The prospect of live NBA basketball with high stakes is exciting enough on its own given the last few months, but what makes the return to action even more intriguing is the fact that so many important playoff races are still in flux. There has been a ton of focus on the bottom of each conference since that was a huge factor in deciding the number of teams heading to Orlando, but the most interesting seeding and wrinkles come from teams aiming for more than just making it in.
At the same point, it is worth acknowledging that eight additional games are both significant and not enough for truly dramatic shifts unless a team drastically exceeds or underperforms expectations. For example, consider the Raptors and Celtics. Both played 64 games before the hiatus and Toronto built a three-game lead. In an eight-game return, even if the Raptors surprisingly only win half their games, the Celtics would need to win seven of eight to tie at 50-22.
That said, there are a few…
