It's Championship Week all over the college basketball landscape. From the tiniest gyms to the largest stages, Division I squads fight for titles and advancement. There are those, however, who only seek validation to the next stage of March's hullabaloo. For those "bubble" teams, mediocrity in a big conference can turn to prestige in the form of an NCAA tournament bid.
But while the college game is taking center stage this next week, the professionals continue their grind toward their own respectability. With under a quarter of the season left, teams scramble to find their way to a division crown, home-court advantage, or just a place in the postseason. For these teams, validation has to come on the court. But what if it didn't?
What if, just like in the NCAAs, the NBA had to choose their contestants for the playoffs? What if there was an imaginary level teams needed to achieve to get a shot at the title? Who would get in? Who would have the most desirable resume right now?
As of Monday, the Eastern Conference could make a case for this type of solution. While the Western Conference has quite a bit of separation between playoff contenders and pretenders, the East is a lot more muddled. After New Jersey's "bubble" victory over the Knicks Sunday night, five teams were within three and a-half games of eighth-place Chicago, and all six teams are below .500.
So, in the fight for mediocrity east of the Mississippi, which team ranks worthy of making the playoffs. Here would be the criteria for the committee to ponder over.
*Quality Wins = Wins over the top five NBA teams (Lakers, Cleveland, Boston, Orlando, San Antonio)
*Bad Losses = Losses versus bottom-tier (Minnesota, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Clippers, Washington, Sacramento)
*Road Record
*Hot or Cold (Record over last 10 games)
Chicago Bulls
Quality Wins: 2 (vs. ORL, vs. CLE)
Bad Losses: 5 (@ MEM, @ WAS, MIN twice, vs. OKC)
Road Record: 10-23
Last 10: 6-4
The Bulls have put themselves in position lately with an winning stint in the last 10 games. Point man Derrick Rose is one of the prime candidates for Rookie of the Year, and there is still a good collection of talent (Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, etc.). However, this team leads the way in "bad losses" with five. That includes a season sweep at the hands of Minnesota. Plus, there still seems to be a sense of underachievement and chaos with first-year coach Vinny Del Negro.
Milwaukee Bucks
Quality Wins: 2 (SA twice)
Bad Losses: 3 (MIN twice, @ LAC)
Road Record: 11-24
Last 10: 3-7
The Bucks have really tailed off as injuries to Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut might be the untangling of Milwaukee's playoff hopes. The sweep of San Antonio is impressive, but the Spurs were dealing with their own injury issues in the first game (no Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili). After winning at Detroit on February 17th, Milwaukee hasn't beaten another playoff-caliber (or contending) team. There's also the fact that they've been swept for the season by the Timberwolves.
Charlotte Bobcats
Quality Wins: 2 (@ LAL, vs. BOS)
Bad Losses: 0
Road Record: 10-20
Last 10: 7-3
Obviously, something came from trading Adam Morrison west to the Lakers. The Bobcats are the hottest team in this bunch, winning six in a row and seven of 10. Charlotte may have the best quality win of the lot, beating Los Angeles at the Staples Center. The Bobcats also have no "baggage" yet by accruing zero losses against the bottom-feeders (they do, however, have a loss against Golden State). Maybe Larry Brown does have this team going in the right direction.
New Jersey Nets
Quality Wins: 0
Bad Losses: 3 (@ OKC, WSH twice at home)
Road Record: 14-16
Last 10: 4-6
The talent is emerging on this team, with Devin Harris coming into his own and Brook Lopez quietly gathering support for ROY votes. The Nets can also make their game mobile. New Jersey has the most road wins and best road winning percentage (by far) of any fringe team. The most glaring weaknesses is lack of quality wins ... say, zero. The Nets haven't beaten any of the top five teams this season. That, combined with losing twice to the Wizards at home, can easily trump the advantages of their road play.
Indiana Pacers
Quality Wins: 4 (vs. LAL, vs. CLE, vs. BOS, vs. ORL)
Bad Losses: 4 (vs. MIN, @ MEM, vs. LAC, @ WAS)
Road Record: 9-26
Last 10: 6-4
The Pacers are a really intriguing case. This is now Danny Granger's team, as the young veteran is carrying the squad into contention. Indiana is the only team with more than two quality wins. But all four victories came at home and are buoyed by four bad losses. The recent record is a good sign, but their road record is pretty atrocious (winning one out of every four). One thing the committee might look harder at would be possible "quality losses." The Pacers have lost three other games against the upper crust by one possession or in overtime.
New York Knicks
Quality Wins: 2 (vs. BOS, vs. SA)
Bad Losses: 4 (vs. MIN, @ OKC, @ WAS, @ LAC)
Road Record: 7-22
Last 10: 4-6
Mike D'Antoni is finding a nugget of success in his first year running the Knicks. If nothing else, Nate Robinson is providing an entertaining outlet for fans at Madison Square Garden. But the luster is fading on the Big Apple yet again. New York is under .500 over their last 10 games. They have as many bad losses as Indiana, with just half the quality wins. The road has not been kind, either. Just seven victories away from the Garden puts the Knicks in bad shape.
The last thing that the committee might confer on would be records against similar opponents. Of the six "bubble" candidates, Milwaukee has played the other five more, and has taken advantage of those games. The Bucks are 10-7 in those 17 contests, including three wins against Charlotte and New York. The Bulls (7-6) also have a winning percentage against these peers, while the other four are at and below .500.
So, if I were a member in the room, who would I decide would be worthy of that final slot? All things considered, I'd have to take Indiana over everyone. Charlotte is the hottest team. New Jersey has the most impressive road record. Milwaukee has proven their worth against similar competition. And heck, Chicago has the best overall record of the bunch. But it's the quality wins (and close calls) that give the Pacers the nod by a razor-thin margin over the Bobcats.
Now, I know that everything will play its way out over the next few weeks, with one team deserving that eighth and final bid. But just think has much more tension and drama there would be if these pros had to "impress the judges." That might be some Madness to breathe in.
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