Vancouver Metro Basketball League

The 2010 NBA playoffs are just under a month away and the playoff races in both conferences are running tight. In the East the battle between the third and fourth place teams is going down to the wire, while on the low side of the standing the seeding from fifth to eighth looks as though it will yo-yo nightly over the next three weeks or so. Loads of teams scoreboard watching at this time of the year. This is basically the start of the playoffs for these teams. Got to love the drama and intensity. Teams like the Nets or Wizard, with nothing left to play for, can play spoiler for a team looking to move up in the top eight. No time to mess around at this time of the year. Teams have to take even the Nets seriously! That being said, let’s look at the dancers in the east.

#1 – Cleveland

Nobody is going to catch Bron and company. Six game lead with 11 games to go. Home court advantage throughout the playoffs for the Cavs.

#2 – Orlando

Like the Cavs, the Magic have the second seed on lock. It would take a complete meltdown over their next 11 games for them to drop.

#3 & #4 – Boston & Atlanta

This is where things are heating up. Both teams have 12 games remaining and both have 45 wins. Of Boston’s 12 remaining games, eight are at home including their next six games in a row where they’ll play host western teams Denver, Sacramento, San Antonio. Oklahoma City and Houston before finishing off the homestand with a clash with east leading Cleveland. The two other remaining home games for the Celtics are versus Washington and Milwaukee. If Boston can muster five wins of eight at home they’ll be satisfied because their road games remaining are in New York, Toronto, Milwaukee and Chicago. All very beatable teams for the Celtics who are equally as good on the road as they are at home.
Atlanta’s remaining 12 games are much better balanced then Boston’s, with six games at home and six on the road. The Hawks will host Orlando, Indiana, Lakers, Detriot, Toronto and Milwaukee and will travel to Philadelphia, Cleveland (twice), Charlotte, Detriot and Washington. A quick glance and it would seem like Atlanta will have an easier task then Boston but two road games in Cleveland and one in Charlotte will be very tough for the young Hawks. Keep in mind that Atlanta’s a game below .500 on the road at 17-18. The Hawks will need to win at least five of six at home and hope to take four of six on the road. Circle Wednesday April 14th on your calendar when the Atlanta travels to Cleveland for their final game of the season. Could very well determine whether the Hawks get third or fourth in the east come playoff time.

#5, #6, #7 & #8 – Milwaukee, Miami, Toronto, Charlotte and Chicago (sort of)

6.5 games separate ninth from fifth and just four separate fifth from eighth. To say it’s tight would be an understatement. Milwaukee has been on a tear since the all-star break and are looking pretty comfortable in the fifth spot. Miami and Toronto have been inconsistent all season long while Charlotte made some choice deals to make themselves into a playoff threat. Chicago has been the most inconsistent of the lot and though they have won two in a row, the Bulls have been terrible down the stretch and will have the toughest mountain to climb to get in.
Miami, which leads Toronto by one game and Charlotte by 1.5 games for the sixth spot, have played two more games then the Raptors and one more than Charlotte and have a difficult schedule remaining. Of the Heat’s 11 games left, seven are on the road where Miami has struggled. However, nine of their 11 games are versus non-playoff teams.
Toronto, with 13 games remaining, will have to step up their game if they want to keep themselves out of the dreaded eighth spot, because nobody wants the Cavs in the first round. They can control their own destiny with wins over playoff teams, Miami (road), Charlotte (road) and Boston (home). Not an easy task at all. They do play host to G-State, Chicago and New York, all of which are must wins for the Raps. On the road things won’t be so easy. The Raptors are a terrible road team to begin with, and with stops in Miami, Charlotte, Cleveland and Atlanta forthcoming you would think that they would have to win at least two of those games to stay afloat. Toss in stops in LA to face the Clippers, Philadelphia and Detriot, and it looks as though the Raps will have to win at least three or four games out of these remaining road games to keep in the race. Basically eight wins out of 13 should workout for them come playoff time.
Charlotte’s remaining schedule looks to be the most favorable out of all the teams in the eighth to fifth place race in the east. With 12 games left, eight are at home and nine are against non-playoff teams. In other words, they’re must wins. They do have Toronto, Milwaukee and Atlanta to face at home but their 25-8 record at home is the fourth best in the conference behind Cleveland, Orlando and Atlanta. Like most teams in the east, the Bobcats are a mess when it comes to the road. They’ll have to pick up at least three of four wins on the road and with stops in Chicago, Houston, New Orleans and New Jersey, winning at three of these stops is very possible.
Now on to Chicago who really don’t deserve to be in this race but due to the east being well the east their still in, sort of. 12 games remain for the Bulls and after losing 10 in a row Chicago has pulled out of their funk and grabbed a couple of wins over their last two. Seven of their 12 games left are at home with three of these home games being against teams they’re chasing in Miami, Charlotte and Milwaukee. Chicago also has Cleveland, Phoenix and Boston coming to town which is never an easy game regardless if your on your homecourt. It’s going to be tough for the Bulls seeing as of today their 2.5 games behind Toronto, with Toronto having a game in hand. It will take nine to ten wins out of their next 12 to make it into the dance. Don’t count on that happening.