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1. Cleveland
2. Orlando
3. Boston
4. Atlanta
5. Milwaukee
6. Toronto
7. Miami
8. Charlotte

Similar to how Steve Martin looked ahead at the all-star break, I’ve examined teams schedules to predict how they’ll finish. I focus on home/road splits of course, putting excessive weight on how many games are left against teams that are at least 10 games over .500 now or better. Those naturally are very challenging games.

We know (and have known since last summer) that the Cavs are the premier team in the East. Granted, Orlando can give them fits, and that’s why they were my preseason top team in the East. Boston will edge Atlanta by a game for the No. 3 seed in my estimation; the top four teams in the conference have stood out all season.

The fun starts with the No. 5 seed on. I have Milwaukee pushing past the others to that spot; they are playing as well as anyone in the league, winning 9 of 10. John Salmons was the most significant addition at the deadline; he’s starting at the two-guard already.

The Raptors have stumbled over the last two weeks, primarily without Chris Bosh who’s back now. Although they have 11 of 20 on the road, I still favor them over Miami for the sixth spot because they’re deeper and have been more consistent when healthy.

The Heat is dangerous because of a great player. An important game comes here Tuesday against the Heat; if the Bobcats win, they’ll own the tiebreaker over them in the event they are locked for a playoff seed. Although I’m not convinced Quentin Richardson will continue to hit five 3’s a game, which he’s doing recently, I can’t ignore the fact that they have the easiest schedule remaining – 10 home games, with only two coming against teams 10 games over .500, and none of their nine road games will be imposing.

So I realistically think it comes down to Charlotte and Chicago for the final playoff spot. I give the Bobcats the inside track in this race because they only have four games remaining against those tough teams (10 games over .500) – two at home and two on the road. Chicago still has seven such games left…granted five are at home.

If the Bobcats can beat the Bulls in their two head-to-head meetings in April, I’ll be reassured that we’ll be enjoying another franchise first this spring. They’ll take a mighty stride in that direction with a win on Tuesday against Dwyane Wade and Miami.