The Cleveland Cavaliers stand alone at the top of the NBA Eastern Conference standings, four games up on the Boston Celtics for first place. Cleveland is the obvious favorite to emerge from the East for the second year in a row and while they haven’t exactly blown away their competition throughout the regular season there will likely be a handful of teams that have no shot at competing with LeBron James and company come playoff time. Here is a look at the potential playoff teams that will not challenge the Cavs in the Eastern Conference.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers have a four-game cushion on a playoff spot but they are going to have a difficult time getting past the opening round regardless of which team they meet. Indiana was in a decent position in early February but a six-game slide pushed them down the standings and now they are just trying to hold on for a playoff spot. The Pacers upset Cleveland with a 103-93 win in their first meeting this season but they have dropped each of their last two meetings by a combined 245-221. Paul George and Jeff Teague give Indiana enough firepower to get in to the postseason but nobody will be surprised when they are eliminated in the first round.
Chicago Bulls
Chicago is in an even worse position than the Pacers with a struggling star in Jimmy Butler (probably because they tried to trade him) and some internal turmoil that has plagued the team throughout the season. Fred Hoiberg has been experimenting with his veterans but it seems as though the Bulls have some obvious limitations. Butler, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo could make Chicago an interesting playoff matchup but for the most part, it’s only proven to be a chemistry nightmare. The fact that the Bulls traded away Taj Gibson shows that they don’t even believe in their chances for this season and that the franchise is looking towards the future. There is no chance they will take down the defending NBA champions in a seven-game series.
Detroit Pistons
Detroit has won six of its last 10 to move a little closer to locking up a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but this is a team in transition and a first round playoff matchup with Cleveland would be an absolute nightmare. The Pistons are a young team that should be progressing, but we don’t see that on the court. They haven’t won more than three games in a row all season, which goes to show you just how inconsistent they are.
The Pistons rank 26th in the NBA with an average of 101.4 points per game and while they have maintained their postseason position thanks to the fifth-ranked defense in the NBA, they will have a much tougher time if they do make the playoffs and have to match up with the top teams in the East, including the Cavaliers. They won’t hold a candle to the Cavs and they’ll get swept out of the playoffs quite quickly.
Miami Heat/Milwaukee Bucks
The Heat and Bucks are currently on the outside looking in on the Eastern Conference standings with both teams two games back of Detroit for the final playoff spot. While both teams would love to make the playoffs as a learning experience for their young core, neither one would stand a chance against the Cavaliers. Indiana or Chicago might be able to steal a game against Cleveland but there would be no doubt that Miami and Milwaukee would be in line for a sweep if they matched up with LeBron and company in the postseason.
The Heat were an interesting story for a little while as they had won 13 straight games and appeared to be turning the corner. At this point, we’re not quite sure if that was a fluke or if they have merely cooled off a little bit. Heading into that streak, they were just 11-30 on the season, so seeing them win 13 straight when they had only won 11 of their first 41 games was quite a shock. They are just 4-4 since, so it looks like they’re back to being a mediocre side.
Bet on all of the big games this week at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
