In the last seven seasons, at least two new Eastern Conference teams advanced to the NBA playoffs that didn’t the season before — such as Milwaukee and Charlotte last year. Only two of those entrants came in seeded higher than fourth (’08 Boston, ’07 Toronto).
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2009-10 » Bobcats, Bucks
2008-09 » Heat, Bulls
2007-08 » Celtics, 76ers, Hawks
2006-07 » Raptors, Magic
2005-06 » Cavs, Bucks
2004-05 » Bulls, Wizards, 76ers
2003-04 » Heat, Knicks
Combined with the top-heavy influence of Miami, Orlando and Boston, and the corollary that two teams always seem to fall out of the postseason — like a LeBron James-less Cleveland is heavily-favored to do this year — competition for back-end playoff spots are expected to be wide open for teams like the Wizards.
Besides the Cavs, who else looks like they could relinquish their playoff spot?
MILWAUKEE » The Bucks should be primed for a surge into the top half of the Eastern Conference. But a lot depends on center Andrew Bogut, who said in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on Monday that he “might not be 100 percent the whole year,” after a serious hand injury in April.
CHARLOTTE » Without a top-tier center and point guard, and lacking serious offensive threats, Larry Brown and Michael Jordan need more than a front-office presence to get the Bobcats into the playoffs for the second time in franchise history.
ATLANTA » How much credit did former head coach Mike Woodson deserve for keeping the Hawks together over the last three seasons? How much will Jamal Crawford‘s contract situation serve as a distraction? Those are significant questions for a group that is fresh off embarrassing itself in the first round of the playoffs last spring.
