Provide your top 8 playoff teams from each conference

[Moranis]

And the Nets are now 2-2 after losing to the Grizzlies yesterday in the game Morant was lost for the season after only 12.5 minutes.  I know it is only 4 games, but this is why I wasn't high on the Nets this year at least for the regular season.  There is just no way that Durant and Irving are going to play enough games for them to be this dominant force.  Now the playoffs could certainly be different, but the regular season is just a different animal.

[hpantazo]

And the Nets are now 2-2 after losing to the Grizzlies yesterday in the game Morant was lost for the season after only 12.5 minutes.  I know it is only 4 games, but this is why I wasn't high on the Nets this year at least for the regular season.  There is just no way that Durant and Irving are going to play enough games for them to be this dominant force.  Now the playoffs could certainly be different, but the regular season is just a different animal.

Morant is not lost for the season, he's out for a few weeks with a grade 2 ankle sprain.

I agree Durant and Kyrie are not going to play enough games for the Nets to be a dominant 1 seed. Levert and Dinwiddie would have been enough to carry them for most nights when those guys sit though, which is why losing Dinwiddie for the season really hurts them.

[Moranis]

And the Nets are now 2-2 after losing to the Grizzlies yesterday in the game Morant was lost for the season after only 12.5 minutes.  I know it is only 4 games, but this is why I wasn't high on the Nets this year at least for the regular season.  There is just no way that Durant and Irving are going to play enough games for them to be this dominant force.  Now the playoffs could certainly be different, but the regular season is just a different animal.

Morant is not lost for the season, he's out for a few weeks with a grade 2 ankle sprain.

Yeah, I haven't paid attention much, when it first happened that was the speculation, but not as bad as they thought, which is good.  Hate to see guys get hurt, especially young promising ones.

[hpantazo]

And the Nets are now 2-2 after losing to the Grizzlies yesterday in the game Morant was lost for the season after only 12.5 minutes.  I know it is only 4 games, but this is why I wasn't high on the Nets this year at least for the regular season.  There is just no way that Durant and Irving are going to play enough games for them to be this dominant force.  Now the playoffs could certainly be different, but the regular season is just a different animal.

Morant is not lost for the season, he's out for a few weeks with a grade 2 ankle sprain.

Yeah, I haven't paid attention much, when it first happened that was the speculation, but not as bad as they thought, which is good.  Hate to see guys get hurt, especially young promising ones.

Yeah, that Memphis team also needs all the help it can get this season.

[Moranis]

East
1. Milwaukee (by a large margin)
2. Philadelphia
3. Miami
4. Boston
5. Indiana
6. Toronto
7. Brooklyn
8. Charlotte

West
1. Los Angeles L (by a large margin)
2. Utah
3. Portland
4. Denver
5. Los Angeles C
6. Houston
7. Dallas
8. New Orleans

Well at the break a couple of things stand out, the most obvious being I seriously underestimated the Suns.  Didn't even have them in the top 8 and they enter the break as the 2nd seed in the west.  Other obvious thing affecting two teams was the Harden trade.  Obviously I never would have had Houston at 6 or Brooklyn that low if that trade had happened before the season.  Otherwise, my predictions have been pretty solid overall.    I do stand by Brooklyn at 7 though but for the Harden trade, because as we've seen they haven't been that good without Harden and Durant and Irving have both missed a lot of time (which is why I had Brooklyn that low to begin with). 

[slamtheking]

still early to do this with free agency still going on and C's trying to get a TPE from Charlotte but here's my thoughts:
East
1. Milwaukee
2. Miami
3. Toronto
4. Celtics
5. Brooklyn
6. Philly
7. Pacers
8. Atlanta
—> notes
I think Atlanta made enough moves to sneak in.  I think Charlotte won’t come close despite adding Hayward.  Orlando will just miss - figure them for the #9 spot.  Toronto should be good enough in the regular season to get the third slot despite losing Gasol and Ibaka but I think they're the team most likely to be upset in the playoffs.  Brooklyn should get the fifth spot just based on talent alone but they'll look really disjointed and Steve Nash will look as useless as an appendix for that team due to Kyrie and Durant doing whatever they want.

West
1. Lakers
2. Denver
3. Clippers
4. Dallas
5. Houston
6. NO
7. Phx
8. Utah
—>notes
I think the Lakers made enough moves to put themselves at the top of the heap and that’s very painful for me to say.  I think Houston underperforms and if they move either Harden or Westbrook they miss the playoffs.  I think NO and Phx will be much better this coming year than they were this past year.  Utah barely edges out Portland for that last playoff spot.

West will still have someone over .500 that misses the playoffs whereas in the East I think the last spot or two will be under .500. 

overall, this obviously doesn’t predict for injuries that aren’t known at this time.  Example, Klay’s known injury knock GSW out of the playoffs IMO.

always interesting to take a look back and see how one makes out with predictions.

East — predicted  —  actual
1. Milwaukee  — Philly
2. Miami   —    Brooklyn
3. Toronto   — Milwaukee
4. Celtics —  Celtics
5. Brooklyn  —  Knicks
6. Philly  —  Miami
7. Pacers — Charlotte
8. Atlanta  —  Toronto

—> Indy is 10th and Atlanta is 11th in the conference, 1/2 and 1 game out of 8th respectively

West  — predicted  —  actual
1. Lakers  — Utah
2. Denver — Phx
3. Clippers — Lakers
4. Dallas — Clips
5. Houston — Portland
6. NO  —  Denver
7. Phx — SAS
8. Utah  — Dallas

—> Houston 14th in the conference.  NO at 11th — 4 games out of 8th


overall, only team I nailed on the head so far is the Celtics.  went 6 for 8 on playoff teams in each conference so that’s not horrible.  Predicted Phx would be much better this year but underestimate how much better.   Missed on Houston due to the Harden trade.  Still think Indy and Atlanta make the playoffs — I don’t see the Knicks or Charlotte hanging on in the second half of the season. 

[Tr1boy]

My list for the upcoming season/prediction   

WEST

1. Nuggets
2. Clippers
3. Lakers
4. Blazers
5. Warriors
6. Rockets
7. Suns
8. Jazz

EAST

1.  Celtics
2.  Heat
3.  Bucks
4.  76ers
5.  Raptors
6.  Nets
7.  Pacers
8.  Hawks

My prediction look good. Except order.  Last spot from the east will be Hawks or Hornets imo.  Knicks likely fizzle in the 2nd half.

[Tr1boy]

still early to do this with free agency still going on and C's trying to get a TPE from Charlotte but here's my thoughts:
East
1. Milwaukee
2. Miami
3. Toronto
4. Celtics
5. Brooklyn
6. Philly
7. Pacers
8. Atlanta
—> notes
I think Atlanta made enough moves to sneak in.  I think Charlotte won’t come close despite adding Hayward.  Orlando will just miss - figure them for the #9 spot.  Toronto should be good enough in the regular season to get the third slot despite losing Gasol and Ibaka but I think they're the team most likely to be upset in the playoffs.  Brooklyn should get the fifth spot just based on talent alone but they'll look really disjointed and Steve Nash will look as useless as an appendix for that team due to Kyrie and Durant doing whatever they want.

West
1. Lakers
2. Denver
3. Clippers
4. Dallas
5. Houston
6. NO
7. Phx
8. Utah
—>notes
I think the Lakers made enough moves to put themselves at the top of the heap and that’s very painful for me to say.  I think Houston underperforms and if they move either Harden or Westbrook they miss the playoffs.  I think NO and Phx will be much better this coming year than they were this past year.  Utah barely edges out Portland for that last playoff spot.

West will still have someone over .500 that misses the playoffs whereas in the East I think the last spot or two will be under .500. 

overall, this obviously doesn’t predict for injuries that aren’t known at this time.  Example, Klay’s known injury knock GSW out of the playoffs IMO.

always interesting to take a look back and see how one makes out with predictions.

East — predicted  —  actual
1. Milwaukee  — Philly
2. Miami   —    Brooklyn
3. Toronto   — Milwaukee
4. Celtics —  Celtics
5. Brooklyn  —  Knicks
6. Philly  —  Miami
7. Pacers — Charlotte
8. Atlanta  —  Toronto

—> Indy is 10th and Atlanta is 11th in the conference, 1/2 and 1 game out of 8th respectively

West  — predicted  —  actual
1. Lakers  — Utah
2. Denver — Phx
3. Clippers — Lakers
4. Dallas — Clips
5. Houston — Portland
6. NO  —  Denver
7. Phx — SAS
8. Utah  — Dallas

—> Houston 14th in the conference.  NO at 11th — 4 games out of 8th


overall, only team I nailed on the head so far is the Celtics.  went 6 for 8 on playoff teams in each conference so that’s not horrible.  Predicted Phx would be much better this year but underestimate how much better.   Missed on Houston due to the Harden trade.  Still think Indy and Atlanta make the playoffs — I don’t see the Knicks or Charlotte hanging on in the second half of the season.

At this rate the Celts end up higher than 4th. Playing really well

[nyceltsfan]

still early to do this with free agency still going on and C's trying to get a TPE from Charlotte but here's my thoughts:
East
1. Milwaukee
2. Miami
3. Toronto
4. Celtics
5. Brooklyn
6. Philly
7. Pacers
8. Atlanta
—> notes
I think Atlanta made enough moves to sneak in.  I think Charlotte won’t come close despite adding Hayward.  Orlando will just miss - figure them for the #9 spot.  Toronto should be good enough in the regular season to get the third slot despite losing Gasol and Ibaka but I think they're the team most likely to be upset in the playoffs.  Brooklyn should get the fifth spot just based on talent alone but they'll look really disjointed and Steve Nash will look as useless as an appendix for that team due to Kyrie and Durant doing whatever they want.

West
1. Lakers
2. Denver
3. Clippers
4. Dallas
5. Houston
6. NO
7. Phx
8. Utah
—>notes
I think the Lakers made enough moves to put themselves at the top of the heap and that’s very painful for me to say.  I think Houston underperforms and if they move either Harden or Westbrook they miss the playoffs.  I think NO and Phx will be much better this coming year than they were this past year.  Utah barely edges out Portland for that last playoff spot.

West will still have someone over .500 that misses the playoffs whereas in the East I think the last spot or two will be under .500. 

overall, this obviously doesn’t predict for injuries that aren’t known at this time.  Example, Klay’s known injury knock GSW out of the playoffs IMO.

always interesting to take a look back and see how one makes out with predictions.

East — predicted  —  actual
1. Milwaukee  — Philly
2. Miami   —    Brooklyn
3. Toronto   — Milwaukee
4. Celtics —  Celtics
5. Brooklyn  —  Knicks
6. Philly  —  Miami
7. Pacers — Charlotte
8. Atlanta  —  Toronto

—> Indy is 10th and Atlanta is 11th in the conference, 1/2 and 1 game out of 8th respectively

West  — predicted  —  actual
1. Lakers  — Utah
2. Denver — Phx
3. Clippers — Lakers
4. Dallas — Clips
5. Houston — Portland
6. NO  —  Denver
7. Phx — SAS
8. Utah  — Dallas

—> Houston 14th in the conference.  NO at 11th — 4 games out of 8th


overall, only team I nailed on the head so far is the Celtics.  went 6 for 8 on playoff teams in each conference so that’s not horrible.  Predicted Phx would be much better this year but underestimate how much better.   Missed on Houston due to the Harden trade.  Still think Indy and Atlanta make the playoffs — I don’t see the Knicks or Charlotte hanging on in the second half of the season.

At this rate the Celts end up higher than 4th. Playing really well

I really don't know how well the Celts are playing.  The win against Indiana was too close for a game that they seemed to have in hand.  They barely snuck out with a victory against Washington, who is a subpar team.  They beat the Clippers in a nail biter without Kawhi and without Marcus Morris for the majority of the game.  Then they beat a Raptors team missing half of their players in a much closer game than it should have been.

Kemba is coming around offensively, but the defense is atrocious.  The Celtics seem to have very good individual defenders with each center, Tatum, Brown, Semi, Pritchard, etc.  However, there are some weak links.  For example, I noticed that the Clippers attacked Walker every time he scored and they seemed to be overly successful doing so.

Maybe getting Smart back fixes some of these issues, but I am starting to think that with the individual defenders the Celtics have, it may come down to coaching them to work cohesively on the defensive end.

I hope the wins provide some positive energy that we can carry into the second half, but the Celts are a very long way away from looking like contenders IMHO.

[gouki88]

West:
1. Los Angeles Clippers
2. Denver Nuggets
3. Portland TrailBlazers
4. Los Angeles Lakers
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Houston Rockets
7. Golden State Warriors
8. Utah Jazz

New Orleans & Phoenix could both sneak in depending on the volatility of Houston and/or how much injury changes GSW.

East:
1. Milwaukee Bucks
2. Boston Celtics
3. Brooklyn Nets
4. Toronto Raptors
5. Miami Heat
6. Philadelphia 76ers
7. Atlanta Hawks
8. Indiana Pacers

On the outer: Washington, Charlotte, Orlando

Ooft. Overrated Denver, underrated Utah and Phoenix in the West. Obviously trades changed things (Houston and Brooklyn).

In the East I overrated Atlanta and totally whiffed on New York. Thought Orlando would have been on the outer if Fultz and Gordon don't get hurt.

Not my best predictions

[RodyTur10]

I wanted to wait until Harden was traded, but that may not happen soon. So here are my predictions (22-12), in color clustered teams.

Eastern Conference

1. Milwaukee Bucks
2. Brooklyn Nets
3. Miami Heat
4. Toronto Raptors
5. Philadelphia 76'ers
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Boston Celtics
8. Atlanta Hawks
9. Washington Wizards
10. Orlando Magic
11. Chicago Bulls
12. Charlotte Hornets
13. Cleveland Cavaliers
14. New York Knicks
15. Detroit Pistons

Western Conference

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Utah Jazz
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Portland Trailblazers
5. Phoenix Suns
6. Dallas Mavericks
7. New Orleans Pelicans
8. Los Angeles Clippers
9. Memphis Grizzlies
10. Houston Rockets
11. Golden State Warriors
12. San Antonio Spurs
13. Sacramento Kings
14. Minnesota Timberwolves
15. Oklahoma City Thunder

Notes:

I expect a clear separation in the East between 9 good and 6 bad teams. One of five teams either Philadelphia, Indiana, Boston, Atlanta, Indiana or Washington will be the unlucky one to finish 9th (although there are play-ins this year). Brooklyn could challenge for the top seed with Milwaukee perhaps.

As you can see I have high expectations for the Utah Jazz this season. I'm confident that LA Lakers, Utah, Denver, Portland and Dallas will surely make the playoffs. After that it's a big dogfight. Even the Clippers will struggle to make the playoffs spots.

Due to various reasons one by one teams will fall past the mid-season: Minnesota (roster construction), Sacramento (coaching), San Antonio (age), Houston (chemistry), Golden State (depth) and finally Memphis (experience).

East:

Miami was really hit with injuries and are on their way back up, as are the Raptors. I underrated Philadelphia although they probably won't stay at the top of the conference. Records for Indiana and Orlando effected by crucial injuries. Atlanta and Washington struggling more than expected. Never saw New York coming, them making the playoffs would be a huge surprise.

West:

Proud to say I mentioned Utah as the team that I had high expectations for. Not sure why I didn't have the LA Clippers higher. Disappointments for me are Dallas and New Orleans. A team that I severely underrated is San Antonio. Gregg Popovich is a hack of a coach.

If trends continue I expect to score 7/8 in both conferences for the playoff spots, which I'm satisfied with.

[Moranis]

New York has the hardest or 2nd hardest schedule remaining (along with Memphis).  There is almost 0 shot of them actually making the playoffs without a major move.