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Going to do this a bit differently this time:
TIER 1: TITLE CONTENDERS
1. Timberwolves (51-23) [--]
2. Raptors (54-23) [--]
3. Mavericks (53-22) [--]
4. Wizards (45-28) [--]
5. Knicks (50-27) [--]
6. Magic (44-28) [--]
A lot of very familiar faces up here. These 6 teams have seemingly been title contenders every single season, and you should expect to see them in the end again. The Timberwolves, despite having almost an entirely different cast than the one who won a championship three seasons ago, are once again leading the league in scoring. The Raptors are looking to finally break through in the East behind yet another MVP-caliber year from Chris Paul. The Mavericks once again tout the same core who has played in back-to-back Game 7's in the NBA Finals. The Knicks should get 2013 Finals MVP Ty Lawson back just in time to go after their third ring in five years. Finally, the Magic, like the Raptors, have yet to earn a trip to the Finals despite knocking on the door every season.
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TIER 2: DARK HORSES
7. Cavaliers (51-24) [--]
8. Jazz (50-26) [--]
9. Kings (47-28) [--]
10. Suns (45-30) [--]
11. Lakers (47-29) [--]
12. Hawks (41-33) [--]
Don't count any of these teams out. The Cavaliers are just shy of being considered in Tier 1, and have been looking to prove people who think their team can't win in the playoffs wrong. The Jazz are four wins away from their highest total in five years and are looking for redemption after going out in the first round last season. The Kings just stink. The Suns showed flashes earlier in the season of being a true contender, but have struggled through the back half of what was thought to be an easy schedule. The Lakers are looking to ride a career year from James Harden to their fourth straight division title. The Hawks have won seven straight and might just be getting hot at the perfect time.
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TIER 3: VERY AVERAGE
13. Heat (38-36) [--]
14. Trail Blazers (40-38) [--]
15. Pistons (41-37) [--]
16. Bulls (36-36) [--]
17. Grizzlies (37-41) [--]
These teams are good enough to make the playoffs, but are not good enough to win it. The Heat have found that turning a young core into a winning team is harder than it looks. The Blazers will quickly turn their attention to retaining LaMarcus Aldridge in the offseason. Despite their average record, the Pistons are three wins away from their highest win total in five years. The Bulls have established a great core with Durant and Wall, but have struggled to find the supporting pieces to match. The Grizzlies are hoping that Giannis Antetokounmpo takes the next step in the coming years.
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TIER 4: SHOULD BLOW IT UP
18. Nuggets (35-42) [--]
19. Bucks (30-43) [--]
20. Hornets (33-41) [--]
21. Thunder (30-44) [--]
22. Pacers (25-49) [--]
23. Nets (34-44) [--]
These teams aren't losing as much as they need to be, even though some of them probably think they've done enough to be in the tier below. The Nuggets are starting over after trading away franchise cornerstone Brandon Jennings. The Bucks are the only team in the Eastern Conference to not have made the playoffs in the past give seasons. The Hornets are holding onto Derrick Rose like a homeless man holds onto a loaf of bread, but they aren't getting any better around him. The Thunder have completely revamped their team over the past few months and will hope for better results next season. The defending champion Pacers questionably decided to blow it up after winning a championship. The Nets have been bottoming out ever since Tyreke Evans read one too many tweets questioning his decision making and decided to take the rest of the year off to contemplate his life.
----------
TIER 5: ALREADY BLEW IT UP, AND IT'S UGLY
24. Warriors (27-47) [--]
25. Rockets (22-52) [--]
26. Clippers (26-50) [--]
27. Spurs (25-50) [--]
28. 76ers (15-58) [--]
29. Celtics (16-59) [--]
These teams aren't worth a write-up. They suck. We'll see who can win the battle of the ping pong balls and come away with the top prizes of the 2015 NBA Draft: Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow, and Quinn Cook.
And that's how the Commish sees it.
TIER 1: TITLE CONTENDERS
1. Timberwolves (51-23) [--]
2. Raptors (54-23) [--]
3. Mavericks (53-22) [--]
4. Wizards (45-28) [--]
5. Knicks (50-27) [--]
6. Magic (44-28) [--]
A lot of very familiar faces up here. These 6 teams have seemingly been title contenders every single season, and you should expect to see them in the end again. The Timberwolves, despite having almost an entirely different cast than the one who won a championship three seasons ago, are once again leading the league in scoring. The Raptors are looking to finally break through in the East behind yet another MVP-caliber year from Chris Paul. The Mavericks once again tout the same core who has played in back-to-back Game 7's in the NBA Finals. The Knicks should get 2013 Finals MVP Ty Lawson back just in time to go after their third ring in five years. Finally, the Magic, like the Raptors, have yet to earn a trip to the Finals despite knocking on the door every season.
----------
TIER 2: DARK HORSES
7. Cavaliers (51-24) [--]
8. Jazz (50-26) [--]
9. Kings (47-28) [--]
10. Suns (45-30) [--]
11. Lakers (47-29) [--]
12. Hawks (41-33) [--]
Don't count any of these teams out. The Cavaliers are just shy of being considered in Tier 1, and have been looking to prove people who think their team can't win in the playoffs wrong. The Jazz are four wins away from their highest total in five years and are looking for redemption after going out in the first round last season. The Kings just stink. The Suns showed flashes earlier in the season of being a true contender, but have struggled through the back half of what was thought to be an easy schedule. The Lakers are looking to ride a career year from James Harden to their fourth straight division title. The Hawks have won seven straight and might just be getting hot at the perfect time.
----------
TIER 3: VERY AVERAGE
13. Heat (38-36) [--]
14. Trail Blazers (40-38) [--]
15. Pistons (41-37) [--]
16. Bulls (36-36) [--]
17. Grizzlies (37-41) [--]
These teams are good enough to make the playoffs, but are not good enough to win it. The Heat have found that turning a young core into a winning team is harder than it looks. The Blazers will quickly turn their attention to retaining LaMarcus Aldridge in the offseason. Despite their average record, the Pistons are three wins away from their highest win total in five years. The Bulls have established a great core with Durant and Wall, but have struggled to find the supporting pieces to match. The Grizzlies are hoping that Giannis Antetokounmpo takes the next step in the coming years.
----------
TIER 4: SHOULD BLOW IT UP
18. Nuggets (35-42) [--]
19. Bucks (30-43) [--]
20. Hornets (33-41) [--]
21. Thunder (30-44) [--]
22. Pacers (25-49) [--]
23. Nets (34-44) [--]
These teams aren't losing as much as they need to be, even though some of them probably think they've done enough to be in the tier below. The Nuggets are starting over after trading away franchise cornerstone Brandon Jennings. The Bucks are the only team in the Eastern Conference to not have made the playoffs in the past give seasons. The Hornets are holding onto Derrick Rose like a homeless man holds onto a loaf of bread, but they aren't getting any better around him. The Thunder have completely revamped their team over the past few months and will hope for better results next season. The defending champion Pacers questionably decided to blow it up after winning a championship. The Nets have been bottoming out ever since Tyreke Evans read one too many tweets questioning his decision making and decided to take the rest of the year off to contemplate his life.
----------
TIER 5: ALREADY BLEW IT UP, AND IT'S UGLY
24. Warriors (27-47) [--]
25. Rockets (22-52) [--]
26. Clippers (26-50) [--]
27. Spurs (25-50) [--]
28. 76ers (15-58) [--]
29. Celtics (16-59) [--]
These teams aren't worth a write-up. They suck. We'll see who can win the battle of the ping pong balls and come away with the top prizes of the 2015 NBA Draft: Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow, and Quinn Cook.
And that's how the Commish sees it.
