jazzrule
Well-Known Member
Read this on Yahoo and thought I would cut and paste to shorten it. Thought it gave good insight on the teams close to playoff caliber in the east, and listed those who will be in the Wiggins race. If the Jazz get less than 35 wins, which many here on Jazzfanz are predicting, the teams in the east fighting us for lottery position would be the Magic, Hornets, 76ers and the Wizards.
In the NBA, eight teams from each conference make the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference, there are five undeniably better teams that will likely beat up on the young Celtics all season. Those five teams include: the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks.
Of the 10 remaining teams, only three will get into the playoffs. We can immediately rule out the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards as contenders for the final three spots, bringing the list of competitive teams down to only six teams.
The future of the Boston Celtics next season hinges on how they play against the five teams they will be competing with for the final three playoff spots: the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Hawks still have Al Horford playing center, and they managed to pick up underrated veteran Paul Millsap to replace Smith, but the overall talent on the team definitely took a dip. They are, however, helped out by the fact that they play in the NBA's weakest division, which is why it looks like the Hawks will win around 35 games next season, which is likely not enough to get them to the playoffs.
The Raptors did make significant strides last season, though, after acquiring Rudy Gay from the Memphis Grizzlies, going 18-18 after the deal, an improvement over their 16-30 record before Gay arrived. However, the Raptors did lose their third-best scorer last season, Andrea Bargnani, in a sign-and-trade with the New York Knicks. Bargnani's replacement, the young Jonas Valanciunas, will replace most of Bargnani's production in the starting lineup, but the Raptors' bench will now take a hit as center Aaron Gray's playing time increases. For that reason, you can expect the Raptors to see a slight reduction from the .500 record they put up after receiving Rudy Gay, allowing for an estimate of 38 wins.
Even with a healthy Bynum, the Cavaliers are likely a 35-win team, not quite enough to get to the playoffs.
The Bucks, led by two of the most inefficient players in the NBA, Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings, fought their way into the playoffs last year by capturing the last available seed. Despite losing both Jennings and Ellis in the offseason, the Bucks were able to make two savvy moves that will make them more successful in 2013-2014. They added the young and very-talented Brandon Knight and All-Star-caliber shooting guard O.J. Mayo. The addition of Knight and Mayo make the Bucks more of a legitimate basketball team than the mess they were last year.
Despite their problems, the Bucks were able to go 38-44 last season, and I would expect them to improve to at least 40 wins this year, making them a definite playoff team in the Eastern Conference
The Pistons took a big chance this offseason by hitching their wagon to All-Star Josh Smith to the tune of $54 million over a four-year deal. The Pistons also brought in the highly inefficient, yet extremely talented Brandon Jennings by shipping out Brandon Knight to Milwaukee. Replacing Tayshaun Prince with Josh Smith is absolutely a major upgrade, and it looks like the Pistons may very well end up as the best team of the six fighting to get in the playoffs.
As the analysis above shows, several of the teams the Celtics will be competing with for the final playoff spot are expected to improve over their performance from last season. The Bucks, Pistons and Raptors should all fall the 37-41 win camp, meaning that in order for the Celtics to make the playoffs, they are going to need to get to at least 37 wins.
Unless Boston receives a supreme performance from one of its questionable players like Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger or Kris Humphries, it appears that the Celtics will be on the outside looking in when the playoffs start, likely finishing with roughly 35 wins.
So out of the Magic, Hornets, 76ers and the Wizards, which teams do you think have a worse record than the Jazz?
Then which teams in the West will have a better tank (I mean worse record) than the Jazz? Our competition for worse record will probably come down to Portland, Sacramento, New Orleans and Phoenix in the West.
So do your analysis or give me your best guess on where the Jazz will finish in the Wiggins sweep stakes or lottery.
In the NBA, eight teams from each conference make the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference, there are five undeniably better teams that will likely beat up on the young Celtics all season. Those five teams include: the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks.
Of the 10 remaining teams, only three will get into the playoffs. We can immediately rule out the Orlando Magic, Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards as contenders for the final three spots, bringing the list of competitive teams down to only six teams.
The future of the Boston Celtics next season hinges on how they play against the five teams they will be competing with for the final three playoff spots: the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Hawks still have Al Horford playing center, and they managed to pick up underrated veteran Paul Millsap to replace Smith, but the overall talent on the team definitely took a dip. They are, however, helped out by the fact that they play in the NBA's weakest division, which is why it looks like the Hawks will win around 35 games next season, which is likely not enough to get them to the playoffs.
The Raptors did make significant strides last season, though, after acquiring Rudy Gay from the Memphis Grizzlies, going 18-18 after the deal, an improvement over their 16-30 record before Gay arrived. However, the Raptors did lose their third-best scorer last season, Andrea Bargnani, in a sign-and-trade with the New York Knicks. Bargnani's replacement, the young Jonas Valanciunas, will replace most of Bargnani's production in the starting lineup, but the Raptors' bench will now take a hit as center Aaron Gray's playing time increases. For that reason, you can expect the Raptors to see a slight reduction from the .500 record they put up after receiving Rudy Gay, allowing for an estimate of 38 wins.
Even with a healthy Bynum, the Cavaliers are likely a 35-win team, not quite enough to get to the playoffs.
The Bucks, led by two of the most inefficient players in the NBA, Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings, fought their way into the playoffs last year by capturing the last available seed. Despite losing both Jennings and Ellis in the offseason, the Bucks were able to make two savvy moves that will make them more successful in 2013-2014. They added the young and very-talented Brandon Knight and All-Star-caliber shooting guard O.J. Mayo. The addition of Knight and Mayo make the Bucks more of a legitimate basketball team than the mess they were last year.
Despite their problems, the Bucks were able to go 38-44 last season, and I would expect them to improve to at least 40 wins this year, making them a definite playoff team in the Eastern Conference
The Pistons took a big chance this offseason by hitching their wagon to All-Star Josh Smith to the tune of $54 million over a four-year deal. The Pistons also brought in the highly inefficient, yet extremely talented Brandon Jennings by shipping out Brandon Knight to Milwaukee. Replacing Tayshaun Prince with Josh Smith is absolutely a major upgrade, and it looks like the Pistons may very well end up as the best team of the six fighting to get in the playoffs.
As the analysis above shows, several of the teams the Celtics will be competing with for the final playoff spot are expected to improve over their performance from last season. The Bucks, Pistons and Raptors should all fall the 37-41 win camp, meaning that in order for the Celtics to make the playoffs, they are going to need to get to at least 37 wins.
Unless Boston receives a supreme performance from one of its questionable players like Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger or Kris Humphries, it appears that the Celtics will be on the outside looking in when the playoffs start, likely finishing with roughly 35 wins.
So out of the Magic, Hornets, 76ers and the Wizards, which teams do you think have a worse record than the Jazz?
Then which teams in the West will have a better tank (I mean worse record) than the Jazz? Our competition for worse record will probably come down to Portland, Sacramento, New Orleans and Phoenix in the West.
So do your analysis or give me your best guess on where the Jazz will finish in the Wiggins sweep stakes or lottery.
