NBA Eastern Conference

LeBron, you're a great player, perhaps the best to grace the game right now, but do you want to go down as the greatest player to never win a championship?

That's the question that a lot of people are asking King James these days and it's the one question that may send LeBron out of Cleveland to find greener pastures. The next question becomes, where will King James find his future home?

Maybe the even better question is, who needs him more? It seems there are only two teams in contention for LeBron's services if or when he decides to become a free agent.

We all know that the New York Knicks, not to mention New York City itself, has made it quite clear how much they want LeBron in a Knicks uniform and they won't apologize for the overtures made towards him every time he's stepped into Madison Square Garden.

On the left coast the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans including their most famous one, Jack Nicholson, are wondering about their chances of landing yet another superstar to go with the one they already have in Kobe Bryant. Though most would wonder if James could handle being "the other guy" next to Bryant.

Now that we've wondered if it's going to be the Knicks or the Lakers what about his chances of staying in Cleveland? Could LeBron sign a contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers and play the next four to five years of his career there?

If you're asking me, the answer to that question is emphatically, NO. Don't get me wrong, LeBron has gotten the Cavs "close" to winning a championship but there's always been that one team that's been better than they are. The Cavs will never be able to surround Lebron with the kind of players that are necessary to win a championship.

That fact alone will drive LeBron to seek a new address and, for my money, it will probably be with Phil Jackson and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Zen Master is probably the only one that can handle two superstars and do so to a championship caliber. Though that experiment didn't exactly work when Shaq, Kobe, Karl Malone and Gary Payton tried to work together for that exact cause. Then again, Shaq and Kobe did it to the tune of three straight NBA titles (1999-2002) so it can be done.

You might remember Phil Jackson as the one that coached Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman all at the same time and we all know how that turned out.

Now, I'm not going to LeBron's house to help him pack and rush him to Los Angeles because it seems the Lakers are doing just fine as they are right now. However, is there anyone who thinks the Lakers wouldn't be the most dominant team in the NBA with a starting five of Kobe, LeBron, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and either Derek Fisher or Jordan Farmar?

Sure New York is enticing to LeBron especially since he's an admitted New York Yankee fan, but can the Knicks surround him with the kind of players that the Lakers already have? Can they put together the kind of roster that will enable James to win a championship?

It's an interesting question because who wouldn't want to play with James? Would just having him in New York make free agents re-think their decision about where they would want to play next? Would it make the Knicks become the NBA's version of the New York Yankees just without the bottomless pit of money the Yankees have?

Whatever decision LeBron James makes, it's a decision that not only affects himself but it affects the team he decides to sign with. It affects ticket sales as well as free agency because with the kind of player LeBron is, he could command the biggest contract in NBA history.

For now, James has a playoff game against the Boston Celtics to concentrate on especially after arguably his worst performance to date. He walked off the court to a noticeable chorus of boos as the Cavs laid an egg to the tune of a 120-88 loss to the Celtics in game five of the NBA playoffs.

If game six is LeBron's final game in a Cavs uniform, he may very well be remembered for watching his team get it handed to them in embarrassing fashion. Not to mention getting the team "close" but never to the promised land.

This could be the most interesting off-season in NBA history with arguably more than a dozen teams jockeying for position for the best player to grace a basketball court in quite some time. Not only is LeBron going to be a free agent but he'll join Miami's DeWayne Wade and Toronto's Chris Bosh.

Though the movers and shakers for Wade and Bosh will be news worthy, the LeBron James sweepstakes will make headlines in every newspaper across the country until he signs on the dotted line wherever he ends up.

NBA presidents and general managers, start your campaigning engines.

Orlando Magic

vs

Atlanta Hawks

Season Series: Magic 3-1

This is one of the semi-final match-ups: click below to see a preview/prediction for all

NBA Playoffs - Eastern Conference Semi Finals - Previews and Predictions

The Orlando Magic have everything it takes to win the NBA Championship this year and the way they made it through the first round rather easily by sending the inexperienced Bobcats packing in four games (as I predicted) is proof of how good they truly are.

The Bobcats knew they were going to have to stop Dwight Howard, and next they wanted to have none of Vinsanity so halting Carter was their 2nd priority. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, they totally forgot about Jameer Nelson who gave Charlotte headaches in the entire first round.

In the regular season, Nelson was averaging 12.6 points per game and mainly distributed the ball to Howard, Carter and Rashard Lewis but early in the playoffs, Nelson put up a staggering 32 points in each games one and three. In somewhat surprising fashion, it hasn't been Howard and Carter leading the way like many Orlando fans have come to be familiar with but Rashard Lewis has put himself behind Nelson on the stat sheet.

It may just be the reason you see the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals and this year win it. Everyone knows you can count on 'Superman' every night to dominate defensively while putting up great numbers offensively. 

The Magic picked up Vince Carter to be the extra punch they needed to beat a team like the Los Angeles Lakers (who they lost in last year in the Finals) and even through they have the exact same record in the regular season this year as they did last, I know they are a better team... and so should you. If Howard and Carter have the luxury of knowing that other players on their team can take control of the game and put the Magic in a position to win, the Orlando is possible the most dangerous team in the NBA at the moment.

In my opinion, this is going to be a way better series than the Magic-Bucks would have been but the Magic are head and shoulders above Atlanta. The main difference will be how Orlando can travel on the road and win basketball games. When I took the Magic in four games against the Bobcats, people thought I was crazy to underestimate the Bobcats but it was either Charlotte fan's still upset they lost the Hornets years ago, or someone who was simply underestimating the capability of the Magic.

This Magic team is for real. No question about it. They are 34-7 on their home court while going 25-16 on the road and the only other teams in the East who have better road-records are the Cavaliers and Celtics (they are playing in the other series). Atlanta may have matched Orlando's home-court record of 34-7 but one of their losses came against the Magic and their only win against Orlando was by two points.

The problem is, they are 19-22 on the road and because of that the series won't go past six games. You heard it hear first. The Hawks are a talented squad and will take a game or two but if you've got Nelson and Lewis lighting it up, knowing that behind them are two actual superstars Howard and Carter, the Magic are possible the best team in the NBA and their size will hurt Atlanta. Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus also do a great job sharing time at the small forward position and J.J. Redick can always come off the bench to give the Magic an extra spark.

Atlanta fans won't like it, but the Magic have been their before, and they'll be there again. They are experienced, know what it takes to win the East, and the bitter taste left in their mouth after last years NBA Finals loss to the Lakers, has only made them want it that much more.

The Magic have been to the Finals twice (in 94-95' and 08-09') and this year want nothing more than the 'NBA Champions' banner hanging in the rafters instead of 'Eastern Conference Champions'. They've been there done that... and literally got the t-shirt.

There is something about the Atlanta Hawks that love to play in game seven. In 2007, they went to game seven against the Boston Celtics almost pulling through on what would have been a huge upset but fell short. In 2008, they took Miami to game seven, knocked them out and then got swept by Cleveland in the second round.

This year, the Hawks have yet again done it for the third straight year taking the Milwaukee Bucks to game seven. The Hawks-Bucks series was certainly not what everyone expected it would be, as many people knew Milwaukee has a shot but with how much Atlanta improved over the last couple years, most thought getting past the first round would be a cake-walk for the top four teams in the East.

For Cleveland, Orlando and Boston it was but for Atlanta, not so much and that should concern Hawks fans going into round two against the Magic. The Magic are not only the defending Eastern Conference Champions but want nothing more than to go back to the Finals and bring home the hardware.

Atlanta will have to play much better than they did against Milwaukee in they want to stand a chance. In games one and two, Atlanta played much like they had all season with back-to-back ten points victories on their home court. As one would expect, Joe Johnson lead the way with a combined 49 points in the two games while Josh Smith averaged 12 rebounds and dished in on the scoreboard as well.

When games three and four rolled around, and the home-court advantage shifted to Milwaukee, so did every other advantage as John Salmons and Brandon Jennings dominated both games. Game five, the Hawks blew it as the Bucks stormed back and took the lead late in the game and stole a 3-2 advantage in the series.

The Hawks weren't happy and it showed in game six. It started off a close battle and looked as if the game would be down to the wire, but Atlanta ran away with the game in the last 24 minutes knotting up the series with a 83-69 win. Back on their home-court, the Hawks pulled it off and all that matters is they won... not how many games it took but that they are moving on to round two. 

The Hawks are without a doubt a great team and if they play their style of basketball they have a chance to beat the Magic. Alright, who am I kidding... they have no chance folks. Atlanta is skilled but way to small and don't have enough depth.

If the Magic can control the ball down low and force Atlanta to take unwanted shots, the series could end quick, real quick. Joe Johnson is phenomenal and has shown all season he is a top ten player in the league and has continued through out the playoffs with over 20.0 points per game. Behind Johnson, the Hawks have a steady cast with skill that includes Horford, Crawford, Smith, Bibby and Williams.

Crawford is the teams 6th man and can come off the bench to give players much needed rest while the Hawks don't loose any offensive punch. Down low in the paint, it's Al Horford and Josh Smith and against 90-95% of the league can put up great numbers as well as stop the other teams big men on their end of the court. They have no chance (even together) of stopping Dwight Howard.

The dude is a freak, he is a beast, he is Superman and will dominate the Hawks every time he steps onto the court.

Mike Bibby and Marvin Williams put up approximately twenty points per night but don't have the skills of Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter over in Orlando. Stop them, and you still have to worry about Rashard Lewis. There is no way around it... the Hawks are screwed. The only way they can win this series is if they play great basketball and the Magic play horribly but it won't happen.

The Magic want this bad. Luckily for Atlanta, they have the experience from making the playoffs in previous year but they're not as experienced as the Magic... or as good for that matter. The Magic's three wins in the season series were all by approximately twenty points and the Hawks win was only by two points later in the season.

You can't argue the fact Orlando on paper should win in four or five. 

 TheCoach's Pick: MAGIC in FIVE

There were times when a rambunctious crowd erupted a crazy frenzy at the Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland, and witnessed LeBron James sprinkled baby powder onto his hands and tossed it skyward to thrill a sold-out capacity crowd.

So there are the Cleveland Cavaliers in their finest season, generating enough buzz to pose as the next NBA franchise to be crowned champs. If the loyal population in an avid sporting town is still inquisitive to know exactly where LeBron may end up next season when he becomes a free-agent this summer, his status of testing the market is trivial.

Expected to alleviate town indignities, the Cavs are the nearest major franchise in a cursed sports town to revoke from humiliation that has dragged down soul for its dismal culture.

It’s wrongly inappropriate to dismiss the Cavs, a franchise led by more than a puppet, but a global superstar in James. He’s expected to be named the MVP for the second straight season, with leading a deep supporting cast and having a large impact on the Cavs optimistic pursuit to the NBA Finals.

Need I remind you that the town rocks, zests to taste a legitimate prize in June? At last, there’s much more to witness than rock stars performing at a nearby venue or touring the luxurious sites of the Rock and Roll museum, observing photos and memorabilia of the Beatles or Rolling Stones.

It’s the time of year when much blabbering and attention is given to a fascinating basketball franchise, with the excitement and captivation of LeBron’s intense performances. Ever since he was the overall selection in the NBA Draft years ago, he was absorbed heavily as a savior and earned praise for rejuvenating a horrid franchise.

In his domain, he has improved ticket sales and lifted the attendance level at a spacious venue, suddenly a noisy and active environment where the swinging towels and flags are a notable trademark. No disrespect to the Boston Celtics, but it’s now or never for the Cavs to prove worthy of winning a title and satisfy a long-awaited crowd.

Although this series should be exciting, Cleveland is more athletic, hungrier, earnest and younger than the battered Celtics. Although this series should be an intense battle and last seven games, they’ll prevail in a sudden death to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

What happened Saturday was an indicator that the Cavs are delivering a sense of normalcy in the postseason, translating its usual trends seen so often during the regular-season. It’s simply a great team at home, fueled on the crowd’s intensity and enthusiasm, which mostly results in a charming win.

If anything, it doesn’t take much to deliver a knock out punch against the vulnerable and beatable Boston. When the Cavs dispatched the Chicago Bulls in the first round, enough to irritate Joakim Noah, whose animosity encouraged them to pummel an unbalanced and tumultuous team, the Cavs were resilient and savvy at knocking out the Bulls.

The elements of well-coaching and intrepidity is a common philosophy to excel at the highest level in a competitive postseason. The unique possibility of the Cavs purging in the second-round is hard to imagine, fortunate to take on Boston.

It certainly is less daunting to fall to the Celtics, but fittingly, it’s more convenient to thrive and advance deeper into the postseason for a feasible meeting with the Lakers in the Finals. After all, it’s a unanimous bout the world desires witnessing, in which the man with the scowl would collide with the man with the tomahawk dunks.

More specifically, the dream matchup we are dying to see is Kobe and LeBron clash on the same court in what would be an epic classic, and even silence the obnoxious debates on which player is more prominent and worthy of MVP notability. 

Right now, it’s no one other than LeBron, the noble superstar who’s hours before receiving his second straight MVP award. The delivery and leadership alone declares James as the front-runner with his versatility and energy to appease respectable fans of honoring his powerful influence.

He’s the reigning Most Valuable Player, but hails in an indigenous environment attached to ineffectual and inspiring star players. He symbolizes the heart of a beloved sports town, bowing to King James when he has a wonderful scoring night. All the people in attendance gratefully chanted “MVP! MVP!"

Nearly each game this season, he was the clutch performer in the fourth quarter and pleaded for the ball to close out a wild contest on a positive note. What superstar doesn’t take over in the late minutes? 

As a native growing up in Akron, Ohio, he always dreamed of playing for his hometown team, a franchise he grew up rooting and now in good position of winning a title as an NBA star at home. He accepts the challenge, likes dazzling in the huge moments and feels comfortable with the ball in his hands.

It’s not that he distrusts in his teammates, but plays the leadership role when it’s necessary, and if he intends to excel an agenda before he tests the market, he knows the consequence of controlling the tempo while aiming to win a title.

Maybe it would bribe the All-Star forward to wear a Cavs uniform until he retires, urging the organization to sign LeBron to the richest deal in NBA history before New York pursues and offers James millions.

For now, he’s strictly focused on winning a championship and celebrating with his hometown friends, teammates and family. Before the series, the masses worried about his sore elbow, but relieved tension when he reported that it felt better and had loosened. He also said that he didn’t put pressure on it during the off days since he was forced to attempt a left-handed free throw Tuesday to close out the series against the Bulls.

The worldwide icon walked of the court in Game One against Boston calmed, after pulling off a convincing comeback to salvage a 101-93 win Saturday. If the supporting cast has a brilliant and productive run without vanishing, the Cavs can win the championship. But he’ll need contributions from all the role players, while he adds the finishing touches and afloat in the Eastern Conference with the commodities of a sizable frontcourt.

More substantially, the Cavs have tremendous depth in the frontcourt with Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson. Now that coach Mike Brown realizes he’s getting production out of Hickson, he’ll probably make some adjustments and juggle the starting lineup around, giving him more quality minutes.

A lot of fans are pleased with his toughness and work ethic underneath the rim, as well as Varejao, both attacking and creating trouble by smothering Paul Pierce.

Like the average individual, we all age. During the offseason, the Cavs acquired Shaquille O’Neal, the once-dominant center whose phrase is freestyle rapping, but also is clobbering the middle with his oversized athleticism. It seems he’s slower in running up and down the floor, but still blocks shots and throws down dunks when he’s inside the interior.

It’s conceivable to think that the Cavs are orchestrated by James’ coercion. The scoreboard read that he scored 35 points on 24 field goal attempts, with seven assists to finish the night. As always, he’s an expertise of the game, he’s a world-class athlete and he’s the Most Valuable Player, not only in the league, but as a member of the Cavs.

He’s the remarkable King James.

There is an old adage with a twist of my own that goes like this: Let sleeping dogs lie, or they just may bite.  

The Celtics were a flea-ridden bunch during the regular season. Every once in a while they would have dreams of what it was to be rottweilers among poodles.

But once the poodles found out that they had the stamina to withstand the Celtics' outbursts, Boston's grey-beards stopped to scratch their fleas and look at the mange that threatened to eat away at them.

In some ways the near-tussle that caused Kevin Garnett a suspension for Game Two has helped the Celtics.

They knew that they had not protected their home court and needed to focus in on defense.

Even though they won, Game One was a microcosm of their season, a see-saw affair without direction. It looked like Boston was ready to just make sure it followed the game plan by walking on egg shells during the game. 

Then the C's unleashed a young erratic pup named Tony Allen who quickly cut his defensive teeth on Dwyane Wade’s game.

The rest of the Heat players quietly whizzed the game away while Wade was in a defensive handcuff.

Then Quentin Richardson as usual stepped in a big pile of it, and the mangy Celtics discovered they still had a venomous bite.  

That was all Boston needed. Miami's lead was gone, and the Celtics could be seen foaming at the mouth like Cujo.

Post-game comments by Richardson showed how extensive his hatred is for the home team.   

The one surprise out of all of this is Wade has been quiet about the whole incident. He claims he has spoken to Q-Tip about his untimely outbursts; it doesn't seem to have helped.

Richardson has had a history of histrionics with Pierce and Gang Green. Every time he has opened his mouth his team has been unceremoniously dumped.

Game Two will see if the rest of the Miami Heat can back up Richardson's bravado. Recent history has shown that it won't happen.

Well it is finally that time of year.

The NBA Playoffs are just two days away, and I will be there to cover it from start to finish, starting with my previews breaking down every aspect of the playoffs. Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/chaseruttig or check out my articles daily for instant analysis on everything NBA.

The Eastern Conference is often criticized as the sister conference in the NBA. And although the critics may be right— the Western Conference has the more competitive basketball during the regular season— this year two of the teams with the best chance to win the NBA title reside in the East. However, after Cleveland and Orlando, the east is a wasteland of aging teams past their prime (Celtics), teams that lack depth (Bulls, Heat, and Bucks), or teams that are one or two years off from being contenders (Hawks).

So do any of the lower seeds have a chance of pulling off the upset? Lets find out.

1. Cleveland vs 8. Chicago

This is one of the only series that is a virtual lock to be a four game sweep, as a rested and focused Cavs squad goes against a Bulls team that barely snuck into the playoffs via a colossal choke by the Toronto Raptors.

The Cavaliers are the best team in the NBA this year and are stacked on paper. LeBron with a supporting cast is simply scary, and I don't see one team in the East, with the exception of the Magic, that can match up with the Cavs. They have four solid post players and LeBron makes up for their deficiencies at the other positions.

This is LeBron's playoffs to lose and unless Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah can steal a game at home, all signs point for a series sweep and Chicago fans begging for the firing of Vinny Del Negro

Pick: Cavs in 4

2. Orlando vs 7. Charlotte

An interesting series if anything. The Magic are the defending East champs and are the only team that poses a real threat to the Cavs while the Bobcats are a scrappy defensive minded team coached by Larry Brown and owned by the most famous basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. They have a perfect recipe for a great story in the playoffs, it is just too bad they have the wrong matchup in the first round.

Dwight Howard provides all the reasons that Charlotte won't win this series— there is no real matchup for him down low. And as we witnessed last year, if you sag your defense to stop Howard, the Magic will kill you from outside. 

An improved JJ Redick and a stopper in Pietrius have the Magic looking like a Finals contender. Even though Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson have been great all year, the Bobcats lack depth to deal with the Magics backcourt.

Charlotte has a good team, they could beat the Celtics and the Hawks, but the Magic just have an answer for them at every position. They will keep it interesting, but not having a healthy Tyson Chandler will be their downfall in this series. 

Pick: Magic in 5

3. Atlanta vs 6. Milwaukee

Basketball fans were robbed of a great series when Andrew Bogut's arm snapped into a million pieces. The Bucks were playing some of the best basketball in the league after the All-Star break and it looked like the Bucks were going to advance into the second round.

Now that isn't saying that the Bucks don't have a great chance to win this series. John Salmons is playing great and Brandon Jennings is this years top contender for "the rookie to go absolutely crazy in a playoff series they should be losing." If the post players can play out of their minds for four games the Bucks may actually still give people a reason to "Fear the Deer."

But once again, this series comes down to post play. The Bucks lost their teams identity when Bogut got injured, but the Hawks don't have the best inside presence either— they have seemed more adverse to the outside game during most of the regular season.

The Hawks offense is electric and the Bucks defense is among the league's stingiest. This series is a toss up.

I am going with an upset in this one. the Bucks will continue to fight through the adversity, Brandon Jennings will make like Derrick Rose and go bananas at the right times, and John Salmons will continue his rise to elite status.

Pick: Bucks in 7, Fear the Deer

4. Boston vs. 5. Miami

The marquee matchup of the first round in the East. The aging, slumping Celtics come into the playoffs with many doubting that the Big Three can still get it done, and an aging Kevin Garnett looking like he has one more good playoff run in him. This is the Celtics last chance to win a title with Garnett, Pierce, Allen, and Rondo at the helm.

Miami lacks depth, but they have Dwayne Wade who has won playoff series by himself before. The x-factors will be the difference, and it may be up to Michael Beasley and how he performs. Dwayne Wade may need help to win this one, and the rest of the weight falls on Beasley's shoulders.

Can Boston turn it on for one more deep playoff run?

I say no. Miami may lack depth, but Kevin Garnett is a shadow of himself and unless he can step it up the Heat will win this series with Dwayne Wade once again proving why he is one of the league's best playoff performers of all time.

Pick: Heat in 6

There you have it— your short, but sweet, Eastern Conference preview. Check back daily for more NBA/NHL playoff recaps and previews, or check me out at twitter

Enough of this, "the Hawks play in the east", or "the Hawks still aren't a legitimate threat" to be playing in the professional version of basketball's final four. Simply put, yes they are.

Most people will argue that NBA's elite of elite consists of the Lakers, Cavs, and Magic. The consensus also is that of the remaining teams, that second tier of elite teams consists of the likes of the Mavs, Nuggets, Spurs and Celtics, with some perhaps acknowledging that the Thunder might ready to spoil the party.

For some reason though, people still sleep on the Hawks. They still dismiss them for playing down to competition (a fair enough point, but one that doesn't factor into postseason prognostications), or dismiss Woodson, or like to pretend that Josh Smith is still the Josh Smith of old.

If anybody is going to crash the party of the big three, it's these Hawks. Along the way this season in particular, they've wilted in some fourth quarters, as some youthful teams are wan to do. However, as of late, they've managed to pull out some crucial fourth quarter victories over quality teams.

Consider this, against that triumvate at the top of the NBA, the Hawks have managed three wins against 6 losses. Clearly, simple math clearly indicates that does not indicate the odds to be in their favor when the playoffs begin.

However, winning 3 of 9 against those teams does show them to clearly be capable of competing against that bunch. Particularly when factoring in that in the past two Wednesdays they have managed to knock off both teams who played in the NBA Finals last season. So when it comes to peaking at the right time and playing your best basketball heading into the playoffs, such results bode well.

Also, do not forget that the Hawks did indeed hold rather decent fourth quarter leads in both games against Cleveland, and if not for an egregious clock error in Cleveland, the Hawks would likely have come away with a road win against the Cavs. Now, four of nine doesn't look too bad, does it?

And of the other squads considered to be legit contenders?

San Antonio? Split.

Denver? Split.

Utah? Sweep.

Dallas? Split, with one of those being one of those 4th collapses that absolutely should not happen.

Celtics? Try 4-0

Phoenix? Split with them too.

The Bucks? Yeah, another split.

But this team can't compete in the playoffs with the best of the NBA, right?

Keep in mind, only five teams in the entire NBA have a better point differential than do the Hawks. They haven't lost by more than eight points since February, 10th. One of those was the overtime loss to Dallas.

In fact, since February began the Hawks have gone 18-9. Of those 9 losses, in five such games they had a chance to tie or win the final 30 seconds of regulation. In the other four, only the Miami game wasn't winnable in the final two minutes.

You win 2 out of every 3 games in the playoffs, and put yourseslf in position to win that third one, odds are pretty good you're going to compete and be a tought out.

Regardless of who the Hawks draw, when they play inspired, team basketball, which they tend to do against the elite teams, they can beat them. The other teams around the league have begun to recognize that.

Maybe the fans will learn that too. If not, some more fans are going to be awfully upset when an "inferior" Hawks team is pushing their team to the limit in the postseason, or worse yet, still playing while theirs is at home.

The final two weeks of the NBA season are upon us, and there are still some great battles for playoff position left.

In the West, the Lakers have a nearly insurmountable lead for first, and Memphis has fallen too far off the pace to reach eighth. 

Just four losses separate the second-place Mavericks from the eighth-place Spurs.  The only thing left in the West are the races to avoid fourth and eighth.

In the East, Cleveland has run to the top of their conference and the league, and no one is chasing them. 

Orlando looks safe in second and third overall in the NBA. Atlanta and Boston are tied with 47 wins and will finish no worse than fourth.

The surprising Milwaukee Bucks are in fifth, but will be challenged by Miami, which has the softer schedule.

But the big fight will be over who gets the eighth spot in the East and the privilege of facing Cleveland in the first round. Not that facing Orlando actually improves one’s odds all that much.

With nine games remaining, three teams sit three games apart for the final two playoff spots in the East. Charlotte leads Toronto by two games, and Toronto leads Chicago by one.

Chicago plays Charlotte twice and Toronto once before it’s over.

Each team has five home games and four road games left. But that’s where the similarities end.

The Bobcats have the edge for seventh with only one game left against a top-tier team. But the 'Cats' first playoff appearance ever isn’t guaranteed.

This team has not played well on the road and face two very good, non-playoff teams in their own buildings in New Orleans and Houston. 

Plus, the home game against Milwaukee will be tough, and Chicago might yet come alive.

The Bobcats likely only have to beat Philadelphia, Detroit, and New Jersey to make the playoffs. Just pencil them in right now!

The Toronto Raptors could have been tied with Charlotte and put the Bulls all but out of the picture, if they could have held off Denver and Miami in the fourth quarter recently. But by going 1-3 over their last four games, the Raptors have left the door wide open for the Bulls.

Fortunately for Toronto, they hold the tie-breakers over both Chicago and Charlotte. And in a race this tight, it might just matter.

The Raptors have three very tough games left on their schedule against Cleveland, Boston, and Atlanta. But they also have four home games versus the Clippers, GSW, Chicago, and New York (where the Raptors are an impressive 23-13).

If the Raptors can pick off road wins against Philadelphia and Detroit, there may not be much Chicago can do to catch them.

Eighth place is there for the Raptors to win. They just have to win the games they are expected to.

Chicago’s schedule is significantly tougher than Toronto or Charlotte.

Their five home dates are all against teams that are ahead of them. With matchups against Phoenix, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Boston, it’s possible that Chicago could lose all five remaining home games.

Chicago’s easiest matchups are road games against Washington and New Jersey.  But to have any chance at the playoffs, the Bulls will have to beat Charlotte and Toronto on the road—plus win more than their share of their remaining home games.

The Bulls' fate is no longer in their own hands.

They need the Raptors or the Bobcats to lose some games that are penciled in as wins. Then the Bulls need to win the three remaining head-to-head games left against them.

Derrick Rose says the Bulls are going to make the playoffs. But it doesn’t look good.

With 16 days and nine games remaining, every game is a big game, and the scoreboard-watching will be intense.

Both Dejuan Blair and Taj Gibson came out of the 2009 NBA Draft, as Gibson was selected 26th overall by Chicago and Blair was chosen 11 spots later by the Spurs. Both of these players weren't viewed as stars but merely as immediate role players who could help vacate a need for a club.

If the NBA playoffs began today, in the Eastern Conference, you would have the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics taking on the eighth seed Charlotte Bobcats. In contrast in the West, you would see a pitting of the No. 1 seed Los Angeles Lakers against the eighth seeded San Antonio Spurs.

Which of these series would you propose to be the most entertaining? Which one would you think to be the more competitive? Which one offers any chance in hell of an upset?

If you picked the latter on all three questions, then you might as well apply that reasoning to the entire first round of games if the playoffs started today, because the Eastern Conference offers little to no chance of an upset for the lower seeds.

In fact, seeds six, seven, and eight would all enter the postseason with the added bonus of losing records, and none of those seeds look to improve astronomically before the end of the season.

Traditionally the most competitive first round matchup is the contest between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds. Under my scenario, the Orlando Magic would pair up with Dwyane Wade and his Miami Heat.

This series would be long on star power with Wade, Vince Carter, and Dwight Howard, but it would more than likely not go more than five games out of seven, regardless of the Heat's victory last night.

The regular season is one thing, but Miami does not have the fire-power to match the defending Eastern Conference champions in a seven-game series.

On the other hand, in the West the four and five matchup would be between the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers, respectively, a series in which it would be no big surprise if Portland upset Phoenix.

How about a Denver-Houston first round series that the East would match with Atlanta and Detroit? Really?

I'm pretty sure it's obvious what path I'm taking, and for those that don't get it then you are probably fans of Milwaukee, Detroit, Charlotte, Toronto, New York, or any of the other 10 teams in the East that probably don't deserve a playoff spot, but will earn one by default.

The basketball in the East has been so bad I wouldn't be surprised to see the top four seeds of Boston, Orlando, Atlanta, and Cleveland all finish with records that include wins that number upwards of 55.

That's pretty easy to do when your schedule contains a glut of inferior teams that beat each other up but have no real chance of competing with the top seeded organizations.

I know that parity is supposed to be good for the league, but in the case of the Eastern Conference, it's actually having the opposite effect from the one most desired.

It's turned the conference into one that includes teams that have it all, and teams that have nothing, while the Western Conference may be an example of parity at it's best.

In the west, all eight playoff teams would have winning records and no less than three teams are only two games out of the eighth position. That sounds like a tight chase to me.

The West could theoretically have a 50-win team that would be excluded from the playoffs, while the East could have a team that qualifies with less than 40 wins, and is really a lottery team in a postseason disguise.

Why not re-vamp the entire format and seed the best 16 teams from one through sixteen, and then let the chips fall where they may? There's no reason that it wouldn't work, considering the NBA already has a blueprint to follow.

The NCAA basketball tournament uses that format and although it is single-game elimination it is still highly effective and better yet it is fair for all teams involved.

The seeding in the NCAA's does leave room for argument, but in the NBA, that element would be removed because the seedings would be based purely on won-loss records with tie-breakers used when needed.

Fans of the Eastern Conference would surely be in conflict with this because it would reduce the number of teams receiving bids from eight to four, but so what? The best teams would be represented, and that's good for basketball.

Additionally, you would still see some pretty good matchups in the first round, and you would still get the Miami-Orlando pairing, and likely the Phoenix-Portland matchup also.

The only difference is that it would be in the No. 4 and 13 seedings, and the No. 8 and 9, instead of the previous four versus five.

In this format you would have a much more competitive postseason and the teams that really need help through the draft would be eligible to receive it, instead of getting shuffled to the bottom of the first round because of an un-deserved playoff spot.

This would all be rendered useless if teams like Toronto, Washington, and perhaps Detroit could start playing up to preseason expectations instead of resembling their more disparaged brethren in the East.

Unfortunately, this would never happen because commissioner David Stern seems pleased to send un-worthy teams in the east to the playoffs, and the fans of those teams seem to be okay with mediocrity.

Even the New York Knicks are only three games out of a playoff spot and can you imagine what an appearance by the NBA's biggest market would do for league revenue?

What does it matter if they get swept out of the playoffs, and along the way suffer a 60 point beat-down in the process? It's good for the bottom line, but for real fans of basketball it's a travesty in the first degree.