I thought it might be worth creating a (short-lived) thread on Eastern Conference playoff seeding. Here are the standings as of this morning (below, using the native table function, fingers crossed). Column four is "rising" or "falling" (determined by whether, in its last 10 games, the team has varied from its overall winning percentage by more than .100, either positively (rising) or negatively (falling). I thought "rising" and falling" would give a sense of which teams stand the best chance of moving higher or lower over the last eight or so games.
I think the #2 seed might be a perfect place for Boston if Philadelphia can hold on to the #3 seed; I would rather avoid seeing Cleveland or Milwaukee for a couple of rounds (and New York caused us problems recently, though they're falling). Still, right now, #2 would play Miami, and that's one of the teams I'd rather avoid in the first round; I think they could be tough, because they're so well-coached, and Butler can find another gear in high-stakes games, and they always seem to play us close (I would expect Spoelstra to throw zones and a variety of looks at us). However, Brooklyn could fall to #7, though their remaining schedule looks favorable.
I think the #2 seed might be a perfect place for Boston if Philadelphia can hold on to the #3 seed; I would rather avoid seeing Cleveland or Milwaukee for a couple of rounds (and New York caused us problems recently, though they're falling). Still, right now, #2 would play Miami, and that's one of the teams I'd rather avoid in the first round; I think they could be tough, because they're so well-coached, and Butler can find another gear in high-stakes games, and they always seem to play us close (I would expect Spoelstra to throw zones and a variety of looks at us). However, Brooklyn could fall to #7, though their remaining schedule looks favorable.
| TEAM NAME | RECORD | GAMES BEHIND | RISING/FALLING |
| Milwaukee | 53-21 | ---- | ---- |
| Boston | 51-23 | 2 | ---- |
| Philadelphia | 49-25 | 4 | ---- |
| Cleveland | 47-28 | 6.5 | rising |
| New York | 42-33 | 11.5 | falling |
| Brooklyn | 40-34 | 13 | falling |
| Miami | 40-35 | 13.5 | ---- |
| Atlanta | 37-37 | 16 | ---- |
| Toronto | 36-38 | 17 | ---- |
| Chicago | 35-38 | 17.5 | rising |
