Spoiler Alert: Three NBA Also-Rans to Watch Out For

The NBA All-Star Game isn't until February 17th, and yet we still know which 10 teams will be competing for each conference's eight playoff seeds.

In the Western Conference, there are the usual mainstays like the Spurs, Suns, and Mavs.

The remaining five spots will come from a group that includes the Lakers, Jazz, Nuggets, Hornets, Warriors, Blazers, and Rockets.

That means two teams from that group will be in the draft lottery despite probably winning at least 45 games.

The Eastern Conference is not as obvious, but it's safe to assume the Celtics, Pistons and Magic are all going to win their respective divisions. The Wizards, Cavs, Raptors, Nets, Pacers and Bulls will all be fighting it out for East's remaining spots.

That means five of those Eastern Conference teams will be in the playoffs with fewer than 45 wins, while two of those teams in the West won't.

It isn't far-fetched to see those two Western Conference non-playoff teams ending up with better records than all but one or two of those teams from the East that make the playoffs.

There is another group of teams, though. Call them the "Spoilers"—the teams that aren't good enough to be playoff teams, but they aren't so bad that it makes sense for them to tank games down the stretch.

Here are the teams that will have some say not only in deciding which teams make the playoffs, but also in deciding where those teams will be ranked:

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks are the only team I left out of either 10-team list that would make the playoffs if the season ended today. The reason they won't is simple—they’ve played five more games at home than they have on the road.

Their road record is an unimpressive 5-11, and they've yet to win a game outside of Atlanta since December 21st.

They've also played the fifth-easiest schedule in the NBA this season.

Their record is currently 18-19, but I would still drop them behind the Pacers and Bulls in the race for the East's last playoff spot. The Pacers have played three fewer games at home than on the road, while the Bulls have played one fewer. Both teams have also played tougher schedules than the Hawks.

The Hawks are 13-8 at home, though. Where teams have been able to pencil in a "W" when they looked at their schedules and saw games in Atlanta, that's not the case any more.

There will definitely be a team or two that either drops down a spot in the playoff race or barely misses a playoff spot. Chances are that said team will look at the games they should have won when the season ends, and notice at least one "L" next to "@ Atlanta."

Charlotte Bobcats

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