It wasn’t that long ago that the Eastern Conference playoff race seemed like it would be an afterthought once more but with five teams separated by just two games from seventh to 11th in the NBA standings, there is suddenly reason to watch heading in to the final stretch of the season.
The Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets currently occupy the seventh and eight spots respectively, but don’t sleep on one of the three teams just outside the top-eight sneaking in. Maybe it’s a bit of a dubious race as those two teams are likely to be first-round playoff fodder, but it’s still one of the more intriguing elements of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Miami Heat – 27-33 (80% chance)
The devastating revelation that Chris Bosh will miss the rest of the NBA season is the only thing that prevented Miami from being considered a legitimate sleeper pick in the Eastern Conference this season but they still have enough talent to – at least – get in to the postseason. Hassan Whiteside just became the NBA’s first player to post three 20-rebound games within the first 50 games of his career since Shaq did it in his rookie year and the addition of Goran Dragic combined with the fact they didn’t have to trade Luol Deng to get him has once again made Pat Riley look like a genius. Erik Spoelstra is still one of the league’s most underrated coaches and as long as he doesn’t have to deal with any more significant injuries, the Heat should be able to lock up a playoff spot.
Charlotte Hornets – 26-33 (30% chance)
The projections conducted by numberFire.com have the Hornets and Pacers listed as the two teams most likely to make the playoffs but the jury is out on a Charlotte team that still struggles to score on most nights. The Hornets rank 27th in points per game but they have done enough to stay in the playoff hunt in the relatively weak Eastern Conference thanks to the NBA’s seventh-best scoring defense and Kemba Walker doing everything he can to carry this team at the other end of the floor. Also, the addition of Mo Williams has been surprisingly good as he’s averaged 21.8 points per game since joining the Hornets. He’s one of the reasons why they’ve won four straight.
The projections have Charlotte needing a .500 record the rest of the way to make the playoffs but those don’t take in to account Miami and Indiana both finishing the season stronger than expected.
Indiana Pacers – 26-34 (70% chance)
The Pacers are still one-half game back of the Hornets for the eighth and final playoff spot but an 10-2 record over their past 12 games, which includes a pair of wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, gives every indication this team is capable of clinching a postseason spot. Factor in Paul George’s pending return and there is a good chance we will see Indiana take on Atlanta as the eighth seed and a potential sleeper pick in the opening round of the playoffs.
Brooklyn Nets – 25-34 (10% chance)
Thaddeus Young has looked good for the Nets but there isn’t a lot else to like about a team full of underachievers. Many experts had Brooklyn pegged to make the playoffs as one of the final two seeds at the beginning of the season but they have disappointed– to say the least – and a 4-6 record over their past 10 games could be an indication that it will only be a matter of time before they fall completely out of the picture with the other teams continuing to pull away.
Boston Celtics – 24-35 (10% chance)
Celtics management would probably love to see the team lose some games and end up with a better draft pick but head coach Brad Stevens continues to coach every game like its Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Boston has found ways to stay in the hunt with five wins in their last seven games. Unfortunately for Stevens, there isn’t enough talent at his disposal to beat out either Miami or Indiana for a playoff spot just yet but in the era of tanking it’s nice to see the competitive edge that Stevens and the Celtics have shown all season.
