Race for 7TH/8TH: Upsets of Hawks/Raptors

[MMM]

6 teams within 2.5 games of 7th/8th. Any chance that any of those teams have a realistic chance against the two surprise top teams in the East????

Charlotte vs. Toronto might be a lot closer than people expect because their perimeter defense might be a solid match up vs. the perimeter oriented Raptors team.

Miami while being mostly bad this year have also shown a few glimpse of being better than a lower seeded team. I mean are we really going to be floored if a team with Wade/Bosh plays better down the stretch or in the playoffs

Indiana: optimistically speaking if they can get PG13 in march then the outlook on their fortunes take a boost. They also have a few guys on their team with a playoff track record and experience

Boston/Detroit: Both have looked better over the last month but are probably not legit playoff teams at this point.

Brooklyn: To be frank I don't have much of a feel on this team

[beastee]

At this point I would say Hawks have almost zero chance of choking in the first round. They should be in the ECF if they can avoid Cavs or Bulls in Second round. Other than those 2, not sure If anyone can beat them. Toronto could be surprised by a team like Detroit or Miami, but I don't really see it now.

[Eric Cartman]

Pondering the possibility of any particular situation, we first have to consider the factors and actors involved in the scenario, let's first take a look at thee 6 teams fighting for the 7th or 8th seed. First off the Boston Celtics, this is a worst case scenario for a tanking team desperate for talent, f*cked themselves over getting one of the top guys positioning themselves 2 games back of the of the Miami Heat, one can say that they do not have what it takes down the strech to secure one of the remaining stops, though their coach is great, even in the weak East, that team is out. Next we see the Indiana Pacers, same win percentage as Boston, and if Paul George returns, this will be the 8th seed, giving us a rematch of last years 1 v 8, only in reverse order, funny how life works sometimes, yes they are weak in the perimeter no lying there, but they have a good foundation, albeit a dysfunctional one, with veterans that have playoff experience and now what it takes to win, Paul George is a fringe all star that alone in the East, makes it possible to secure a spot, adding their defensive philosophies, smart bet. Next look at Detroit, these guys are really young and talented, especially their frontcourt, but they don't have enough players that can create their own shot with Jennings out, come playoff time they will fall just short as the 9th seed for the playoff race. Next the Brooklyn Nets, what a shitty excuse of a basketball team, old washed up scrubs with no motivation and a lunatic sociopathic owner looking to trade their asses, Nets will fall flat on their face come the second half of the season, same goes for the Miami Heat, Wade will not be able to stay healthy and Bosh isn't dependable as your star players, they will win some games and finish 10th. That leaves the Bobcats/Hornets as the 7th seed, same as last year. Lance hasn't done shit of course, but Kemba and Big Al are beasts, and are good enough in the East.

All of this said, it is highly unlikely, dare I say impossible for these teams to beat the Raptors or the Hawks, and here is why. The Hawks impecable ball movement is excruciating for opponents in a 7 game series, not having a star to focus on, teams will always be on their heels trying to cover all their guys, inside and outside, for teams with less talent like indy/boston/miami it will be impossible. Hawks will humiliate howerer they face in the first round, probably in the 2nd round too before they lose to the Cavs. For the Raptors, do we really believe the Bobcats can beat those nikkas? Those nikkas don't have enough scoring to go toe to toe against the firepower of the Raps offense. But come on, try to picture a scenario where the Raptors lose the first round, having too many impact guys on both ends of the floor, only way I can see it is if the Heat face them, but the Heat are too dysfunctional to make the postseason. This is all completely opposite the WC, where I can picture ALL of the top seeds losing, maybe having a Clippers v Thunder and Dallas v Portland semi finals.

[beastee]

This is all completely opposite the WC, where I can picture ALL of the top seeds losing, maybe having a Clippers v Thunder and Dallas v Portland semi finals.
So true. The WC is ridiculous this year.

[atljonesbro]

It's doubtful either team lose in the first round. As a hawks fan I'm not to worried about any eastern team. We should be able to beat any of them if we play our game

[hawksdogsbraves]

I was a bit worried about the Pistons when Jennings was healthy. Drummond really wreaked havoc on the boards against us. Didn't necessarily think they could beat us in a series, but it wouldn't have been a great matchup for an 8 seed.

Now that they're basically done, I feel the same way about the Heat. If Wade is reasonably healthy for a playoff series then they're a completely different, (and dangerous) team. If he's not healthy, then we'd probably sweep them with ease. The emergence of Whiteside makes things even trickier.

[rapker]

if toronto loses the first round series again this year, i'm going to start a riot post-vancouver-canuck style