied with Denver, but the Nuggets hold the tie-breaker.

Denver Nuggets 117, LA Clippers 99: Keeping pace, Denver. Keeping pace.

Dallas Mavericks 105, Phoenix Suns 98: The Suns would have to do a lot to blow their lead and miss the playoffs, but if such an event did occur there would be a lot of people pointing to this game as the reason they’re not in. The Suns held a 12 point lead heading into the fourth, but only managed nine points the entire quarter, therein losing the game. Even in victory, I’ll hate on Jason Kidd, and how little he contributes to this team: In 38 minutes of action, he had eight points and seven assists.

Golden State Warriors 96, New Orleans Hornets 108: Golden State is doing their best to survive and push their way into the playoffs, but the gas tank is on E, and the car is starting to sputter. Monta Ellis had 35 points, but Baron Davis only came up with 17 and Stephen Jackson fell flat with only six points on 3/11 shooting. New Orleans holds a 1 1/2 game lead over the San Antonio Spurs.

San Antonio Spurs 72, Portland Trail Blazers 65: Tim Duncan provided most of the offense with 27 points, and the rest of the Spurs decided they’d play lights out defense and hold their opponent under 70. Brandon Roy led all Blazers players with 18 points.

Denver Nuggets 147, Seattle Seahawks 151: Like I said about Phoenix: If Denver doesn’t make the playoffs, this is the game they’ll point to. Kevin Durant dropped 37 points, had nine rebounds and eight assists, and Denver dropped one to the second-worst team in the NBA. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson combined for 64 points for the Nuggets.

Toronto Raptors 120, Atlanta Hawks 127: The Hawks have won five straight games, and are now four games ahead of the Indiana Pacers and New Jersey Nets for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference. With eight games left, and considering the teams trying to catch them, this one may be locked up. That said, this is the Hawks, who aren’t very good, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Indiana Pacers 77, Boston Celtics 92: Boston got its 60th win and tied the best ever turnaround in consecutive seasons in NBA history. Paul Pierce and 13 points, Kevin Garnett 20, and Ray Allen chipped in with 15 for the Celtics, who are just waiting to tear my hometown Hawks apart in the first round of the playoffs. There’s that part of me that wants to say, “Hey, we’ve got a chance.” But then there’s that other part of me, the logical, gambling part, that says ride the Celtics through.

New Orleans Hornets 106, Miami Heat 77: When the Heat traded for Shaq, they made a statement that they were going to win then, and then only. They’ve traded him away, lost D-Wade for the season, and here’s the result: A 13 win team that looks helpless from every angle you can look at. Chris Quinn led all scorers for the Heat again, dropping 18 points, but the rest of the team. . . well, not so great. When Chris Quinn has 18, and the rest of your team has 69 points combined, there’s a problem. David West and Tyson Chandler combined for 42 points for the Hornets.

Golden State Warriors 86, Dallas Mavericks 111: Return of Dirk! Return of Dirk! The MVP was back and, to be frank, was still a little pissed at last season’s first round collapse. Everyone’s favorite German had 18 points, and Jason Terry (31) and Josh Howard (28) helped the Mavs to victory. With the win, Dallas is seventh in the West, and has a two game lead over Golden State, who is one game back of Denver (who holds the eight spot — that was a lot of explanation).

With no football games, it’s hard to gamble, so, thankfully, we can throw our money away on NBA games that can really go either way. But it’s entertaining, right? And, in short, that’s the main reason we gamble. We don’t do it to win or lose — we do it because it takes an otherwise boring chunk of the night and becomes very, very entertaining, even if the entertainment is accompanied with many hours of grief afterwards. Enjoy my picks. I’m the best.

How I’m doing:

Last Night: 2-2
On the Season: 38-38-1
It seems I’m doing well not winning and not losing, doesn’t it?

Tonight’s Games:

Toronto Raptors (-2) @ Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks struggle against good teams, and though not great, the Raptors are solid. I hope I’m wrong — believe me — but I just don’t see it happening for Atlanta.

Indiana Pacers @ Boston Celtics (-10): The only way this doesn’t hit is if Paul, Ray and KG all go down, and Sam Cassell transfers back to LA. Otherwise, you’re in the clear.

Golden State Warriors (+6) @ Dallas Mavericks: This game is like the playoffs right now. And we know what happens when Golden State and Dallas meet in those type of games.

New Orleans Hornets (-11) @ Miami Heat: It’s rare in the NBA that you find a road team favored by double digits. It’s also rare in the NBA to find a roster that looks like Miami’s.

Cleveland Cavaliers (-2) @ Charlotte Bobcats: Hard not to bet on a team when they’re barely favored over the Bobcats, and they’ve got LeBron James.

Don’t let the title fool you: I’m a Chris Webber fan. I felt horrible for the guy when he called timeout, and said I’d always feel horrible for him if he didn’t win some kind of championship. Many years with the Kings, and many more teases later, Webber never won that title, and has instead hobbled onto teams since then (Detroit), in a last-ditch effort to take his claim to glory.

He’s officially retired now, stepping away from the Warriors, whom he joined mid-season.

Webber appeared in a mere nine games with the Warriors this time, averaging just 3.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game as Golden State went 6-3 in those games. He played only once more after sustaining his most recent health setback in a Feb. 29 win over Philadelphia and found the knee slow to rehabilitate after such a long layoff to start the season.

My hope is that his last few years of hanging on don’t haze just how great he was. He was arguably the best passing Power Forward in the game and, though not a bruiser, was finesse from 18 feet out. It’s a shame he’ll be remembered for the infamous timeout, but, really, when you think C-Webb, what do you think? Blue and gold jerseys, Fab Five, North Carolina, Eric Montross. It’s the first four nouns that come to mind.

Philadelphia 76′ers 95, Boston Celtics 90: It was a stunning home loss, one I bet on, one I loss on, and I can’t say I’m too happy about the suddenly surging Sixers. Andre Iguodala led all Sixers with 28 points, followed by Andre Miller’s 20 and rookie Thaddeus Young’s 16. The win moved Philadelphia into sixth place in the East, and did nothing to hurt the standing of the first place Celtics.

Phoenix Suns 105, Detroit Pistons 100: Is it bad when you bet so much you don’t know which team you took? I’m at work, and can’t check my Sportsbook account, but I’m thinking I got Phoenix at +3. Let’s hope, anyway. Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 36. Steve Nash had nine assists.

Milwaukee Bucks 73, Miami Heat 78: It’s quite possibly Miami’s last win of the season. Really. The heat had five scorers in double digits — probably also a last — led by Chris Quinn’s 24. When Chris Quinn is your best player, well, then, you’re in trouble.

New Jersey Nets 106, New York Knicks 91: It’s the old adage: Don’t bet on the Knicks. I didn’t. I won. Ironically, with the Nets win, they’re closer to the playoffs, while in Dallas, with their loss, they find themselves falling out of the playoffs. Guess that Jason Kidd trade paid off after all.

Denver Nuggets 120, Memphis Grizzlies 106: The Nuggets have now won three straight, and just for the record, they’ve scored 100 points or more in their last 12 games.

Portland Trail Blazers 94, Seattle Supersonics 97: All five Seattle starters had double digit scoring efforts, and Kevin Durant put in 23 points on a rare good shooting night (9-13). Martell Webster had 23 points for the struggling Trail Blazers.

LA Lakers 123, Golden State Warriors 119: It took overtime, but like I said: Jump on Kobe’s boat when he’s coming off a loss. He had 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, leading the Lakers to victory.