Background: Eight teams can make the playoffs in both the Western and Eastern conferences, and there’s about a month left in the season to sort out the playoff teams. Expect a wild chase to the wire.
West breakdown: There will be a battle for the seventh and eighth spots. Southwest Division powerhouses San Antonio and Dallas are fighting for a division title and a No. 1 overall seed. The second-place Southwest finisher will drop to the fourth seed. The Suns should win the Pacific Division and land the No. 2 seed. Unless the Nuggets fall apart, expect them to get the No. 3 seed. But if Denver doesn’t have a better record than the sixth-seeded team, it won’t have home-court advantage in the first round. Expect the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis to land the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively. As far as the seventh and eighth seeds, there will be a dogfight between New Orleans-Oklahoma City, the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento, Houston, Utah and possibly Minnesota.
East breakdown: Detroit will run away with the top seed with the best record and the Central Division title. Miami will easily win the Southeast Division and earn the second seed in the East. New Jersey should hold off Philadelphia for the Atlantic Division title and the third seed. Cleveland is a lock for the fourth seed. As for the fifth through eighth seeds, it’s anyone’s guess as Indiana, Washington, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Boston and Chicago will fight it out.
Spears’ take: The Nuggets need to stop messing around and lock up the Northwest Division title, which would be their first division crown since 1988. Expect Utah to stay on Denver’s heels for the remainder of the season. Sacramento and the Lakers will get the two final spots in the West. Utah could sneak in and take one of those spots if Andrei Kirilenko isn’t sidelined by injuries. Tracy McGrady’s continuing back problems will keep Houston out. And while Chris Paul is the NBA’s rookie of the year, it will be too big of a task for him to get the Hornets into the playoffs. In the East, the Pacers will continue to improve with newcomer Peja Stojakovic and will have all-star Jermaine O’Neal back by playoff time. Washington and Milwaukee are too talented not to make the playoffs. Philadelphia has a nice cushion right now that should land it the eighth spot, but don’t underestimate Boston and Chicago.
