Mock Playoff Standing (EAST)
Since the NBA lockout has put the NBA preseason in a state of purgatory there is not much that NBA fans can do but make their own news, which includes mock playoff standings. Since free agency has been put on hold these playoff standing will be revised when the lockout ends, hopefully before the start of the season.
EAST
1) Miami Heat- Even after a rough start the Heat still managed to finish strong and get to the NBA finals. With a year under their belt the big 3 know how to play together and will dominate the East
2) Chicago Bulls- Derrick Roses carried the Bulls to a 60 wins plus season even with key players like Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer injured at the beginning of the season. If Chicago can stay healthy their is no reason to think they can't improve on that.
3) Boston Celtics- The "original" big three despite their age put up over 55 wins last year, age hasn't just caught up with them yet. The Celts aren't at the level they used to be at , but they can still put up a lot of wins in the lesser Eastern Conference.
4) New York Knicks - New York city basketball is back, with the addition of veteran point guard Chauncey Billups and a player called Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks are even better then last year and are ready to be one of the top 4 teams in the East.
5) Orlando Magic- There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future of Orlando magic basketball. Will Dwight stay or leave, this is bound to cause chemistry issues in the locker room, and if a mid season trade for Dwight happens the magic might finish even worse then the 5th seed depending on who they trade for.
6) Atlanta Hawks- The Hawks will almost definitely trade Josh Smith for a player that is not on his All-Star level which will hurt the Hawks playoff standings. Even with their up and coming point guard, Jeff Teauge.
7) New Jersey Nets- It's hard to imagine Deron Williams not leading the Nets into the playoffs, hopefully this possible playoff run inspires Brook Lopez to step his rebounding game up which before the Williams trade was below average.
8) Phillie 76ers - Some might think the 76ers are too low, but with teams like the Knicks or the Nets playing better basketball its going to be harder for the 76ers to post some of the easy wins they did last year
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EAST
1) Miami Heat- Even after a rough start the Heat still managed to finish strong and get to the NBA finals. With a year under their belt the big 3 know how to play together and will dominate the East
2) Chicago Bulls- Derrick Roses carried the Bulls to a 60 wins plus season even with key players like Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer injured at the beginning of the season. If Chicago can stay healthy their is no reason to think they can't improve on that.
3) Boston Celtics- The "original" big three despite their age put up over 55 wins last year, age hasn't just caught up with them yet. The Celts aren't at the level they used to be at , but they can still put up a lot of wins in the lesser Eastern Conference.
4) New York Knicks - New York city basketball is back, with the addition of veteran point guard Chauncey Billups and a player called Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks are even better then last year and are ready to be one of the top 4 teams in the East.
5) Orlando Magic- There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future of Orlando magic basketball. Will Dwight stay or leave, this is bound to cause chemistry issues in the locker room, and if a mid season trade for Dwight happens the magic might finish even worse then the 5th seed depending on who they trade for.
6) Atlanta Hawks- The Hawks will almost definitely trade Josh Smith for a player that is not on his All-Star level which will hurt the Hawks playoff standings. Even with their up and coming point guard, Jeff Teauge.
7) New Jersey Nets- It's hard to imagine Deron Williams not leading the Nets into the playoffs, hopefully this possible playoff run inspires Brook Lopez to step his rebounding game up which before the Williams trade was below average.
8) Phillie 76ers - Some might think the 76ers are too low, but with teams like the Knicks or the Nets playing better basketball its going to be harder for the 76ers to post some of the easy wins they did last year
**If you enjoyed this article and others on this site please follow me on twitter at (Charity__Stripe) and if you noticed any errors or have any questions please email me at the [email protected]**
Mock Playoff Standing (WEST)
WEST
- 1. Dallas Mavericks- Up on till last season the Dallas Mavericks where the definition of great regular season, bad playoff team they finally broke that trend and if the Mavericks can keep the free agents that made them great they will be a force in the west even if they are not as hungry
2. Oklahoma City Thunder- In just one year OKC jumped form the 8th seed to the 5th and from a 1st round playoff exit to the western conference finals. I can see them taking the next step and post the second best record in the west.
3.Los Angles Lakers- The Lakers will be playing with out there HOF coach Phil Jackson . Since the Lakers will have to adapt to Mike Browns system , and since they might lose Shannon Brown, an important role player. I could see the Lakers doing worse next season.- 4. San Antonio Spurs- The Spurs was the 2nd best team in the league last year, however come playoff time they lost to the 8th seed Memphis Grizzles in 5 games. The spurs managed to win over 60 games despite Tim Duncan putting up some of the worst numbers of his career. I doubt next year they will have as much success given there disappointing playoff exit and the fact Tim Duncan isn't getting any younger.
5) Portland Trailblazers- With the addition of Gerald Wallace and hopefully a healthy Greg Oden the Trailblazers seem ready for a BIG season next year, as long as they stay healthy.
6) Denver Nuggets- After losing Melo' not a lot of people thought the Nuggets would do as well as they did. But after almost getting swept in the 1st round, i doubt the nuggets will be able to play as well as they did through out an entire NBA season.- 7)Memphis Grizzles- Memphis shocked the NBA world after there fantastic playoff run, however i think their run was fueled by momentum something i doubt they will carry into the regular season.
