The Race for the Last Two Playoff Spots in the East

The Eastern Conference has sent teams to the playoffs that have been under .500 in recent years, but those teams seem to be improving. Next season we could see as many as 11 teams enter the discussion for the playoff race.

Teams up and down the conference have all improved over the summer and the competition for the playoffs seems to be as aggressive as we’ve seen it in recent memory. After suffering through tough times, many teams have righted the ship and are beginning to turn their luck around.

Looking at that playoff picture next season in the East, it seems as though there will be two spots up for grabs. The case can be made that the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami HEAT, Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards will make up the top six in some order. While the top six appears to be locked in, the final two spots seem to be anyone’s for the taking.

The competition for the seventh and eighth seeds could come down to a handful of teams. After the dust settles, which teams will be there to sneak into the playoffs? Here are five candidates that could have a shot to grab one of the final two playoff spots (ordered from most likely to least likely):

Toronto Raptors:

The Raptors have gone through big change this summer. They lost several key contributors from last year’s 49-33 team, including Lou Williams, Greivis Vasquez, Amir Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough and Chuck Hayes. But since losing those players, they’ve added DeMarre Carroll, Bismack Biyombo, Luis Scola, Cory Joseph and Delon Wright. Determining how successful they’ll be next year will hinge largely on how all of the new pieces come together. With the HEAT likely all returning back healthy and with the Bucks adding Greg Monroe and a healthy Jabari Parker, the Raptors will have serious competition in the middle of the pack in the East and could fall out of the top six, but will remain a playoff team regardless.

Boston Celtics:

The Celtics are riding high after returning to the playoffs. After tasting a bit of success last season, they went to work this summer. They acquired David Lee from the Golden State Warriors, they signed Amir Johnson and drafted Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter in the first round. Looking at the Celtics on paper would indicate the team should be right back into the mix next season. They have depth seemingly at each position down the roster, which has proven to be key during the course of the season. The addition of Isaiah Thomas at the trade deadline proved to be a huge boost to their team, as they finished with the second-best record in the East after the trade deadline. Although they were swept in the playoffs, they’ll be heading into next season with a ton of confidence.

Indiana Pacers:

Despite not having Paul George for the majority of the year, the Pacers narrowly missed the playoffs last season. They finished with an identical record as the Brooklyn Nets, but ultimately missed the postseason due to the tiebreaker. Obviously with George returning to the court 100 percent this season will help improve the team, but will it be enough to carry them into the playoffs? This team will be much different than last season after trading Roy Hibbert to the Los Angeles Lakers and losing David West. They are exploring with the idea of running an up-tempo offense, which will benefit players like George, George Hill, new addition Monta Ellis and rookie Myles Turner. It seems as though they’ll be counting on George and Ellis to handle the bulk of the scoring duties. The Pacers signed Jordan Hill to help fill holes in the frontcourt as he comes over from the Lakers after a career year in which he averaged 12 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Their new additions will be key in determining if they can return to the playoffs. 

Orlando Magic:

After three grueling seasons since Dwight Howard was traded, the Magic seem to be creeping their way back into the playoff picture. Several of their young players are beginning to take the next step in their development and seem poised to breakout. Tobias Harris and Nikola Vucevic hit the court this season in the first year of their respective new contracts and will be looking to prove their value. Victor Oladipo is quickly looking like the best player from the 2013 draft class and may be in for a big year after finishing eighth in scoring in the East last season. Elfrid Payton showed glimpses of brilliance in his rookie campaign and is coming off of a summer playing with Team USA at the exhibition game in Las Vegas. The team hired Scott Skiles as head coach and comes in with a proven track record of getting the most out of his players in his first year on the job, so the Magic could be in for a big improvement in 2015.

Charlotte Hornets:

The Hornets made the playoffs in head coach Steve Clifford’s first year in charge, but regressed last season and finished with a 33-49 record. The pressure is on Clifford this season as he’s entering the final year of his contract with the team. The distraction of Lance Stephenson is now gone, which could be addition by subtraction. The team addressed the point guard position this summer by bringing in Jeremy Lin to back up Kemba Walker. They added frontcourt depth by signing Tyler Hansbrough and drafting Frank Kaminsky, and they acquired Nicolas Batum from the Portland Trail Blazers. If there’s any team that must prove themselves, it’s the Hornets this season. They’ll be relying on core players in Walker, Al Jefferson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to lead the way and will be looking to erase the disappointing result of last season. Jefferson, Batum and Marvin Williams are all entering the final year of their contracts and represent a huge part of the team. Another down year for the Hornets could mean those players sign elsewhere and the Hornets lose a step in their development.

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While these five teams represent the best chance at competing for the final two playoff spots in the East, there certainly could be surprises along the way in which these teams fall out of the race early due to injuries or other factors. It also be said that other teams not named above will be on the rise this season like the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and even the Philadelphia 76ers. They appear to be at least another season away from competing, but could be in the discussion in the coming years.