Recent history shows a majority of the playoff teams are likely set.

Take a look at last year standings.

Four weeks in 13 of the 16 teams in playoff positioning ended up, in fact, making the postseason.

In fact, nine of the last 10 seasons.

Either six or seven teams from each conference that were in the playoffs at the four week mark stayed in the top eight.

So as we start with the East, standings today were the last to East champs.

The Heat.

The Raptors air within a game of the Knicks, Cavs and Hawks.

Richard, who is the one team most at risk in the East of falling out of the playoffs because I know it's early, but history shows only one of these teams is likely to fall out.

Oh, that's tough.

I'm gonna have to say, Oh, God, it's gonna hurt.

But the calves calves in the Hawks are the two teams.

I think both of them are not gonna.

I don't think both of them, both of them, won't make it like, Wow, I just look, that's because the heat.

How are we going to say the heat aren't gonna make?

Well, that's what's so.

They got so much talent.

The point is that if you put the heat or raptors traditional powerhouses of the past few years in and the reason why I say that the reason why I say this is because of this.

When you look at last year's team, the sun started off super, super hot, and then they slowly trickled down.

Timber will have started off super super hot and then trickled down.

So even though that month chart had them in there, where they were two weeks before was even higher and they just kept going down.

So that's why it's like I look at those teams and those teams started off well, and now they're slowly trickling down.

You would say both the Cavs.

Yeah, I'm sorry, Cavs fans, I love you guys to death, but no, I think that's all about the Hawks.

What about you?

I'm going with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Also.

I just think, you know, you don't think the Knicks are staying in.

I think Coach Thibodeau is gonna do wonders for that ball club.

He's changed the culture.

They're playing defense now.

Eso I believe that the Knicks will make it, but Atlanta and Cleveland They're two of the worst defensive teams in the league, and that's not a recipe force making the playoffs on.

I think Miami Heat, who will be one of the better defensive teams, are gonna get in well and again.

Look at the Cavs, even the makeup of their team.

Like I love their young.

Their young talent love their backcourt.

You know, They got Jared Allen, they got Drum and they got JaVale McGee.

So it's like even then, they kind of have, Ah, a little bit less of a traditional team.

And you're gonna depend on a very young backcourt, not having Porter Jr.

You know, playing for personal reasons and dealing with stuff.

If he was playing and giving them their 15 16 tonight, then you're like, Okay, you got guard, you got wings.

You got veteran bigs, but it's just like it's just not quite clicking in.

To say those young players are gonna lead them through this stretch is gonna be tough next year.

I think the cat's make the postseason.

I wanna move over to the West.

A half a game separates teams four through eight and two of last season's playoff teams, the Nuggets and the Maverick really a game out of eighth.

So, Paul, which team in the West is currently most at risk to miss the playoffs?

Memphis will not make it this year, you know well, so I think it's gonna fall out.

I think the Portland Trailblazers on that has, I mean, because they're dealing with injuries betting against Dame Lillard.

Well, it's not name, literally.

It's a squad.

I mean, he's losing markets, lost C J.

McCollum that, you know these guys gonna be going by from 4 to 6 weeks and 72 games.

And then not not to mention they're going to go at some point, go through some protocol issues where they're missing players, and so I can see them easily falling out in Denver.

What are we doing playing again?

They're doing a play.

They are.

I will say this and that.

That's where the Blazers may be able to do exactly what they did last year, which was make a push right there at the end.

If they are whole healthwise toward the end of the season again.

The teams that are in the nine and 10 spot will have a chance to at least be in the mix for a plane.

Look, look, can we talk about the Nuggets, though?

For a second you get just having an M.

V P season, right?

He is first team all NBA considerations.

M v p.

Consideration.

Thanks, Rachel.

I'm just kidding.

He's having that type of season.

And they were M v P right now.

Well, okay, look to your point.

Yeah, like you said.

But like, the fact that they are where they are at, Like, I understand that you wanna push.

But guys, they had gone further and further and further every single year got better every single year.

And now you're not even in the postseason a month in.

There's some things there that need to be addressed and need to be changed and need to be tweaked because you shouldn't be here at this point in time.

Not with that roster, right?

If you were hovering at the 67 or if you're hovering at the four or five, but to go conference finals toe out the postseason are out of the postseason currently with a month in something, right?

Well, you know that team you played on that team where you sat and watched other people a lot of watching on that team.

And this was a team.

We expected to have at least a degree of continuity.

I know the Jeremy Grant situation, but they have young stars.

They've been developing.

What do you think is there not that young anymore?

When you're I'm just saying, when you're in your second contract and you're a year and two into your contract and you have all MBA guys first teamers like Yokich you, I still think is the best big in the league is better.

I think he's better than indeed.

And so when you have all of that, there is no excuse for that.

Their defense isn't great.

Um, you know, I think you have young players trying to make jumps.

Still think Jamal Murray.

I think Porter is trying to make jumps, and so, you know, there's a lot of, you know, bowl, bowl, like once.

You know, they're just a lot of stuff going on, but they should not be where they are right now.

I really think Kevin Not having Porter Jr is really hurting this.

Yeah, Michael Porter Jr Hey gives him athleticism and size a stretch for, uh, the guy who's slowly turning into a star in this league that we saw in the playoffs, and I really think it's hurt them early.

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