Back to the future … in the Eastern Conference
This is what the current standings look like in the NBA’s Eastern Conference:
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| 2009-2010 Conference Regular Season Standings | ||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||
| Eastern | W | L | PCT | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | L 10 | STREAK |
| Orlando1 | 12 | 4 | 0.750 | 0.0 | 10-3 | 3-1 | 6-2 | 6-2 | 7-3 | W 1 |
| Boston2 | 11 | 4 | 0.733 | 0.5 | 7-3 | 4-0 | 6-3 | 5-1 | 6-4 | W 2 |
| Cleveland3 | 11 | 4 | 0.733 | 0.5 | 8-4 | 2-1 | 5-2 | 6-2 | 8-2 | W 3 |
| Atlanta4 | 11 | 4 | 0.733 | 0.5 | 5-2 | 2-2 | 7-1 | 4-3 | 7-3 | L 2 |
| Miami5 | 9 | 5 | 0.643 | 2.0 | 7-3 | 3-1 | 6-3 | 3-2 | 6-4 | W 2 |
| Milwaukee6 | 8 | 5 | 0.615 | 2.5 | 4-2 | 1-1 | 6-1 | 2-4 | 7-3 | L 2 |
| Indiana7 | 6 | 7 | 0.462 | 4.5 | 4-6 | 0-1 | 4-4 | 2-3 | 6-4 | W 1 |
| Toronto8 | 7 | 9 | 0.438 | 5.0 | 5-3 | 0-0 | 5-2 | 2-7 | 4-6 | L 1 |
| Chicago | 6 | 8 | 0.429 | 5.0 | 4-3 | 2-0 | 4-1 | 2-7 | 4-6 | L 4 |
| Charlotte | 5 | 9 | 0.357 | 6.0 | 5-8 | 1-2 | 5-2 | 0-7 | 3-7 | W 2 |
| Detroit | 5 | 10 | 0.333 | 6.5 | 4-4 | 0-2 | 3-3 | 2-7 | 3-7 | L 6 |
| Philadelphia | 5 | 10 | 0.333 | 6.5 | 5-7 | 3-2 | 3-4 | 2-6 | 2-8 | L 4 |
| Washington | 4 | 9 | 0.308 | 6.5 | 3-6 | 0-3 | 3-3 | 1-6 | 2-8 | W 1 |
| New York | 3 | 12 | 0.200 | 8.5 | 2-8 | 1-2 | 1-7 | 2-5 | 2-8 | L 3 |
| New Jersey | 0 | 15 | 0.000 | 11.5 | 0-11 | 0-4 | 0-6 | 0-9 | 0-10 | L 15 |
If the playoffs were slated to begin this evening, the individual series match-ups would be as follows:
ORLANDO/1 vs Toronto/8
ATLANTA/4 vs Miami/5
BOSTON/2 vs Indiana/7
CLEVELAND/3 vs Milwaukee/6
Q1. Are there any astute NBA observers who think that teams 5, 6, 7 or 8 actually have the ability to win their series against the higher seeded opponent, based on what’s transpired thus far this season?
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As was said in this space during the off-season, from a Raptors’ perspective …
* Toronto Raptors Season Preview: Game 20
* Raptors improvement relative to other teams in division & conference
* How the Eastern Conference looks for ‘09-10, based on individual player ratings, by position
* Raptors Bench Strength: In eye of beholder
* Strength of the Eastern Conference compared to 2006-2007
this year’s playoff race for positions No. 5-8 is going to be a closely contested battle between a whole swack of teams each with the talent required to beat the others on any given night.
Boston, Cleveland and Orlando are almost guarantees.
Atlanta and Miami are solid bets.
The remaing 3 spots will be determined in a year-long battle between:
Milwaukee/6 … with a 1st-yr PG at the helm
Indiana/7 … without Mike Dunleavy [inj.] for the 1st half of the season
Toronto/8 … with the worst defensive rating in the entire league
Chicago/9 … without Tyrus Thomas [inj.] for the 1st half of the season
Charlotte/10 … with their recent add of Stephen Jackson
Detroit/11… with the poor cohesion that stems from PG uncertainty
Philadelphia/12 … without Lou Williams for the next 2 months
Washington/13 … with the fragility of Arenas/Jamison/Butler/Haywood
New York/14 … with their main goal of signing LeBron James next summer
New Jersey/15 … with their new goal of securing the No. 1 [overall] Draft Pick
Approximately 1 month in, things are shaping up pretty much as expected. 
Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards