shockers and upsets throught the NBA by Michael Davis

Cavs rising in latest Vegas Ranks

LAS VEGAS -- With the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks set to clash on ESPN on Wednesday night, and with just four weeks left in the regular season, it's a fitting time to check in with the NBA Vegas Rankings for each team. Of course, the Warriors and Hawks own the two best records in the NBA by a wide margin, posting a combined 106-27 record. However, with the playoffs quickly approaching, are these the two best teams in the NBA? Our panel of NBA handicappers -- including Dave Tuley, Geoff Kulesa of wunderdog.com and yours truly of sportsmemo.com -- agree the Warriors continue to flex their all-around muscle in the Western Conference, while garnering the respect to be a full three points better than the nextbest team in the West. The debate exists in the Eastern Conference as our numbers give the edge to the Cleveland Cavaliers by a full two points over the Hawks, even though they trail the Hawks by 11 games in the standings. Note the Cavaliers ranked as our top team in the preseason NBA ratings on Oct. 27, while the Hawks astonishingly ranked 19th. The Cavaliers were a 1.5-point favorite at Atlanta on March 6, which speaks to the betting marketplace value on these two teams. Yes, the Hawks beat the Cavs 106-97 as they continue to prove their doubters wrong this season with another huge opportunity on Wednesday in Oracle Arena. The NBA Vegas Rankings are intended to compare the relative strength of teams and can be used in relation to point spreads if they were to meet on a neutral court. They're the combined power ratings of our panel and can also be used as a basis of your own power ratings if you think our consensus is too high or too low on certain teams. We invite readers to offer their opinions in the comments section. Here are the power ratings for all 30 NBA teams and how they've arrived at their ranking so far this season (the "preseason rating" is from our panel's preseason NBA Vegas Rankings).

Kevin Durant removed from activities Kevin Durant has been "removed from basketball activities" and could be shut down for the season, Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti announced Friday. "He's not making the progress we'd hoped or expected," Presti said. When asked whether Durant was being shut down for the season, Presti said, "Essentially, that's the direction we're headed right now." Durant was held out of practice Thursday as he was "experiencing a little bit of soreness," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said Thursday.

Durant underwent surgery Feb. 23 to attempt to alleviate soreness and discomfort in his right foot that was being caused by a screw inserted in October during a procedure to repair a Jones fracture. After the second procedure, Durant was re-evaluated after a week, then re-evaluated again after another week, at which point Brooks updated the player's timetable to a "week or two." "The goal is to get him back on the court healthy, whenever that is," Presti said Friday. Durant had intensified his on-court workouts in the past couple of weeks, returning Saturday to participate in parts of practice, including some 3- on-3. But the soreness that plagued him before the All-Star break and pushed him toward the second surgery has not been resolved yet.

Up until Thursday, Durant has been said to be progressing well and on the right track. "Unless he's able to be back on the floor without soreness, he won't be back on the floor," Presti said. The reigning league MVP, Durant is averaging 25.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 27 games this season. Reacting to the news, Westgate SuperBook on Friday moved the Thunder's odds to win the NBA title from 8-1 to 20-1. On Monday, Oklahoma City, along with San Antonio, had the second-best odds in the West, behind only Golden State. Oklahoma City beat Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta on Friday night, 123-115, to move to 39-30.

Thunder smoke Heat behind another Russell Westbrook triple-double

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The best part of Russell Westbrook's game on Sunday might have been his defense on Dwyane Wade. And that says a lot about his work on Wade. Westbrook had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 17 assists for his second consecutive tripledouble, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 93-75 victory over the Miami Heat. Enes Kanter had 27 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which has won three in a row. Rookie Mitch McGary scored 14 points, and Anthony Morrow had 12. Kanter was expected to miss his second straight game with an ankle injury. But he was cleared to play after morning shootaround, and then got off to a fast start with 15 points in the first quarter. "I really wanted to play this one. It was hurting and I wasn't a 100 percent," Kanter said. "The scoring was nice, but I think the defense was the key.

We're communicating better and the pick and roll coverage is so much better than it has been." Westbrook committed six turnovers in his 10th triple-double of the season, but also had four steals and blocked two shots. The 17 assists matched a career high for the All-Star, one of the leading contenders for the NBA MVP award. Westbrook also helped shut down Wade after he made his first four shots. Wade finished with 12 points on 6-for-15 shooting. "Just denying, making it tough for him," Westbrook said. "He got going early, but as a team we did a good job after that of making him shoot tough shots." The Thunder held Miami to a season-low point total, while failing to score 100 points themselves for the first time since January 31. The Heat had five players score in double figures. Hassan Whiteside had 13 points, all in the first half, and Goran Dragic and Mario Chalmers each scored 12. Miami had won three in a row. "It was just the level of competition. They kept coming in waves," Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said. "You have two teams in an urgent situation and they played like it and we didn't." The Thunder carried a 66-58 lead into the fourth quarter, and then outscored the Heat 27- 17 in the final period. Kanter had four points in a 13-2 run that made it 79-62 with 7:49 left. Miami shot 39.5 percent from the field, compared to 44 percent for Oklahoma City. The Heat also were outrebounded 52-40. "This team just played more desperate than us," Wade said. "They played at a playoff level and we played at a regular-season level and that's the difference of the game." CAN'T WAIT Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant is recovering from a foot injury and is supposed to avoid all basketball-related activities. But during several timeouts, Durant stepped onto the court in street clothes, shooting layups and working on his dribbling with the game ball. NO ROAD HEAT Miami has dropped four straight road games. It is 15-19 on the road this season. TIP-INS Heat: Miami's reserves were a combined 10 for 34 from the floor. ... Whiteside was 5 for 5 in the first half, but missed his only shot of the second half and was hampered by foul trouble for much of the final two periods.

Tiago Splitter helps Spurs run past struggling Hawks ATLANTA -- Tony Parker can't really explain why the San Antonio Spurs have been mediocre on the road this season. In Sunday's game, at least, Parker liked how the Spurs took a big lead on the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Hawks and never let up. "For whatever reason, we haven't had the same rhythm like in years past," said Parker, a four-time NBA champion. "It felt good to get one against a very good team." Tiago Splitter scored a season-high 23 points, Kawhi Leonard added 20 points and the Spurs won their third straight game with an easy 114- 95 victory over the Hawks. Â Paul Millsap finished with 22 points and Dennis Schroder had 18 points for Atlanta, which has dropped three in a row for the first time this season. "We haven't had one of these all year, but it's here," Hawks center Al Horford said. "It's something we're dealing with. We have a strong group of guys here. We'll stick together and fight through it." Boris Diaw scored 15 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, and Danny Green added 15 for the Spurs, who never trailed and took their biggest lead at 26 early in the third. San Antonio improved to 18-17 on the road. Playing their fourth straight game with key reserve Manu Ginobili nursing a sprained right ankle, the Spurs contested nearly every Hawks shot and pass, but no Atlanta player looked more flustered than 12thyear guard Kyle Korver. Wearing protective gear on his face to cover up a broken nose, Korver returned after a three-game absence and committed five turnovers -- matching a season high. His errant pass to begin the second half resulted in a steal and layup by Tim Duncan that made it 61- 41. "I'm grateful for the mask," Korver said. "Shooting felt fine. You have to keep adjusting. I turned the ball over a lot, kind of made some bad reads, so I'll keep on trying to get used to it." Duncan finished with 12 points. Marco Belinelli scored all 13 of his points in the second and hit all three of his 3-point attempts. San Antonio improved to 10-2 since snapping a four-game losing streak March 4. "We had a good start, shot the ball well and ball movement was great again tonight," Parker said. "It was one of those games where we played very well." Leonard made some smooth moves in the first quarter, using a running one-hander in the lane to make it 24-6 and a long jumper from the right corner to put the Spurs up 20 on their next possession. Late in the second, Leonard stole the ball from Jeff Teague and banked in a 10-footer to put San Antonio up 5737. TIP-INS Spurs: Splitter made eight of his first nine attempts from the field. Leonard had a game-high 10 rebounds and tied Duncan with a game-high seven assists. Hawks: Millsap is averaging 19.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his last five games. THAT'S ENOUGH Longtime NBA referee Joey Crawford ejected Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, who spent 19 seasons as an assistant under Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, with 9:07 left in the third. Budenholzer, given a technical a minute earlier by referee David Guthrie, was frustrated by the Spurs getting called for only five fouls when Crawford yelled, "Mike, get out!" Atlanta had 11 fouls at the time. San Antonio began the game 10 for 11 on free throws before Atlanta took its first foul shot. Crawford jawed with a male fan between the third and fourth quarters, the fan

yelling, "Why don't you watch the replay?" Crawford yelled back, "Why don't you watch what you're looking at?" NOT THIS TIME After blowing a 13-point advantage in the third quarter last week to lose in overtime at New York, the Spurs never let up on Atlanta and frustrated the Hawks into 18 turnovers. San Antonio was up 26 after Green hit a free throw following Budenholzer's second technical, and the Spurs never let Atlanta cut the lead to single digits.

Steve Nash announces retirement After a 19-year NBA career in which he twice won MVP honors, tallied the third-most assists in league history and assured his place in the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest point guards to play the game, Steve Nash formally announced he is walking away from the game Saturday in a letter published on The Players' Tribune website. "The greatest gift has been to be completely immersed in my passion and striving for something I loved so much -- visualizing a ladder, climbing up to my heroes," Nash, 41, wrote. "The obsession became my best friend. I talked to her, cherished her, fought with her and got knocked on my ass by her. "And that is what I'm most thankful for in my career. In my entire life, in some ways. Obviously, I value my kids and my family more than the game, but in some ways having this friend -- this ever-present pursuit -- has made me who I am, taught me and tested me, and given me a mission that feels irreplaceable.

I am so thankful. I've learned so many invaluable lessons about myself and about life. And of course I still have so much to learn. Another incredible gift." Nash, who didn't play this season with the Los Angeles Lakers because of injuries, finishes his career with 10,335 assists, third-most in NBA history behind John Stockton and Jason Kidd. "To now realize that it's over, it's really difficult to put it into words," Nash told ESPN.com's Marc Stein in a "SportsCenter" sit-down that aired after Nash's announcement Saturday. "It's just a weird transition. Every athlete goes through it. A lot of people say an athlete dies twice, and in some ways, without being salacious, that's true. If you want to enjoy and be happy in life, you have in some ways to say goodbye to your former self. And that's not easy, especially for guys. We're not the most communicative of the species. So it's hard to kind of put it all in perspective." Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper took to Twitter to congratulate the British Columbia product. There has never been a better Canadian basketball player than @SteveNash. Congratulations on an incredible career. pic.twitter.com/x1cqZ8YPM3 — Stephen Harper (@pmharper) March 21, 2015 Nash is the most accurate free throw shooter in NBA history, edging Mark Price's career mark at 90.4 percent. And for nine straight seasons from 2001-02 in Dallas through 2008- 09 in Phoenix, Nash quarterbacked squads that ranked No. 1 in the league in offense. "When people ask me if I have a favorite game or play or moment on the court that stands out the most, I can't answer them," Nash wrote. "It all blends into one. What comes to mind are all the great teammates I've played with and the friends I've made through the years." Despite several health struggles late in his career with the Suns, the Lakers gave Nash a three-year, $28 million deal in 2012 and mortgaged their future by shipping four draft picks to Phoenix. But Nash's tenure in Los Angeles was mostly miserable. He broke a bone in his left leg in his second game and missed the next 24 in 2012-13.

Last season, more health issues sidelined Nash for all but 15 games. And because of back, knee and hamstring issues, Nash played in just 65 of a possible 164 regular-season games the past two seasons with the Lakers. "When I signed with the Lakers, I had big dreams of lifting the fans up and lighting this city on fire," Nash wrote. "I turned down more lucrative offers to come to L.A. because I wanted to be in the 'fire,' and play for high risk and high reward in my last NBA chapter. In my second game here, I broke my leg and nothing was the same. "Last spring, when I returned to the court, I was given a standing ovation at Staples Center. It was a dark time in my career and that gesture will be one of my best memories. There's been a lot of negativity online, but in my nearly three years in L.A., I've never met anyone who didn't show me anything but love and support for my efforts." The Lakers, according to Nash, have "for all intents and purposes" regarded him as retired since late October, when it was announced that he would miss the entire 2014-15 season. The only reason Nash's retirement wasn't made official then, he said, was that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak asked him to delay the announcement until after the Feb. 19 trade deadline. That way the Lakers could explore the trade market and see whether they could acquire a future asset in exchange for Nash's expiring $9.7 million contract, which counts against the Lakers' cap. "I could have medically retired," Nash told ESPN.com. "But they asked if I'd consider just being out for the year. ...

Really it was about giving them an opportunity to move my salary and improve their team. "For them to trade me to improve their team was something I was completely on board with. The organization's been unbelievable to me. ... How Mitch has treated me and the Buss family has been incredible. It was the least I could do." Nash starred at Santa Clara before starting his NBA career with the Suns, who traded him to

Dallas in 1998. He established himself as an elite point guard while playing for coach Don Nelson alongside Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley with Dallas. "I remember when Dirk and I were nobodies," Nash wrote. "He used to say over dinner sometimes, 'How are us two stiffs gonna make it in this league?'

Somehow we made something of ourselves. After all the wins and all the great times we've had around the world together, what really means the most to me are the late nights early in our careers when we'd go back to the Landry Center in Dallas, to play a few more Players MVPs games of H-O-R-S-E and one-on-one."

Nash returned to Phoenix in 2004 on a lucrative free-agent deal. The 6-foot-3 Nash won consecutive but unlikely MVP awards in 2005 and '06 -- one of just 10 players to win in back-to-back years -- as the catalyst for one of the most prolific offenses in NBA history under coach Mike D'Antoni. His playmaking and scoring earned him worldwide recognition and eight All-Star Game selections, including his final season with Phoenix in 2011-12. "It will always hurt that Phoenix Suns fans didn't get the championship they deserved during our run," Nash wrote. "Yes, we had some bad luck but I always look back at it and think, I could've made one more shot, or not forced a turnover, or made a better pass. But I don't regret anything. The arena was always sold out and rocking. It was the time of my life. Thanks, Phoenix." Nash said in his letter Saturday that he likely will never play basketball again. "It's bittersweet," he said. "I already miss the game deeply, but I'm also really excited to learn to do something else."

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