Race For Lower Seeds In NBA’s Eastern Conference Getting Interesting
By Dylan Hughes
The NBA‘s Eastern Conference isn’t as strong, but the playoff chase is just as interesting
Disparity between the Eastern and Western Conferences is one of the NBA’s biggest issues. As talented, young teams in the West creep closer to playoff seeds each and every year, much less talented squads out East are getting into postseason play without near as much blood drawn and tears shed.
Just last season, both the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves were forced to watch the playoffs from home simply because of where they are located in the United States. Minnesota would have been the 8th seed in the East, while Phoenix’s 48 wins would have been good enough for 5th.
Conference disparity is something we will all just have to deal with until the league comes up with a fair fix, unfortunately.
Because of this disparity, fighting for a chance to compete beyond the regular season has different meanings in each conference. Out West, making mistakes is simply not an option. The margin for error is so small, that one misstep can spoil a team’s championship aspirations. Out West, like in the MLB playoffs, simply getting in proves your team just may be good enough to compete for a championship.
In the East, however, it’s a different story.
While the top of the conference shows immense strength (top four teams all have single-digit losses, with Toronto leading the way at 24-7), the dead weight bringing down the conference is reeking more than ever. With the tanking Sixers, talent-less Knicks, Paul George-less Pacers, and chemistry-disrupted Hornets, the bottom of the Eastern Conference has become an interesting mix of bad. And the saddest thing of all is one–or two, or three…–of those teams could still make the playoffs this season.
The East did have one sub-.500 team in the playoffs last season in the 38-win Hawks (who are already at 22 wins in only 30 games this season), but this season’s 8th seed may “boast” an even worse record.
Looking at situations only, I’m currently counting just the Knicks and Sixers out of the playoff hunt. That means the East’s playoff race, in my opinion, is 13 teams deep. For the five teams not currently in the playoffs, in the East, they all have the talent to earn a lower seed.
For me, I have the current top-five teams as locks to make the playoffs. Those teams are Toronto, Atlanta, Washington, Chicago, and Cleveland. The other three teams possessing a playoff spot are Milwaukee, Miami, and Brooklyn, who could easily slip up to an ascending bottom feeder.
The Bucks came into this season with perhaps more young talent than any other team in the league in potential stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker. While the roster isn’t all too much changed from last season’s 15-win team, second-year coach Jason Kidd marched into Milwaukee this season after one season in Brooklyn with the motivation to prove his basketball mind can do more than win games as a player. Thus far, he has done just that with 15 wins through only 30 games and a top-10 defense.
Parker’s ACL injury will surely hold them back from any sort of crazy playoff run that probably wouldn’t have happened anyway, but even since his fall the Bucks have beaten the Kings in Sacramento, the Hawks in Atlanta, and have lost to the Clippers and Blazers (both on the road, as well) by only 11 points combined.
After LeBron James ditched the winning environment and banners for home, the Heat rebounded well by locking up Chris Bosh long-term, Dwyane Wade for most likely the rest of his career, and by signing Josh McRoberts and Luol Deng off the free agent market. They were expected to slip without James, but now dealing with injuries, they could fall even further than expected.
Out of the current lower seeds, the Nets probably have the best situation. Keep in mind, this changes when Miami gets healthy. But right now, as long as Brooklyn doesn’t dump its huge contracts, this team does have enough experience and talent to make the playoffs. We do know they are shopping their stars, however, and if they can find a trade partner, things become even more interesting in the East.
Orlando is currently on the outside looking in, and just like the other four teams in the same situation, they don’t have to look too far to see the bottom two playoff seeds. The Magic, with their exciting young core, are three games removed from the playoffs. While inexperience hurts teams in many regards, not knowing how to win when needed to is probably where it hurts the most. With 11 of 15 players 25 or under, this team could struggle in the home stretch of the regular season.
With Rajon Rondo out of the picture, the Celtics are in full rebuild mode. With young pieces such as Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger, and Marcus Smart, the Celtics have kicked off their new era right. While they do have lots of young talent, they also have some experience in Jameer Nelson, Gerald Wallace, and Brandon Bass that could help lead them into at least one playoff series.
Then comes Indiana, who have had more combined missed games throughout their players than any other team in the league. Still, they are just three games out of 8th and with George Hill healthy, the team is starting to come together. With Rodney Stuckey’s experience and Solomon Hill’s defensive prowess, along with Hill, David West, and Roy Hibbert returning from last year’s starting lineup, the Pacers have plenty of time to string some wins together. Also, Indiana has the sharpshooter they’ve needed for years in the second unit in C.J. Miles to lead what has been a really good bench this season (40.2 points per game, 2nd to only Milwaukee).
Charlotte has been an odd team, as finally filling the wing void with Lance Stephenson was expected to slingshot the Hornets to the top of the conference. Instead, they have taken a step back and are sitting at the 12th spot in the East. With Stephenson’s latest injury, the Hornets have shown he is the problem with improved overall play. When Lance does return to the floor, who knows if he can find a fit in the offense to make it work. If so, they could be a very deadly 7th or 8th seed. If not, the Hornets could keep stumbling.
And last but not least, the Detroit Pistons. Yes, the Pistons are 7-23 and are the only single-digit win team I have as a playoff contender. Not only are the Pistons just 6 and a half games out of 8th, but their immense talent is finally coming together after the release of Josh Smith. While the move made sense, releasing Smith came as a shock to most just because of his name and contract size. A player as talented as Smith just doesn’t get released, but he didn’t fit into Stan Van Gundy’s offense, playing on the perimeter and not down low near the rim.
With Smith out of the way, Greg Monroe is back in the starting lineup and every player seems to be playing much more freely on offense. It’s like Smith was holding them down, and taking him out of the equation took a weight off everyone’s shoulders. Two games in, the Pistons are firing on all cylinders offensively, putting up a season-high 119 points on the Pacers and 103 in Cleveland, winning both games handily. While Detroit is the biggest reach, with some luck and perhaps a long winning streak, the Pistons making the playoffs is still a possibility.
The East may not consist of the talent the West has, but it’s going to be a battle to make the playoffs nonetheless. The team’s fighting for the 7th and 8th seeds in the East probably won’t make it out of the first round, but this multi-team battle should be great entertainment as the season goes on.