whoops! a correction

Well, I realized that my NBA preview is flawed in a small way. I had Miami, Orlando, and Atlanta as the top 3 seeds in the East. That is technically impossible. They all play in the same division, so that means that one of them would be a 5 seed. The NBA gives the top 4 seeds in each conference to the division winners plus the best wild card, in order of record. Then, everyone else starts at 5. They did this after they realized how bad it would be if the best 2 teams in the conference would be in the same division (and it happened a lot with San Antonio and Dallas in those first few years after they switched to 6 divisions).

I feel especially stupid because I was just explaining to someone how, in 2007, the top three teams in the East were all in the same division (Pistons, Cavs, Bulls) and the way it worked out may have helped the Cavs get to the finals. The Bulls were just behind the Cavs for the number 2 spot but had to settle for the 5th seed.

So, if Miami, Orlando, and Atlanta finish with the three best records in the East, the worst of them still gets the 5th seed. I thought about this after they all got off to good starts. BUT, the Celtics are off to a good start as well, so they might be in there. I expected Boston and Chicago to win their divisions easily, so they would get the 3 and 4 seeds. This setup might help the Celtics get a 3 seed even more easily, and propel them to the conference finals.