| Biggest Movers and Changers | |
| This chart shows the number of spots each team moved up or down, based on ESPN's preseason predictions | |
| Sixers | +8 |
| Lakers | +7 |
| Hornets | +7 |
| Pacers | +5 |
| Hawks | +4 |
| Magic | +3 |
| Trailblazers | +3 |
| Clippers | +2 |
| Timberwolves | +2 |
| Wizards | +2 |
| Celtics | +2 |
| Jazz | +1 |
| Bobcats | +1 |
| Cavs | 0 |
| Kings | 0 |
| Pistons | -1 |
| Raptors | -1 |
| Rockets | -1 |
| Nets | -2 |
| Bucks | -2 |
| Spurs | -2 |
| Nuggets | -2 |
| Warriors | -2 |
| Supersonics | -3 |
| Suns | -4 |
| Mavericks | -4 |
| Knicks | -4 |
| Grizzlies | -4 |
| Heat | -6 |
| Bulls | -9 |
The Donaghy scandal wasn't mentioned during the season. This year's NBA Finals has the potential for the highest ratings in years. Mitch Kupchak will receive his share of GM of the Year awards. And while the Knicks are still a train wreck, the light at the end of the tunnel is brighter than ever with Donnie Walsh officially announcing that Isiah is gone. Rejoice Knicks fans, that's better than making the playoffs!
To decide which teams were the best and worst surprises of the season, I turned to the experts; the ESPN analyst's preseason predictions. Ten NBA writers cast their two cents on all 30 NBA teams and I averaged out their votes to create projected Eastern and Western Conference standings based on their "expert" opinions.
| Western Conference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Seed | Preseason Predictions | Actual Standings |
| 1 | Spurs | Lakers |
| 2 | Suns | Hornets |
| 3 | Mavericks | Spurs |
| 4 | Rockets | Jazz |
| 5 | Jazz | Rockets |
| 6 | Nuggets | Suns |
| 7 | Warriors | Mavericks |
| 8 | Lakers | Nuggets |
| 9 | Hornets | Warriors |
| 10 | Grizzlies | Trailblazers |
| 11 | Kings | Kings |
| 12 | Supersonics | Clippers |
| 13 | Trailblazers | Timberwolves |
| 14 | Clippers | Grizzlies |
| 15 | Timberwolves | Supersonics |
While I originally thought of the Hornets, Heat, Sixers, Blazers, Lakers, and Celtics as the biggest surprises of the season (in that order), it was the Bulls who made the biggest jump (or fall) from preseason predictions to end of season reality. This may surprise some people because the Bulls were mostly forgotten by seasons' end, but you must remember how highly rated they were coming into this season. Luol Deng had his coming out party in the playoffs last year as they swept the defending championship Heat. They were a team on the rise with the right mix of young talent and veteran leadership with a hard nosed coach. They were voted in just slightly behind the Detroit Pistons as the potential top team in the East.
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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