The NBA’s most vulnerable playoff teams, plus predictions for the
The NCAA tournament may be at its conclusion, but the NBA’s play-in tournament is right around the corner. Which teams will complete the field? And which of the top playoff contenders are looking vulnerable to a first-round upset? Our writers weigh in with a week to go in the regular season.
1. How do you see the East’s play-in field shaking out?
Dan Devine: The Pacers, who own head-to-head tiebreakers over both the 76ers and Heat, hold onto sixth. The Sixers, undefeated since Joel Embiid’s return, win out. The Heat get within arm’s reach of seventh by beating red-hot Dallas on Wednesday … only to stumble against the Raptors, allowing Philly to host the 7-vs.-8 game.
Vincent Goodwill: Who wants it the least? It seems like whenever the Miami Heat get a chance to make real inroads, the opportunity slips. Philadelphia desperately wants to get out of the crosshairs of the Celtics for Round 1, and probably isn’t fazed by any other potential matchup should last year’s MVP Joel Embiid be rounding back into shape. And after skimming by the Spurs, that might’ve been the close battle the Sixers needed to boost them. Two gimmes against Detroit and Brooklyn loom, and only a game behind the Pacers for sixth.
Ben Rohrbach: The Bulls and Hawks are locked into the Nos. 9 and 10 seeds (in no order), and the Pacers own the tiebreaker against both the Sixers and Heat, so the East’s play-in field is all but locked into Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago and Atlanta. If the Sixers and Heat emerge from the play-in tournament, as they should, the East’s four contenders — Boston, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Miami — will all be on the same side of the bracket, leaving open a conference finals berth to one of Orlando, New York, Cleveland and Indiana. This could be the impetus we need to allow the top three seeds to pick their first-round opponents.
Jake Fischer: Can the Hawks claim the 9th seed from the Bulls? That storyline will run through the Pacers, Heat and Sixers’ battle for…
