I find some enjoyment getting into the weeds about things; however, I want to put as much into this as it may deserve since we’ve not seen any of these teams play yet and there’s been quite a bit of turnover. First we’ll touch on the West before we bring it back home and cover the Knicks and their place in the East.
**- League Pass Team
Western Conference 2020/2021 Playoff Standings
1. Los Angeles Lakers- They won last year, and got better. Early finals favorite
2. Denver Nuggets**- They beat the Clippers last year & they’re better than last year
3. Dallas Mavericks**- KP injury may bring them down, but they’ve re-tooled to give Luka an environment to spawn forth an MVP season
4. Phoenix Suns**- With CP3, the ascension to superstardom in Booker, and how underrated Ayton is, they’re poised to surprise
5. Portland Trailblazers- They’ve retooled and got healthier, could look like a more fluid Houston Offense
6. Los Angeles Clippers- Two MVP caliber players, and while they’re worse, one or both can lead them to close out close games
7. Utah Jazz- All eyes are on Donovan after signing the max extension, no reason he won’t lead another playoff birth
8. Truth be told, I could see any team in the west outside of OKC competing for this 8th seed, but my 3 most likely would be the Grizzlies**, Pelicans**, and the Warriors**.
Eastern Conference 2020-2021 Playoff Standings
1. Philadelphia 76ers**- Doc’s 1st year, with Daryl in a new home and a newly remodeled car team that excel both their stars’ skill
2. Milwaukee Bucks**- The Bucks are better but so is the top of the East
3. Miami Heat**- Moves at the margin but they were just the Eastern Conference winners. Assuming their rookies continue their growth, as competitive as any roaster in the NBA
4. Boston Celtics- Kemba injury news along with Hayward leaving for Charlotte leave them being a bit worse off, but match up against all the teams below them well
5. Brooklyn Nets**- Kyrie and KD. They will be equal parts amazing and underwhelming w/ how many games they’re going to play together or not
6. Charlotte Hornets**- Hayward’s impact is very much role/team dependent but if you look at the Utah teams he lead, and this one, CHA is better and more cohesive
7. Indiana Pacers- The Oladipo drama wasn’t faux and while he may be closer to 100%, thus making their team better, that drama will fester in season downturns
8. Similar to the West, I can see few teams there, although for not the same reasons as the West. The west has more good teams, and the East has more finals contenders, and it’s fair share of bad teams, but not many distinguished “good” teams. My top three choices for making the 8th seed are Orlando, Washington, and Atlanta.
Now these opinions are made with the roasters as they are on December 1st, 2020. My three surprises are Phoenix as a 4-seed, Houston reduced to regulation, and Charlotte showing out with Hayward. As a Knicks fan in the extremes of the eastern conference at the top and bottom, the vacuum for the latter playoff seeds should be more up in the air. There’s also a chance of higher draft odds with so many teams wanting to compete.
Knicks Notes:
Cleveland & OKC are in full rebuilds, Houston maybe to follow if they trade their stars. Knicks and Detroit’s decisions seem to indicate they’re suggestable to change. They both said they were competing last season too. It amounts to an ability to have a top 5 pick if you don’t have the talent to close out games tank. The issues is this ignores the damage it does to a team psyche. Compete and let the chips fall where they may, especially with the new draft odds. With the Knicks staff, I see them believing, “Why can’t we walk and chew gum at the same time?” Especially with a young man like RJ Barrett who’s upset and motivated by his All-Rookie team snub. Noted gym rat, his love for basketball can seem to border on obsessive, and just how strong he is. His body is NBA ready and he’s not done growing into it yet. My excitement is greatly tempered by fit Obi and Payton. Baring a trade, and the tension between him and RJ, this would greatly dampen the potential for our young players to grow.
Knicks, Pics, & Politics 