13. Who will get the No. 8 seed in the East?
What I Said Then: That leaves Detroit. I asked my BIG3 Best Friend and Pistons fan Matt Rutkowski whether he would want Detroit to get the No. 8 seed or miss the playoffs. Under protest, he said he wanted the eight seed.
What I’m Saying Now: In my followup with Rutkowski, he said, “I still want eight.” I didn’t have the heart to break it to him that the Pistons are no longer eligible to finish eighth this season. But hey, Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond are a thing.
The Washington Wizards ended up as the final seed in the East and they’re a lively eight seed. The Toronto Raptors were the best team in the East this season, but they’re still the Raptors. They haven’t won Game One since LeBron was still in high school. And Washington has the talent to put a scare into them. John Wall and Bradley Beal are good enough to compete with any team in the league.
The East feels wide-open this season. There are major concerns over the Cavaliers defense, although it’d be foolish to doubt Playoff LeBron. No one is hotter than the Sixers entering the playoffs, but they’re a young group and Joel Embiid’s status is questionable. The Celtics are missing their two best players. And the Raptors are, well, the Raptors.
It’s not so bad being eighth in the East this season. Would it shocked anyone if Wall and Beal hit hyperdrive and make it to the Conference Finals? It shouldn’t.
Poor Detroit.