There is a uniquely thrilling seeding race taking shape in the middle of the Eastern Conference between a slew of teams at different points in their path to contention. The conference has been stratified into three tiers for most of the season with the Sixers, Nets, Bucks as title contenders at the top, a morass of mediocrity in the middle and a few rebuilding teams at the bottom of the pack.
Now the Celtics and Hawks sit tied at the fourth seed at 31-26 (Atlanta holds the tiebreaker with Boston), while the Knicks are in sixth with one extra loss at 31-27. With the Heat, Hornets and Pacers all still in striking distance, Hawks writer Chris Kirschner, Celtics writer Jared Weiss and NBA writer John Hollinger look at the race to see who gets to avoid an East juggernaut in the first round.
Kirschner: All right, guys, we’re in the final stretch of the season and the standings in the Eastern Conference are extremely tight right now.
