The State of the Playoff Race, Eastern Conference

Despite recent hiccups, the NBA appears committed to re-starting the season on July 30th. The league will conclude the regular season in abbreviated fashion with a possible double-elimination play-in tournament before a traditional playoffs. The plan is to crown a champion by October.

In the Eastern Conference, there will be nine teams jockeying for position before the postseason begins. While clubs like the Bucks or Raptors should rightfully be considered heavy favorites, in the most tumultuous NBA season since the 2011 lockout, anything is possible.

As such, below is a breakdown of the state of the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoff race, broken down into tiers. Projections are based on current seeding.

Tier 1: The Eric Bledsoe memorial “I don’t wanna be here” tier

#9 The Washington Wizards (24-40)

To say it has been a disappointing season for Scott Brooks’ Wizards squad is an understatement. Despite having a superb lead dog in Bradley Beal, and promising young players like Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura, the Wiz stumbled out to a 24-40 record.

The season has been marred by injuries, roster inconsistency, but it was Washington’s notably dismal defense that did the team in - the Wiz clocked in dead last in the league in overall defensive rating.

While Bradley Beal has been putting up heroic scoring performances for much of the season, it just doesn’t seem like enough to lift this franchise, which has been crippled for now 2 years by John Wall’s injuries and mammoth contract. With Davis Bertans opting to stay home, Washington’s fate is all but sealed.

Projection: Eliminated before the playoffs

#8 The Orlando Magic (30-35)

The Magic, much like their point guard at his best, are in transition. While the front office still has to figure out what the plan is for this team going forward, the roster has a few intriguing young players in Markelle Fultz & Mo Bamba, bolstered by veterans Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Terrence Ross.

The player with the highest upside by far is Jonathan Isaac, a rangy forward who brings strong defensive intelligence and shot blocking presence as well as speed in transition and decent shooting percentages.

Unfortunately, with Isaac out for the year with a bad knee sprain, plus a fearsome potential first-round opponent, the hometown Magic have a decidedly low ceiling in Disney. Expect an early disappearing act.

Projection: Eliminated in Round One

Tier 2: The Dark Horses

#7 The Brooklyn Nets (30-34)

Though superstars Kyrie Irving & Kevin Durant will not be joining the Nets in Orlando, the frisky Nets could still surprise. Brooklyn’s biggest issue this year has been consistency, but when they play to their potential, they are not a fun matchup.

Led by local bitcoin enthusiast Spencer Dinwiddie, the Nets can get hot in a hurry. Flanked by sharpshooter Joe Harris, a pair of hard-nosed big men in DeAndre Jordan and Jarret Allen, and an athletic two-way guard in Caris Levert, Dinwiddie’s boys in black could sneak up on teams that aren’t careful.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brooklyn give their first-round matchup a tough series. But in the playoffs, the difference largely comes down to which star shines the brightest, and unfortunately for Brooklyn, this year those guys are riding the pine.

Projection: Eliminated in Round One

#6 The Miami Heat (41-24)

Led by their prize free agent signing Jimmy Butler and newly minted All-Star Bam Adebayo, Miami boasts a deep, talented roster that plays with speed and ferocity. Depth has been the secret to Miami’s success this year, with Pat Riley using dark magic to seemingly generate Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn out of thin air.

Coach of the year contender Erik Spoelstra also gets to work with the NBA’s next great NBA villain in Tyler Herro and steady veteran Goran Dragic off the bench. So with all this said, why can’t I shake the feeling that Miami has one and done written all over them?

Perhaps it's the team’s 7-7 record since the Andre Igoudala trade, including losses to the wretched Hawks and Cavaliers. But a bigger issue is that Miami has been largely unable to win on the road, something that doesn’t bode well for them in a tournament with no home games.

Projection: Eliminated in Round One

#5 The Indiana Pacers (39-26)

The Pacers have admirably persevered despite injuries up and down the roster. Indiana owns the fifth best record in the Easter heading into Disney.

Though they lack shooting, head coach Nate McMillan’s squad has made up for this with a rugged defense, ranked 7th in opponent points per game in the league. The emergence of Domantas Sabonis as an All-Star should help, along with strong play from Malcolm Brogdon and a frisky bench featuring two Holidays and Mr. Douglas McBuckets.

But the real x-factor comes from the possible return of Victor Oladipo. Though he played sparingly upon his return from injury in only 13 games, Victor showed some encouraging flashes. With a few months to get his body back into playoff shape, I'm picking Vic to come back with a vengeance and lead the yellow and blue roaring out of the gates to a first round upset.

Projection: Eliminated in Conference Semifinals

Tier 3: The Contenders

#4: The Philadelphia 76er’s (39-26)

What a long, strange trip it’s been for “the Process” and Co. Philly has fallen short of the lofty expectations that many set for them at the outset of this season. Ben Simmons has been plagued by shooting and health woes, Al Horford has been the opposite of a clean fit in Brett Brown’s system, and the Sixers offense has generally been putrid.

All that said, when the Sixers are at their best, the team is a frightening blend of speed and muscle. Defensively, if Philly can play to its potential, they should be among the best, and as long as Joel Embiid is healthy and in shape, they should be considered a uniquely dangerous opponent.

The Sixers could be an early exit from the postseason if the above woes persist. At full tilt, Philly could just as easily play its way to the ECF.

Projection: Eliminated in Round One

#3: The Toronto Raptors (46-18)

Despite losing Kawhi Leonard & Danny Green in free agency, the reigning champs haven’t really missed a bit. Pascal Siakam emerged as a foundational superstar, and Toronto’s old heads like Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka have helped the team to mount a strong title defense.

Speaking of defense, the Raps have one of the best, bolstered by young specialists like OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher, Terrence Davis, and Fred VanVleet, who is still riding off of his fatherhood induced scorching playoff run.

At the center of it all is Nick Nurse, the Raps lead guitarist and composer as well as my Coach of the Year favorite. Make no mistake, these Raptors are not playing around.

Projection: Eliminated in Conference Semifinals

#2: The Boston Celtics (43-21)

A lot has changed for the Celtics. Gone are Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, or a shot at Anthony Davis. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge re-tooled on the fly last summer, and this new look Boston team is ready for another shot at the Bucks.

Questions remain about the Celtics depth down low and bench scoring. Still, it’s been hard to argue with the results. Jayson Tatum has emerged as a two-way superstar, paired with a fitting sidekick in the ascendant Jaylen Brown. Bolstered by Kardiac Kemba Walker, a defensive ace in Daniel Theis, and local superhero Marcus Smart, head coach Brad Stevens’ squad is poised for a deep playoff run.

The X-factor? A revitalized Gordon Hayward. Hair Gordon is looking more and more like the max player the Celtics signed before his gruesome leg injury.

Projection: Eliminated in Conference Finals

Tier 4: The Favorite

#1 The Milwaukee Bucks: (53-12)

It’s fitting that the East’s final tier should be occupied by a single team, since Milwaukee has been alone at the top for nearly all of the season.

Fresh off of a convincing MVP season (and the favorite to win it again) Giannis Antetokoumpo got right to work in the 2019-2020 season, leading the Bucks to a blistering 53-12 record prior to the shutdown.

More importantly, the Bucks didn’t just win most of their games, they embarrassed nearly everyone they came across. With Khris Middleton playing the best ball of his career, Brook Lopez establishing himself as an elite rim protector, and the emergence of Donte Divincenzo as a scoring spark plug, the juggernaut Bucks enter the Orlando bubble as the overwhelming favorite to win the East and a serious threat to hoist the Larry O’B come October.

Projection: Eastern Conference Champion