While the NBA's postseason party extends invitations to more than half of its teams, it can still be challenging for newcomers to gain entry.
Just look at how the playoff tickets were divvied up a few months back for the 2015 field. Of the 16 teams that qualified for the second season, 12 of them were making return trips from the previous year.
The quantity of postseason spots might feel inclusive, but the results don't always appear that way.
However, the 2015 offseason could push a number of non-playoff teams into the 2016 race. There are a number of factors—both internal and external—playing into that.
Internally, teams improved their own odds by getting healthy, bringing young prospects along and adding key pieces through the draft and free agency. Externally, those chances have been strengthened by 2015 playoff participants moving in the wrong direction.
The Portland Trail Blazers lost four starters from a 51-win team. The Los Angeles Clippers are going forward without interior anchor DeAndre Jordan and have no comfortable way to replace him.
Out East, the Atlanta Hawks lost three-and-D ace DeM ...
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Article written by Zach Buckley
Which Non-Playoff Teams Have Joined Postseason Picture During 2015 Offseason?
July 7th, 2015 by Zach Buckley Leave a reply »
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