The Playoff Race in the East

5&6- Heat & Bobcats:  Currently tied at the fifth spot, Miami and Charlotte are two teams who seem very capable of maintaining a spot in the playoffs this season. Miami has one of the most unstoppable scorers in the league in Dwayne Wade. Other role-players like Jermaine O'Neal and Michael Beasley have been stepping up and adding some nice numbers as well. The Bobcats as of recent, have been playing very well as a team. Led by Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton. Wallace dropped 28 against Sacramento to go along with 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Felton was one assist away from a triple double, going off for 17 points 10 rebounds and 9 assists. The Bobcats are not one of my favorite underdog teams, but playing the way they have been they will be a tough team for anyone to beat. The Heat will maintain their spot in the playoffs because they have so much talent and D-Wade will not slow down.

7- Raptors: The Raptors started off the season very slow, with a brutal losing record in their first 25 games. The Raptors are a team who are not dependant on one or two players, different players play differently every game. Recently Andrea Bargnani has been hungry for some wins and he seems to be coming into his own and understanding his role on this team. Obviously they have Chris Bosh who is going to give you 20 points and 10 rebounds every night. He is in my opinion one of the most consistant players in the NBA and is a deffinite candidate for the most valuable player award.  Jarrett Jack has also given the Raptors great productivity in the absence of Jose Calderon. With Calderon back the Raptors are currently making a great run in the East. Much of this recent success has to be credited to the coaching and the 9 new faces finding their fit into the rotation. Hedo Turkoglu is a great addition and is a veteran who has NBA Finals experience, which is sure to help this team should they make it to the playoffs. He has stuggled recently but his confidence is never lacking and he is sure to come out of this slump soon.

8- Bulls: Chicago is a team who had great success in progressing their young players last year. Led by Rose and Ben Gordon. This year it is evident that the Bulls are missing Gordon's clutch threes late in the game. They have a lot of talent but they are missing that go-to guy late in the game. The way this team has been playing lately, it would not surprise me to see the Knicks take their 8th spot in the playoffs this year. The Knicks have been one of the top teams in the league since Christmas. David Lee has been leading them well and they will continue to improve as the year progresses.

Here are my final predictions for seats 5-8 in the Eastern Conference at the end of the season:

5- Toronto
6- Miami
7- Charlotte
8- New York