Which teams will round out Eastern Conference Playoffs picture?

With the NBA season nearing its half-way mark, which teams will round out the bottom half of the Eastern Conference playoffs picture?

The Orlando Magic are very much in the thick of the playoff chase —though it still rather early.

It is not too early, however, to begin to assess Orlando’s chances of making the 2016 playoffs.

The Magic currently sit at No. 8 in the East with a 20-18 record. There is just a 2.5-game difference between Orlando and the No. 5 Miami Heat.

The Eastern Conference is very tight. As the midpoint of the season nears, it does not seem like there is going to be too much separation.

For the purposes of this exercise, we are going to assume five teams make it, though: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks. All except the Heat made it last season, and the Heat were a Chris Bosh lung clot away from not being a lottery team as it was.

Those five teams are not leaps and bounds ahead in the standings, but there is a degree of certainty about each team that lends itself to both being ahead now — and in finishing top eight in eventuality.

If that statement holds, it leaves three spots up for grabs with seven teams all vying for them.

The Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards will, in some form or combination, make up the remaining playoff berths in the Eastern Conference.

This is ruling out just three teams in the East: the Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. It seems somewhat safe to assume this trio ends up in the lottery.

That all said, let us take a close analysis of each playoff contending team and try to get some gauge on how real Orlando’s postseason chances are.

Next: Pace Yourselves