Eastern Conference: Who's going to the playoffs?

[Demographic Shift]

We are 1/3 of the way home... Lots of talk around trades, playing time, rotations on the home front. Everyone has an opinion on those and its made for great discussion. So now .. its an Estrada change up.... How about an opinion on which squads are going to make it into the post season ?

Would say that the Raps .. Cavs... are locks for the post season dance and stop there.

There are about 10 teams with varying degrees of assuredness that will round out the field.
Who makes it and who is on the outside looking in ?

Poll attached. My vote for the field is:

Raps .... Cavs..... Leprachauns.... Charlotte....Bucks....Pacers...Pistons... Whizards...

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Fun thread. The EC is a total crapshoot after #2, much like last season. It's crazy that only 4 games separate 10 teams (#3-#12).

Celtics - take advantage of weak division (Philly & Brooklyn)
Hornets - good well rounded team

Wizards - take advantage of weak division (Orlando & Miami)
Indiana - good team with a great player
Chicago - good team with vets
Atlanta - good team with vets

Both the Knicks and the Bucks should contend right to the end, and NY could take advantage of playing in a weak division, to drop any of those bottom-4 teams out. The Bucks seem too inexperienced.

[rocwell]

Toronto Raptors will make the playoffs.

[JamesNaismith]

Toronto Raptors will make the playoffs.

#TankForBall

#notreferringtohedo #norserious

[KeonClark]

Toronto Raptors will make the playoffs.

"Who?"
-espn, tnt, Adam silver

[slaw]

Pacers and Wiz are awful on the road, though, and that's usually a sign of trouble (Indy 4-10, Wix 2-9). Knicks fall into that category, too. Hard to make the playoffs when you can't win away from home.

[3inthekeon]

Gonna wait a while, but Ellis has hurt Indy's starters worse than Pascal has ours. Is he coming off the bench when he returns?

What's JvG going to do with Reggie Jackson?

How much will Mahinmi play this year? The Wiz bench has been killing the team.

Will Mirotic 3 pt shooting rebound and will McDermott finally produce? Because their spacing issues will kill them if those don't happen.

The Celtics Hornets and even the Hawks are my only definite picks to make it, And the Magic are toast.

[tDotted]

Cavs, RAPTORSSSS, Celtics, Hornets, Atlanta, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit

Indiana, NYK and Washington are pretty bad. Not sure how they're winning games

[Ebonhawke]

OK, I'll be THAT guy

*Who's going to the playoffs

[S.R.]

"Who?"
-espn, tnt, Adam silver

Option D: "Other"

[rocwell]

We The Other was the best

[Demographic Shift]

Two big games tonight in the race to the playoffs..

The Whizzers come into the United Centre to take on the shooting challenged Bulls. After winning one in a row after losing three straight..can Jalens team continue their dogged run to 2nd best in the east? or
Will the best backcourt in the east (arriving in separate cabs) claw their way back into contention ?

The Bucks, after pushing the Lebrons hard last night and into OT, get to tee it up again in the Quicken Loans Arena on a back to back. JR Smith is out with what might be a broken thumb and Kevin Love is dealing with a knee injury and is questionable. So Lebron ain't resting tonight. Will he and Irving have enough to derail the Milwaukee An(every letter in the alpabet goes here)po's? Bucks need the win. Best game of the night.

The T=pups head to Atlanta to take on the Hawks. Jeckyl and Hyde game. Which Hawk team shows up ... the workmanlike pros that beat the Raps or the guys who lost 8 in a row ?

Memphis after coughing up a hairball at home blowing a 17 point 2nd Q lead to the Leprechauns come into Motown where the Pistons have been struggling mightily. One players only meeting later they got punked by 31 on the road. Que the redemption song... for someone.

[DanH]

Raps, Cavs, Celts, Bucks, Hornets, Bulls will make it, IMO.

Then Hawks, Wiz, Knicks and Pacers grab the last two spots. I bet on the Knicks and Pacers. For no reason besides WAS swept us and deserves no happiness ever again, and the Hawks need to suck so they trade us Millsap for parts.

[GLF]

Raps, Cavs, Celts, Bucks, Hornets, Bulls will make it, IMO.

Then Hawks, Wiz, Knicks and Pacers grab the last two spots. I bet on the Knicks and Pacers. For no reason besides WAS swept us and deserves no happiness ever again, and the Hawks need to suck so they trade us Millsap for parts.

I really thought Bucks wouldn't make the playoffs. It's good that they are finding their way again after last season. I think Pacers and Knicks grab the last spots as well. Atlanta could give one of them a run and sneak in as well. I don't see it for Washington but who knows

[3inthekeon]

Raps, Cavs, Celts, Bucks, Hornets, Bulls will make it, IMO.

Then Hawks, Wiz, Knicks and Pacers grab the last two spots. I bet on the Knicks and Pacers. For no reason besides WAS swept us and deserves no happiness ever again, and the Hawks need to suck so they trade us Millsap for parts.

A bizzaro thought just crossed my mind. How freaked out would this board get if we do acquire Millsap and then Casey decides OK now I'm going to start Patterson.