16 Playoff Teams

[IggyTheBEaST]

Same as last year?

Celtics, Lakers, Hornets, Spurs,Pistons, Top 5
Jazz, Sixers,Rockets,Magic,Suns,Mavs Next Tier
,Cavs,Raptors,Nuggets,Wizards,Hawks Final 5


When I made that list, I felt pretty confident because I think we are better than alot of non top 5 teams


Where would you rank us?

[Sixersftw]

i think the Blazers and Heat replace the Nuggets and Hawks next year.

[kanga]

I can see the Blazers leapfrogging either the Nuggets or the Suns, but I don't get all the hype about the Heat. I keep hearing from different places how the Heat should be a playoff team. They won 15 games last season!! Sure, a healthy Wade and an agreeable Marion could be fun to watch, but that's about it for prominent players.

I guess I'm just not as optimistic about Beasley helping this team improve the 25+ games it will need to reach the playoffs. They also have one of the thinnest benches in the league. Chalmers, Cook, Haslem will contribute spottily, but after that they've got a bunch of no name scrubs and washed up talent. Please someone explain to me why so many experts and fans predict the Heat to nearly triple their win total in a year? Is it because they put a ton of hype into their rookies, or because the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference is so weak?

[kanga]

Same as last year?

Celtics, Lakers, Hornets, Spurs,Pistons, Top 5
Jazz, Sixers,Rockets,Magic,Suns,Mavs Next Tier
,Cavs,Raptors,Nuggets,Wizards,Hawks Final 5


When I made that list, I felt pretty confident because I think we are better than alot of non top 5 teams


Where would you rank us?

I like these rankings. I could go as far as to put us in the upper crust of the Middle Tier. Maybe 2nd of 4 groups:

Top: Celtics, Lakers, Hornets, Spurs (it is an odd year, so they'll probably win it all)
Next: Pistons, Sixers, Jazz, Rockets
Next: Magic, Mavs, Raptors, Cavs
Squeeze in: Suns, Wizards, Blazers, Bulls (?)

[Sixersftw]

I don't think the heat are great but the 8th spot in the east is a huge drop off from the other 7 spots in talent. the heat have 2 very good players(assuming d.wade stays healthy of course) and probably the most nba rookie of the lot.

see i don't get the Bulls. Personally i think they are hot garbage + d. rose. I like Deng as well. perhaps last year was just an aberration.

[kanga]

Yeah, as soon as I wrote that about the Heat and then tried to give my own rankings I realized there really wasn't a solid team that fits the 8th seed.

I like Bulls over Heat b/c they seem to have more raw talent on their team and I think they were just so overhyped going into last season. What happened to the Bulls team that ended two seasons ago? All the major players are still there, aren't they?

Maybe the Bucks, who on paper have a ton of talent just no defense, will pull out the 8th seed.

[Sixersftw]

The bulls had the Larry Hughes trade.

The bucks have looked like they could be good, but never are. Maybe living in Milwaukee sucks the life out of you.