With hindsight it's obvious that we all were admiring the vehicle without looking closely at developing cracks. None of their young guys are superstars. The coach was wearing down the players. They were favored to land Kevin Garnett, Pau Gasol, and even Kobe Bryant via trade but did none of those things. And their big free agent signing was Ben Wallace, which turned out to be the worst contract of the decade (and then traded him for the second worst contract of the decade, Larry Hughes).
| Eastern Conference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Seed | Preseason Predictions | Actual Standings |
| 1 | Pistons | Celtics |
| 2 | Bulls | Pistons |
| 3 | Celtics | Magic |
| 4 | Cavs | Cavs |
| 5 | Raptors | Wizards |
| 6 | Magic | Raptors |
| 7 | Wizards | Sixers |
| 8 | Nets | Hawks |
| 9 | Heat | Pacers |
| 10 | Knicks | Nets |
| 11 | Bucks | Bulls |
| 12 | Hawks | Bobcats |
| 13 | Bobcats | Bucks |
| 14 | Pacers | Knicks |
| 15 | Sixers | Heat |
The Chicago Bulls get the Worst Surprise Team Award for tantalizing the experts with their potential then plummeting a disastrous nine spots below expectations. Dishonorable mention goes to the Heat, who's crash landing from top to bottom is historically embarrassing.
The Sixers get the Best Surprise Team Award for rising a stacked eight spots above where they were predicted in the Eastern Conference standings. They were supposed to dead last in their conference, but went on a tear and, unlike the Portland Trailblazers, peaked at the right time. Honorable mention goes to the Lakers and Hornets, who were supposed to be the #8 and #9 seeds but separated themselves to earn the #1 and # 2 seeds, respectively.
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