NBA's Eastern Conference Playoff Chase

While everybody is salivating over the pending Western Conference playoff tournament and delighting in the daily twists and turns of the race for prime spots in the final standings, there is something rather interesting happening far from the spotlights. It’s called the Eastern Conference playoff chase, and it’s pretty compelling itself.

Let’s not get too excited about this, because while there are six teams within seven games of each other in the East, nobody considers any of them even remote contenders for anything more than a respectable first-round showing. Because of that, few are focusing on Indiana and Jersey’s chase of Atlanta for the final playoff spot or Philadelphia’s chances of climbing to the fifth (or even fourth!) position in the conference hierarchy. That doesn’t mean the final two weeks of the season don’t offer the possibility of some drama, albeit the off-Broadway sort. Okay, since most of the teams in question remain below or just about at .500, this could be better described as Community Theater, although even the local production of Camelot sometimes entertains.

The most surprising storyline of the entire Eastern chase is Atlanta’s status as a serious playoff contender. More than that, the Hawks are actually accepting offers for post-season tickets. How’s that for a team that was expected to flounder near the East basement this year? Atlanta still has issues on defense, but it has four bona-fide offensive weapons and in point man Mike Bibby, acquired just before the trade deadline, it possesses a floor leader capable of keeping the young guys (and there are plenty of them) in line. There is no way to expect the Hawks to beat Boston in the first round. In fact, a single win would be a giant step forward. Fair enough. Celebrate instead the Hawks’ resurgence and climb to respectability. That’s a worthy cause.

Indiana and the Nets may be staging nothing more than a race for ninth place in the East, which has all the cachet of a first-round exit from Dancing With The Stars. In reality, both are probably in the “too little, too late” category, since they find themselves tied with 31-43 records, three games behind Atlanta, with eight to play. Stranger things have happened, and the Hawks aren’t exactly the ’82-83 Sixers, but the realistic among the teams’ fans understand that an all-expense paid trip to Lotteryland is most likely in the offing. Further, since the Hawks have won eight of 10, and the Pacers and Nets are playing .500 ball of late, an April miracle remains unlikely. If either team were to catch fire and grab the eighth position, they would be Celtic chow. Further, they would hurt their rebuilding programs by falling three or four spots in the draft order. A few dollars of post-season revenue are not worth all of that.

The Philadelphia situation is far more interesting. Devoted readers of this column (thanks, Mom!) will remember that it was just a few short months ago that I laid out a clear blueprint for the Sixers’ revival that included trading Andre Miller and giving the younger players excessive court time, the better to plummet in the standings and acquire an attractive Lottery pick to be used as a bargaining chip or spent on a promising collegiate standout. Instead of taking my advice, GM Ed Stefanski kept Miller, told coach Mo Cheeks to employ an up-tempo style that emphasized the skills of the team’s bevy of two and three men and watched the Sixers climb into the playoffs by playing entertaining fastbreak basketball. Kudos to Stefanski, a savvy executive, for that gambit.

The Sixers are the East’s most interesting story in the final two weeks. Not only do they square off against all of the conference’s playoff hopefuls, but they also have the opportunity to move as high as fourth in the standings or slide out of post-season all together. Their modest, two-game losing streak is no reason for concern right now, but with pending games against Jersey and the Hawks (twice) this week, Philly could find itself in some trouble by this time next week, if it doesn’t get it together. Figure on a revival and a climb into the sixth spot in the East before it’s over, thanks to the team’s recent success against the conference foes (8-3 in its last 11 games) and Toronto’s recent woes (3-7 in the last 10).

None of this means much when it comes to picking a conference champion. The East still boils down to a contest between the Celtics and Detroit, barring some sort of Herculean effort by LeBron James. Before that can commence, there is the business of sorting out the first-round fodder. Why not devote a couple minutes each day to the East race? It may not promise as much enjoyment as its Western counterpart, but you might be surprised.
 
GAME OF THE WEEK I

Golden State at Dallas, Wednesday. Both teams are staggering a bit of late and could use this one to keep a step of ahead of the other – and charging Denver. Dallas continues to seek continuity in the wake of its trade for Jason Kidd, while the Warriors hope their mastery of the Mavs from last year continues a little longer.

GAME OF THE WEEK II

Atlanta at Philadelphia, Saturday. The second game of a back-to-back involving these two teams could solidify the Sixers’ hold on at least the seventh spot in the Eastern hierarchy, or it could propel the Hawks closer to Philly in the standings and help Atlanta in its quest to avoid a meeting with Boston in the playoffs’ first round.

IN THE PAINT

• The Lakers hope to be at full strength come playoff time, but they are certainly cutting things close. Although Pau Gasol scrimmaged last week, and Andrew Bynum has been cleared to travel with the team and might hit the court next week, point man Derek Fisher has a partially torn tendon in his right foot. Kobe Bryant can keep scoring 50 a night, but he needs some help.

• With a seven-game winning streak, San Antonio has re-emerged as a serious factor atop the Western standings and looks like now the only sensible choice to emerge from the conference, thanks to its experience, relative health and strong defense.

• Don’t look now, but it appears Shaq is getting comfortable in the desert. In the past 10 games – eight of which the Suns won – he is averaging 15.4 ppg and 9.7 rpg a game. He still seems a little out of place at times, but he is much more comfortable than he was a month ago.