Rank the Conferences

[Phantom255x]

EAST

1. Cleveland 
2. Orlando
3. New York
4. Detroit
5. Philadelphia (assuming health)
6. Atlanta
7. Milwaukee
8. Indiana
9. Boston
10. Miami
11. Toronto
12. Chicago
13. Washington
14. Charlotte
15. Brooklyn

WEST

1. Oklahoma City
2. Denver
3. Houston
4. Minnesota
5. LA Lakers
6. Golden State
7. LA Clippers 
8. Dallas
9. San Antonio
10. Portland
11. Memphis
12. Sacramento
13. Phoenix
14. New Orleans
15. Utah

I still support a tank for the C's but there's still just some awful teams in both conferences like Utah, Brooklyn, etc. so maybe Top-10 lottery odds is their best bet and then hope for the best with the ping pong balls.

[SparzWizard]

EAST

1. Cleveland 
2. Orlando
3. New York
4. Detroit
5. Philadelphia (assuming health)
6. Atlanta
7. Milwaukee
8. Indiana
9. Boston
10. Miami
11. Toronto
12. Chicago
13. Washington
14. Charlotte
15. Brooklyn

WEST

1. Oklahoma City
2. Denver
3. Houston
4. Minnesota
5. LA Lakers
6. Golden State
7. LA Clippers 
8. Dallas
9. San Antonio
10. Portland
11. Memphis
12. Sacramento
13. Phoenix
14. New Orleans
15. Utah

I still support a tank for the C's but there's still just some awful teams in both conferences like Utah, Brooklyn, etc. so maybe Top-10 lottery odds is their best bet and then hope for the best with the ping pong balls.

ESPN No. 620 simulations have the Orlando Magic beating Golden State Warriors in the Finals 

[Vermont Green]

ESPN No. 620 simulations have the Orlando Magic beating Golden State Warriors in the Finals 

That is interesting, no idea how those simulations work, but I think it could be true that GSW are not a top regular season team but then go far in the playoffs.  They will manage the heck out the minutes for Horford, Butler, and Curry during the regular season.  Green too probably.  They will lose some games they could have otherwise won in the regular season.  But that will change in the playoffs.  They could end up being a very different team in the playoffs.

[Redz]

EAST

1. Cleveland 
2. Orlando
3. New York
4. Detroit
5. Philadelphia (assuming health)
6. Atlanta
7. Milwaukee
8. Indiana
9. Boston
10. Miami
11. Toronto
12. Chicago
13. Washington
14. Charlotte
15. Brooklyn

WEST

1. Oklahoma City
2. Denver
3. Houston
4. Minnesota
5. LA Lakers
6. Golden State
7. LA Clippers 
8. Dallas
9. San Antonio
10. Portland
11. Memphis
12. Sacramento
13. Phoenix
14. New Orleans
15. Utah

I still support a tank for the C's but there's still just some awful teams in both conferences like Utah, Brooklyn, etc. so maybe Top-10 lottery odds is their best bet and then hope for the best with the ping pong balls.

I just don't see Mazzula or the organziation or the roster supporting a tank job unless Brown goes down.  They still have another talented guys who know how to win.  If the remaining available guys from the championship team come out with a will to win, then this team is hgoing to win it's fair share of games by that mindest alone.

[Phantom255x]

EAST

1. Cleveland 
2. Orlando
3. New York
4. Detroit
5. Philadelphia (assuming health)
6. Atlanta
7. Milwaukee
8. Indiana
9. Boston
10. Miami
11. Toronto
12. Chicago
13. Washington
14. Charlotte
15. Brooklyn

WEST

1. Oklahoma City
2. Denver
3. Houston
4. Minnesota
5. LA Lakers
6. Golden State
7. LA Clippers 
8. Dallas
9. San Antonio
10. Portland
11. Memphis
12. Sacramento
13. Phoenix
14. New Orleans
15. Utah

I still support a tank for the C's but there's still just some awful teams in both conferences like Utah, Brooklyn, etc. so maybe Top-10 lottery odds is their best bet and then hope for the best with the ping pong balls.

I just don't see Mazzula or the organziation or the roster supporting a tank job unless Brown goes down.  They still have another talented guys who know how to win.  If the remaining available guys from the championship team come out with a will to win, then this team is hgoing to win it's fair share of games by that mindest alone.

Yeah they obviously won't announce it or try to tank early on, but then again this schedule to start the year is very rough too. 0-3 and maybe even 1-6 is possible. And like you said, if White or Jaylen go down for significant time then I think they might have to change their plans. Including forcing Tatum to just sit all of 2026 and get back for the following year with a better team constructed

If it comes down to sneaking as a play-in team or missing the playoffs and getting a seat at the ping pong machine, I'd prefer the latter. Making it and *maybe* just winning a round at best does nothing for me. A lottery pick would help the team a lot more long term whether it's to draft a highly regarded prospect or use it in a trade for a legit center.

[Goldstar88]

How many had Detroit and Toronto 1 and 2 in the East. 

[Moranis]

How many had Detroit and Toronto 1 and 2 in the East. 

Detroit is not a surprise.  14-2 is, but the fact that Detroit is a very good team should surprise no one.  They are very young and won 44 games last year.  They have so many lottery picks led by Cade who is a monster in the making.  He has a real chance to be the best player in the sport at some point in his career. 

Toronto is a major surprise to me.  It does help that Ingram hasn't missed a game.  The 17 this year is only 1 less than all of last year and he hasn't played more than 64 games since his rookie year.  See how they do when he misses his inevitable 20+ games. They are a pretty young team though, so if this is real, they could be around a long time.

[Redz]

How many had Detroit and Toronto 1 and 2 in the East. 

Detroit is not a surprise.  14-2 is, but the fact that Detroit is a very good team should surprise no one.  They are very young and won 44 games last year.  They have so many lottery picks led by Cade who is a monster in the making.  He has a real chance to be the best player in the sport at some point in his career. 

Toronto is a major surprise to me.  It does help that Ingram hasn't missed a game.  The 17 this year is only 1 less than all of last year and he hasn't played more than 64 games since his rookie year.  See how they do when he misses his inevitable 20+ games. They are a pretty young team though, so if this is real, they could be around a long time.

It's pretty crazy that the Pistons have a double digit win streak within two years of a 28-game losing streak.

[Phantom255x]

The West is just crazy loaded. I think even the 4th or 5th best in the West (Rockets/Spurs/Wolves-tier) could beat the best in the East in a series, maybe even in less than 6 games. Assuming health obviously which I know is another factor.

The East, I agree with Moranis on Detroit. I did think NY and CLE and ORL would all be a lot better and in the Top-4 in some order, but CLE/NY have been a bit inconsistent and ORL has looked worse than I thought so far.

Another surprise to me besides Toronto, is Miami. Powell has been an awesome addition for them and they are now the 3 seed at 12-6 and honestly, they've looked great. And they've also played some games without Bam and/or Herro too.