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Ranking NBA teams by tiers for the 2017-18 season

By Gerald Bourguet

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images /
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Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images /

The Muddled Middle: Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans

Picking the playoff field outside of the top 4-5 teams in both conferences is pretty much impossible: In the West it’s because everyone is so good, and in the East it’s because everyone is so terrible.

Starting with the West, the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and possibly the Lakers, Mavs or Kings will be vying for four playoff spots outside of the West’s four safest bets.

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The New Orleans Pelicans poor injury luck has already begun
The New Orleans Pelicans poor injury luck has already begun /

Pelican Debrief

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    • That doesn’t leave much room for error. Can Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum finally defend anyone as the team looks to carry its momentum immediately following the Jusuf Nurkic trade? Will the Jazz be the same without Gordon Hayward after trading for Ricky Rubio, re-signing Joe Ingles and counting on Rudy Gobert, Rodney Hood and Dante Exum to step up?

    Nikola Jokic is a joy, Gary Harris remains underrated and Jamal Murray is going to be good, but does Paul Millsap put the Nuggets over the top in such a loaded Western playoff field? Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins are the NBA’s best frontcourt in terms of pure talent, but can they put it together and carry a lackluster supporting cast to the postseason?

    Shifting our gaze East, similar questions arise. Are the Miami Heat the team that started the season 11-30, or the one that finished it 30-11? Are they somewhere in the middle? And even if they go .500 again, isn’t that more than enough for a playoff spot in the Leastern Conference?

    The Charlotte Hornets‘ point differential indicated they were better than their 36-win season, but will Dwight Howard be able to avoid ruining another locker room like one of his patented farts?

    As much fun as the Philadelphia 76ers‘ future looks, Joel Embiid has played 31 games in his first three seasons in the league. Ben Simmmons missed all of his rookie season and Markelle Fultz is just a rookie too. Landing J.J. Redick in free agency was a huge step forward, and playoffs are the understandable expectation, but with so many young pieces, are we getting ahead of ourselves?

    Keep an eye on these teams as the most likely to shake up the bottom of each conference’s playoff picture.