Who is the Most Overrated Team in the East ..aka.. Why Boston Sux.

[Demographic Shift]

I think 1-8 is fairly locked in barring some catastrophic injury/collapse.Pistons are a mess of a roster. They don't have the perimeter people to compliment that front court. And both DET and CHA are terrible on the road. I feel fairly confident neither team is catching Philly or Miami.

The Sixers will be fine if Embiid stays healthy. I could see them clawing up a couple spots. The Heat should be okay with a home-heavy schedule and they play some awful teams down the stretch. Bucks are inconsistent but it's hard to see them going well below .500 rest of the way.

The most interesting battle is for 3rd and 4th (Raps and Celts are locked in at #1 and #2). The most vulnerable team for me is WSH. They have a real tough schedule left: Bucks, Warriors, Raps, Pacers, Heat, Pelicans, Heat, Wolves, Celts and Pacers over the next 10. Then they still have the Spurs twice, Rockets, Cavs and Celts. Gotta think the Cavs are going to get that third seed with their schedule, which is full of cream-puffs.

Yes its a real shotgun start out there for 3 through 7...only 2 games in the loss column separate them.

Washington is a team worth watching on a number of planes. Its hard to imagine but they are doing better without Wall than with him.. but they are. Its of interest perhaps only to me.. but the year Beal went down and missed 30 odd games in 2015-16 the Whiz with pretty much the same crew, missed the playoffs altogether. With Wall out they are still challenging for home court. Tough Tough Tough sched to the end of the year. Hardest in the east. Still the Whiz can land anywhere from 3 to 6 because they can win on the road. Just so damn inconsistent.

The NewLooks have an easier sched but have a 6 game road trip out west ....and lucky them ....then when they get back home after 12 days on the road they get to meet Milwaukee and the Raps in succession at home....then head out on the road for 3 more. Love gets back or is supposed to be back in early April.. just in time to throw off whatever rhythm the NewLooks may have been able to build on rotations and roles. Think they land anywhere between 3 and 5.

The Bucks have the 6th hardest SOS of all the teams in the east. They have a 4 game western trip at the end of March that will be tough. They sitll have GSW, Houston, Spurs , Denver from the west and a couple against the Whiz ... I think they will be hard pressed to get to 4.. but can land anywhere from 4 to 6.

The Pacers... are the surprise team of the year. No one saw these guys as being much else than a lottery team this year... yet here they are.. 5th overall ... Its a marathon for sure and wonder if the Pacers hang on to where they are let alone move up. Their SOS is second only to the Whiz's. 6 of their last 8 are on the road ... 4 out west. I see them slipping a bit.

Its a real crap shoot still... The DS decision desk is pretty comfortable saying the Raps and Chowders finish 1 -2.... Need to at least 3rd week of March to try to peg 3 through 8 in order....

[Hotshot]

How many wins will it take for the Raps to clinch 1st overall? I say 57 or 58 wins should do it, can't see Celtics come close to 60.

[S.R.]

The Pacers... are the surprise team of the year. No one saw these guys as being much else than a lottery team this year... yet here they are.. 5th overall ... Its a marathon for sure and wonder if the Pacers hang on to where they are let alone move up. Their SOS is second only to the Whiz's. 6 of their last 8 are on the road ... 4 out west. I see them slipping a bit.

The Pacers & Oladipo are criminally underreported. They're outplaying several teams/players who hit the headlines much more regularly. Their low point was a 7-7 December and they've been playing quite well since then.

[Demographic Shift]

How many wins will it take for the Raps to clinch 1st overall? I say 57 or 58 wins should do it, can't see Celtics come close to 60.

Both teams are playing about 700 ball....
If form holds true.. the raps would go 16 and 7... to finish up at 58 and 24... not out of the question.
The Chowders would have to play 16 and 4 (800 ball) to finish 59 and 23...tall order

Tie breakers go .. Head to Head.... Better Divsion Record.... Better Conference Record....

[DanH]

Both teams are playing about 700 ball....
If form holds true.. the raps would go 16 and 7... to finish up at 58 and 24... not out of the question.
The Chowders would have to play 16 and 4 (800 ball) to finish 59 and 23...tall order

Tie breakers go .. Head to Head.... Better Divsion Record.... Better Conference Record....

Raps play BOS twice right at the end of the season (games 76 and 78) and those games could well decide the standings - if either team wins both, that's a big boon in the race (essentially a full game recovered for each win), plus clinches the tie-break.

[S.R.]

Both teams are playing about 700 ball....
If form holds true.. the raps would go 16 and 7... to finish up at 58 and 24... not out of the question.
The Chowders would have to play 16 and 4 (800 ball) to finish 59 and 23...tall order

Tie breakers go .. Head to Head.... Better Divsion Record.... Better Conference Record....

Boston's been winning about .600 in 2018. That kind of pace would have them finishing 12-8, 55-27 overall. I just don't see them cranking it back up to where they were at the first couple months of the year.

[DanH]

Boston's been winning about .600 in 2018. That kind of pace would have them finishing 12-8, 55-27 overall. I just don't see them cranking it back up to where they were at the first couple months of the year.

Plus if you start the clock two weeks later (Jan 16th), they are 9-9 in their last 18.

[S.R.]

Raps play BOS twice right at the end of the season (games 76 and 78) and those games could well decide the standings - if either team wins both, that's a big boon in the race (essentially a full game recovered for each win), plus clinches the tie-break.

Raptors beat them by 20 last time out and it wasn't even as close as the score suggests. Let's do this.

[Demographic Shift]

Some very interesting games on tap tonight....

The BobHornetCats get the tanking Bulls at home.... Thinking they get their 5th in a row and if the Heat lose to Philly they draw to within 3 of the Heat. Keeping the dream alive for now anyway...Hornets get the W.

The NewLooks draw the Nets and get them at home. The NewLooks have four games left on the homestand before they depart for a 6 game roadie. Next up at home are the Hinkies then Denver before they get Detroit. Nets always play hard but they suffer a skill deficit... still if Lebron is off.... the nets have enough moxie to win this. Going Cavs W.

Philly travels to South Beach in Game of the Night 1A. Embiid vs Hassan should be a treat. Dragic will give the Hinkies fits in the paint and Simmons will have to man up on James Johnson..... Talent edge to the Hinkies.... Hard ass edge to the Heat. Heat W and they draw to within 1 of the Hinkies.

The Whiz go on the road to Milwaukee in Game of the Night 1. Could be the 4 vs 5 playoff matchup preview. Whiz have the advantage inside as Gortat will kill Henson if Satorasky goes PnR more than kicking it out to Beal. If they do kick it out to Beal and Porter and they are on from 3 it will be tough for the Bucks to contain that and Gortat. The Alphabet always presents a problem so it falls to Otto Porter and Oubre to hold him up enough so he doesn't kill the Whiz all by himself. The Whiz have to make guys like Middleton and Bledsoe step up and beat them....The Whiz can win on the road. Giannas is a force.... Down to the wire it goes with the Wall-less Whiz taking home a road win.

[Demographic Shift]

Raps play BOS twice right at the end of the season (games 76 and 78) and those games could well decide the standings - if either team wins both, that's a big boon in the race (essentially a full game recovered for each win), plus clinches the tie-break.

Boston's been winning about .600 in 2018. That kind of pace would have them finishing 12-8, 55-27 overall. I just don't see them cranking it back up to where they were at the first couple months of the year.

Yeah... the Chowderheads have had a great season ... but most of that comes off that improbable 16 game run to start the year. But its now almost March and the glass slipper is size 8 and the Chowderheads are a size 10... Its not going to fit...

They get the Hornets next .. then its pretty tough going.
After the Hornets is a 3 game roadie out west that has stops in Minny and Houston.
They come home to take on two playoff teams who will be playing hard for seeding in the Whiz and Pacers.. then like Willie Nelson they are on the road again for two against the wimpy Magic but close it out with the playing for their playoff lives Pelicans.
Come home for 1 against OKC then back on the road for 4 games out west in 6 nights. They finish up in Utah at altitude.
Fly home to play the Raps and then on the road again to play the Bucks and the Raps which will be the second game of the B2B on the road.
The last 4 are not to tough with the tanking Hawks and Bulls and the Nets and the Whiz on the road.

Stick a fork in them.

[The Great One]

I'm just curious, the Raps have the best rec in the league. How is DeRozan not in the top 10 in MVP voting?

Whwn the Celtics were in 1st place, Irving was ranked 3rd in MVP voting every week.

[The Great One]

I meant best rec in the East. Can't edit my post sorry.

[The Great One]

Damn. LeBron and Wade were on the same draft class. LeBron James is still LeBron James while Wade is already thinking of retiring.

Dwyane Wade is unsure if he wants to play beyond this season, reports @flasportsbuzz https://t.co/iCB8ixFbOg pic.twitter.com/b6PZwaYOid

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 27, 2018

[nba_4_life]

Damn. LeBron and Wade were on the same draft class. LeBron James is still LeBron James while Wade is already thinking of retiring.

Dwyane Wade is unsure if he wants to play beyond this season, reports @flasportsbuzz https://t.co/iCB8ixFbOg pic.twitter.com/b6PZwaYOid

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 27, 2018

Wade is 2 years older than James though

[KeonClark]

I'm just curious, the Raps have the best rec in the league. How is DeRozan not in the top 10 in MVP voting?

Whwn the Celtics were in 1st place, Irving was ranked 3rd in MVP voting every week.

I dunno. Because Casey isn't a top notch coach, Lowry is a fake all star, JV is outdated for today's nba, serge is 43, and the bench is inexperienced and according to some former players turned analyst the bench is "trash

It must be the hand of God that has made us the 3rd best team this year, cause most of the team can't hack it