Standings Watch: Playoff Picture

[tDotted]

are you people fucking high?

since when was AD in charlotte?

he was on the 'hornets' last season. honest mistake? lol

[Zainab]

are you people fucking high?

since when was AD in charlotte?

I'm just sitting here, eating my cereal, and confused at everything in this forum.

On the other hand, we haven't played the Hornets yet this season.....sooooooo we have yet to see how the team will match-up against them....lets wait and see, and lets not look at last season as a means by which we judge how they will perform.

Let's be optimistic

[3inthekeon]

I'm just sitting here, eating my cereal, and confused at everything in this forum.

On the other hand, we haven't played the Hornets yet this season.....sooooooo we have yet to see how the team will match-up against them....lets wait and see, and lets not look at last season as a means by which we judge how they will perform.

Let's be optimistic

Played them a month ago today and lost. It was the 1st game back after the west coast trip.

[Zainab]

Played them a month ago today and lost. It was the 1st game back after the west coast trip.

Reallly? Hmmmmmm.....I can't seem to recalll - well we still have 3 more matchups to go!

[RepTdot]

As long as we finish 2 or 3 and avoid a matchup with CHI or CLE...we're in good shape...ideal matchup would be the Nets of course, sweet revenge from last season and continue to build a club rivalry, plus the actual basketball is so entertaining, 2nd best matchup for me is the bucks...even though they are 6th and have an above .500 record, they have no playoff experience and Toronto matches up well with em...

[RepTdot]

Beating Miami would be pretty sweet .. but playing Bosh in the playoffs worries me for some reason ... Raptors Alum love killing us when it counts. Lol

Miami scares me alot for the playoffs, not only the Bosh returns angle but Miami has been through the playoff grind so many times and Bosh, Wade & Deng are playoff hardened players will likely get many favourable ref calls their way...not to mention Hassan Whiteside is a monster and game changer in the paint...id avoid Miami

[CNinja26]

I'm predicting things to finish like this:

1. ATL, 2. CLE, 3. CHI, 4. TOR, 5. WAS, 6. MIL, 7. BKN, 8. CHA

Cleveland is on an upswing and I can't imagine a veteran team like Chicago won't get its shit together down the home stretch. Hence them leapfrogging Toronto and Washington, both of whom will have a relatively tough schedule ahead. Toronto has a nice string of easy games to end the season so I think they can go on a winning streak toward the end to stay ahead of Washington, not that it matters since they'll still have home court being division winners anyway. Brooklyn, when healthy, is an improved team, so they'll make up some games in this weak Eastern Conference, but they won't catch Milwaukee. I think Charlotte is playing good enough to edge out a Miami team with a slew of problems.

First Round:
ATL over CHA 4-0
CLE over BKN 4-2
CHI over MIL 4-1
TOR over WAS 4-3

Second Round:
ATL over TOR 4-2
CHI over CLE 4-3

ECF:
CHI over ATL 4-3

I'm counting on grit and experience to get Chicago through. I think too much inexperience (Love, Irving, Blatt in NBA) will cost Cleveland ultimately. I also don't know how Atlanta will respond to pressure, so I have some reservations about them.

[iblastoff]

I'm predicting things to finish like this:

1. ATL, 2. CLE, 3. CHI, 4. TOR, 5. WAS, 6. MIL, 7. BKN, 8. CHA

Cleveland is on an upswing and I can't imagine a veteran team like Chicago won't get its shit together down the home stretch. Hence them leapfrogging Toronto and Washington, both of whom will have a relatively tough schedule ahead. Toronto has a nice string of easy games to end the season so I think they can go on a winning streak toward the end to stay ahead of Washington, not that it matters since they'll still have home court being division winners anyway. Brooklyn, when healthy, is an improved team, so they'll make up some games in this weak Eastern Conference, but they won't catch Milwaukee. I think Charlotte is playing good enough to edge out a Miami team with a slew of problems.

First Round:
ATL over CHA 4-0
CLE over BKN 4-2
CHI over MIL 4-1
TOR over WAS 4-3

Second Round:
ATL over TOR 4-2
CHI over CLE 4-3

ECF:
CHI over ATL 4-3

I'm counting on grit and experience to get Chicago through. I think too much inexperience (Love, Irving, Blatt in NBA) will cost Cleveland ultimately. I also don't know how Atlanta will respond to pressure, so I have some reservations about them.

It's already the home stretch. More than half the season is over. Chicago has actually gotten worse. Butler has fallen back down to earth.

As for the east end of season schedule for the raptors, we'll actually be resting players since we're going to the playoffs. Playoff teams always lose a bunch of meaningless games at the end of the season to scrub teams all of the time.

[Joey]

Currently, the team Toronto (#2) would face is Charlotte (#7). Although the Raptors would be favored, that would be a bad matchup because for unknown reasons, the Hornets always seem to have their number.

Who knows where the two teams will finish, though? Charlotte, Miami, and Brooklyn are all within a game of each other, but none is likely to be higher than #7. So if we drop to third, despite all the doomsday diehards that would show up with their placards, Milwaukee would be (in my opinion) a very favourable matchup for Toronto. But if we drop to fourth or fifth, that would cause real problems! I have enough confidence in the team to believe that will not happen, so long as we stay healthy.

I think Milwaukee could be dangerous, but their complete lack of playoff experience has to bode well. Especially now that our guys are hungry after last years defeat.

I still say a Brooklyn rematch is actually our best bet to move on.

[Joey]

Reallly? Hmmmmmm.....I can't seem to recalll - well we still have 3 more matchups to go!

Likely blocked it out .. it wasn't fun... Gerald Henderson scored 31 on us.

[3inthekeon]

Likely blocked it out .. it wasn't fun... Gerald Henderson scored 31 on us.

The only positive from that game was that it ended the Landry Fields in the starting lineup debacle.

[MACK11]

Gerald "I stole MJ's Skills" Henderson would average like 30pts vs the Raptors in a series.

[Just Is]

The only positive from that game was that it ended the Landry Fields in the starting lineup debacle.

That's actually not quite fair. Prior to the concussion, Fields was great in the starting line up.

[e_wheazhy_]

I think, and I think it's a consensus, Atlanta keeps its throne atop the east. After that I say:
ATL
TOR
WAS
CLE
CHI
MIA
MIL
CHA

meaning we'd take Milwaukee for a dance and I think we can beat em. We just can't be outcoached by Jason "bump into me so i spill my drink and we get a time out" Kidd again.

ATL-CHA (4-1)
TOR - MIL (4-2)
WAS- MIA (4-3)
CLE - CHI (4-3)

2nd round:
ATL-CLE (4-2)
TOR-WAS (4-3)

ECF:

ATL-TOR (3-4)

NBA finals:

TOR-GSW (1-4)

Just for fun, if Memphis wins the West:

TOR- MEM (4-3)

[blackjitsu]

Trailblazers of the East?

Other than the Raptors' tough stretch coming slightly earlier, they and the Blazers have had the same season: pic.twitter.com/h4FLxaEbOw

— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) February 9, 2015