With NBA regular season drawing to a close, the name of the game has shifted for the bottom four seeds in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
What was once a five-team race for four playoff spots has turned into a four-team race for the fifth and sixth seeds.
The Chicago Bulls have been plagued by injuries and have lost 10 games in a row as a result. They currently sit 2.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors for the eight seed, but, from what's been seen lately, that gap probably won't get any closer.
That leaves the Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, Miami Heat, and Raptors in prime position to claim playoff berths and avoid the embarrassment attached to missing out on the postseason in a top-heavy, relatively weak Eastern Conference.
Up until the Bulls disappeared, five teams that were separated by as little as two games at one point were fighting just to get in; positioning wasn't really the priority.
Now, though, the motivation to close out the season will shift focus. The prizes at the end of the tunnel are the fifth and sixth seeds. It's from that position that any chance of advancing beyond the first round li ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Michael Pinto
NBA Playoffs: Bottom Four in the East Are Really Fighting for Two Seeds
March 20th, 2010 by Michael Pinto Leave a reply »
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