Just for fun. As some of us are not aware of the playoff seeding procedure, list next year's playoff teams in order of best record to worst.

1. Chicago - Young and experienced. I expect them to fluctuate greatly from game to game simply on the premise that they rely on jump-shooting. Could very well be lower.

2. Toronto - The East's Phoenix. Not much of a playoff team, but I expect them to do some things in the regular season, for whatever that's worth.

3. Washington - See #2

4. Cleveland - LeHype will be worn out by playoff time, as Zydrunas Ilgauskas loses even more hair from his head and Anderson Varejao breaks his back whilst flopping against Shaquille O'Neal

5. Detroit - Could be much higher, but they sacrifice regular season wins for playoff energy and experience for future HoFer's Rodney Stuckey and Amir Johnson.

6. Miami - Too much talent not to make it. I think from 5 to 6 there is a moderate drop-off in terms of wins. They're quite old, and we still don't know if Dwyane will recover from that injury completely.

7. New Jersey - Should always have a chance. I don't know what to think of this team. Last year they didn't have Nenad Krstic for the playoffs nor Jamaal Magloire. Could be seeded anywhere from seed 3 - 7

8. Charlotte - That's right. My sleeper pick for the playoffs. One more year experienced and a trade for Jason Richardson. A great mixture of defense and an overrated volume shooter from Golden State's high-octane offense should get them in the playoffs with difficulty and out with ease.

I think competitiveness will define the race for the playoffs in the East. I hope the West will be revealed for the top-heavy, overrated thing it has been for the past three years. My pick to win the Eastern Conference Finals is . . . Chicago. Seeds 1 - 5 will all be close record-wise. I hate Orlando.

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1. Detroit - still #1 team
2. Chicago - a bit improved
3. NJ - "big 3" are back, Christic is back, Magloire, when motivated, is an upgrade over Moore
4. Toronto - should keep getting better
5. Cleveland - same old
6. Washington - if healthy may be quite dangerous
7. Milwaukee - health is the main issue
8. New York/Charlotte - both are improved

Top 8 (in no particular order)

Chicago
Cleveland
Miami
Detroit
New Jersey
Toronto
New York
Washington

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Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
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I'll wait to see if the Boston-Minnesota trade falls through. That will change the rankings a lot. I would not be surprised to see our Pistons fall to the #5 seed next season.

Why would they slip? They're still good for at least 50 wins essentially bringing the same starters and better bench. Boston, on the other hand, would get closer to the top if they do pull that deal through.

If Boston pulls off the reported trade for Garnnett to add to Pierce and Ray Allen. Look out because they will be the Jeffersons of the Eastern Conference...."Movin on up..."

Detroit
NJ
Toronto
Cleveland
Miami
New York
Chicago
Washington

That leaves the Sandford and Sons (junkyard) of the East ..Atlanta, Indiana etc.

1. Chicago- Hinrich, Deng, and Gordon give them a good/very good perimeter trio. Griffin is a solid wing-stopper, and Duhon gives superb depth. Big Ben can still give them 30-33 mpg of rebounding and defense. Joe Smith isn't a force of nature, but he's a good PF who can give you some interior scoring, as much as C-Webb on a limited basis. Noah and Thomas are a seriously freakish duo off the bench. Nocioni can give you veteran performance at both froward spots. If Sefolosha can give them some perimeter shooting, then they will be as tough as you want.

I still don't see them beating the Pistons in a seven game series, due to matchup issues with our backcourt. Gordon can't handle Rip's size or Billups' strength. If they can solve that problem, then look out.

2. Detroit- The "Core Four" are about as good as you can expect, and Nazmo won't lose you any games, but this team's ultimate destiny will be determined by the young guys. I really like Stucky rounding out our backcourt. He can score the ball, run the offense, and beat defenses with the extra pass. This is all you can ask for. Brahma would help any squad in the league for 20 minutes a night. The big thing is AJ. If he can be an impact player for 15-20 minutes a night the the Pistons are back in the mix for a title.

3. Boston- I'm assuming this trade is going to go down. Allen, Pierce, and KG are a better trio than Rip, Prince, and Sheed, although just barely. Rondo is a solid PG, considering the firepower surrounding him. Perkins is a solid 20-25 minute a night big man. Brevin Knight/Pargo and Dale Davis/PJ Brown make this team a contender.

4. Cleveland- I hate giving this team even this much credit. Boobie Gibson is an improving young PG who should be able to take advantage of the open shots LBJ creates. Snow is a capable backup, and Damon Jones can make a majority of his wide open three pointers. Pavlovic has some decent games on occasion. Gooden and AndyV are capable big men. Big Z is a solid shotblocker/lowpost option. As long as LBJ keeps doing his thing, then The Cavs will compete in the East. This team should not have beaten the Pistons last year.

5. New Jersey- Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson are as good a trio as you'll find on the perimeter. Nachbar is a serious shooter, good for 20 minutes a night. Marcus Williams is a really strong young PG who makes plays for people. Magloire and Kristic are a nice interior pair, and Collins is a tough role player off of the bench. Barring injury, these guys should be extremely competitive next year.

6.-8. These will be determined by the rest of the off-season, with Toronto having the inside track to make the playoffs. Washington needs to resolve their center issues (Etan Thomas doesn't move like he did before the injuries, and Haywood's overrated). Miami needs a few more live bodies to finish over .500. New York is stacked with talent, but I'll believe it when I see it.

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1. Cleveland- Why is everyone rating them so low? They have been the cause of the Pistons downfall the past 2 years.

2. Detroit- Still a threat for the Finals. I am sick off all the talking, time to do some walking.

3. Boston- Would not be surprised if they end up higher, but after the trio it is paper thin.

4. Orlando- Will be the best in the SE. Miami is doing horrible this off season.

5. Chicago- I don't understand their off season acquisition of Smith. They won't improve that much.

6. Milwaukee- Watch out for these guys. Their team is quite deep.

7. New York- This super talent team will finally put it together and make the playoffs. This will be a tough match up for the Pistons come playoff time.

8. Miami- This team will barely make the playoffs, but I can see them easily moving to the second round despite this.

Cleveland vs Miami (1 vs 8): Either team could win. Usually the 1 seed is a lock, but this is not the case here.

Detroit vs NYC (2 vs 7): A harder opponent then the recent teams of Orlando, Milwaukee, and Philly. An upset is possible

Boston vs Milwaukee (3 vs 6): An upset is possible here as well. This will be a very interesting match up.

Orlando vs Chicago (4 vs 5): This is a toss up as well. Both teams are improving.

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Cleveland and Chicago could get better records then the Pistons. The Atlantic Division winner and SE Division winner would then be ahead in seedings even if they have a worse record leaving the Pistons at the #5 seed or possibly worse. I see them getting the second best record in the East though.