Nba Playoff Tickets - Eastern Conference Outlook
At approximately the three-quarter mark of the 2009-10 NBA season, we've got a pretty good idea about which Eastern Conference teams are the best. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic seem to shine brighter than the rest, but there are some other quality teams out there as well. The Cavs are the frontrunners for the top seed in the East, and it would be very surprising to see Orlando drop any lower than the second seed. After those two teams, though, things become a little less clear.
As of March 10th, the Boston Celtics sit in the third spot in the conference, 8.5 games behind Cleveland and 3.5 behind Orlando. Considering their age, the injuries they've experienced this season and their lackluster play, it's hard to imagine Boston overtaking either of the aforementioned powerhouses in the standing by the season's end. It's likely that Boston will end up as either the third or fourth seed. The Atlanta Hawks are nipping at their heels, though, just a game and a half behind them in the conference standings. The Hawks are a bit inconsistent, but they're incredibly athletic and could very well vault into the third spot.
In the third tier of teams, there are five clubs vying for the final four playoff spots in the East. The Milwaukee Bucks, currently slotted fifth in the conference, have been playing great basketball as of late. Center Andrew Bogut, the number one overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, is finally living up to his potential and has become a dominant big man in the middle this season. The addition of John Salmons at the trade deadline has given the club another offensive option and they're looking quite strong.
A game and a half behind Milwaukee lies the Toronto Raptors, who had put together quite a run before Chris Bosh went down a few weeks ago. Bosh is back now, so the team could get back on track thanks to his presence in the starting lineup. The Raptors started slowly this season, as there was quite a lot of roster turnover in the offseason, but they've shown some serious potential. Bosh is one of the best power forwards in the league and Jarrett Jack has been a pleasant surprise at the point.
One game behind Toronto sits the Charlotte Bobcats, in the seventh place position at 31-31. The Bobcats have been solid this season and are one of the best defensive units in the league. Their offensive limitations are what consistently hold them back, though. The organization landed Stephen Jackson in an early season trade, which has bolstered the Charlotte offense significantly, but they're still not going to dominate anyone on that end of the court. Their defense could allow them to make some noise in the playoffs with the right matchup.
The Miami Heat would be the last Eastern Conference team in the playoffs if the season was to end today. They're also at .500 as of March 10th, but will look to make a push for a higher seed down the stretch. As always, Dwyane Wade is playing well and doing everything he can to carry this team. His supporting cast has not been incredibly helpful, though. Michael Beasley's lack of focus has limited his playing time in the fourth quarter and talented youngsters like Dorrell Wright and Daequan Cook have not taken the next step in their development. It's basically all on Wade, something that the team will have to rectify this summer if they hope to keep him in South Beach.
On the outside looking in sits the Chicago Bulls. The loss of Joakim Noah (via injury) and John Salmons (via trade) have really hurt this club. Noah was a defensive enforcer and relentless on the boards; the team has sorely missed him inside. Salmons was dealt to free up cap space for this summer, but that trade doesn't help the team until then. Whereas they were looking strong just a few weeks ago, now there seems to be serious doubt among NBA circles whether <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/nba-playoff-tickets/">NBA Playoff tickets</a> to see them will even be available at all.
While the two top dogs stand alone atop the Eastern Conference, there are some interesting subplots to pay attention to during the stretch run this season. It should be exciting to see how it all plays out.
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This article about <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/nba-playoff-tickets/">NBA Playoff tickets</a> was written by Morgan C. Dunn in association with <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/">StubHub</a>, a leader in the sports tickets, concert tickets, theatre tickets and special events tickets market.