too tough to guess the final records - just too much work to look at all those schedules - but here is my take.

4. NO
5. Miami
6. Milw
7. Cle
8. NY

and I think it will be scary close with Toronto until the very end.

here is Insiders take:

Insider took a look at the schedules and recent trends, and based on the evidence, it looks like the Heat have a chance to nab the fifth playoff spot in the East.

Here's how we break it down:

5. Miami Heat
Current record: 33-37
Projected record: 40-42
Skinny: The Heat may be one of the hottest teams in the East, but they've been one of the worst teams in the league on the road this season (9-25). Unfortunately for Miami, seven of its last 12 games are on the road. The good news is that those road games include stops in Orlando, Atlanta and Chicago. Those are the keys. If the Heat can win their homes games against Chicago, Boston, Cleveland and New Jersey and those three road games, they have a great shot at passing Milwaukee and grabbing the fifth seed.

6. Milwaukee Bucks
Current record: 34-35
Projected record: 39-43
Skinny: Another Cinderella story that looks like it might have a bad ending. If the Bucks slip to a sixth seed, their chances of advancing in the playoffs look pretty dim. The Bucks have been in a funk since the Van Horn trade and face a pretty brutal schedule down the stretch. In that stretch they have to play the Pacers and Cavs twice, Kings, Rockets, Hornets and Nets. None of those teams are good match-ups against the Bucks right now. To finish with this result the Bucks would have to go 5-8 the rest of the way. But given their poor play and their schedule, it's not out of the question.

7. Cleveland Cavaliers
Current record: 31-38
Projected record: 38-44
Skinny: The Cavs have been very good since the All-Star break and will catch a few breaks in their schedule down the stretch. They have tough games down the stretch on the road at San Antonio, Dallas, Milwaukee, Memphis, Miami and New York, but all of their home games look winnable. If they can just take care of their home court and squeak out one road victory (maybe against the Sixers or Knicks) they'll be in good shape. The Cavs currently own the tie breaker with the Knicks, so if they finish tied for seventh with the Knicks, they get a huge break by having to face the Nets instead of the Pacers in Round One.

8. New York Knicks
Current record: 33-38
Projected record: 38-44
Skinny: The Knicks missed some golden opportunities after the break to position themselves better for the playoffs. With 11 games remaining, they have some work to do. The problem for New York is it has some tough road match-ups against the Pistons, Nets, Pacers and Hornets and some hard home games versus the Grizzlies, Blazers and Cavs. Assuming they beat the teams they should beat down the stretch, the Knicks are going to have to come up with three wins against those seven teams to get out of the eighth seed.

9. Boston Celtics
Current record: 31-40
Projected record: 37-45
Skinny: Danny Ainge gets his wish . . . sort of. The Celtics are one of those teams that has no shot of winning in the playoffs and will be better off getting a nice lottery pick. The way things work right now the Celtics would draft 15th if they made the playoffs and 10th or 11th if they just missed the playoffs. Those five draft positions mean quite a lot. The problem in Boston is that the Celtics have been playing much better lately and have a fairly easy schedule down the stretch. If they can grab a road win at New Jersey and Washington and a home win against the Blazers down the stretch, they could end up bumping the Cavs or Knicks for the eighth seed.

10. Philadelphia 76ers
Current record: 29-42
Projected record: 34-48
Skinny: A shocking win against the Mavs notwithstanding, with Allen Iverson and Glenn Robinson out, they aren't going to be dropping 107 points every night. Their schedule isn't too bad for the rest of the way, but even .500 ball for the Sixers won't get them to the promised land this year.

11. Toronto Raptors
Current record: 30-39
Projected record: 33-49
Skinny: The Raptors have been clicking since Jalen Rose returned, but a tough schedule down the stretch is really going to haunt them. Their road games in the last 13 are against the Grizzlies, Rockets, Knicks, Pacers, Cavs, Pistons and Bucks. I don't see them winning any of those. They also have tough home games against the Grizzlies, Bucks, Pacers and Pistons. Now you know why we have them going 3-10 down the stretch.

um retard.... frank and deke need to step it up? what r u smoking we may no see frank till next year and with our depth in the front line... deke? he's got hte worst coordination in the game today. get ur facts straight!

I don't think Miami will win on the road no matter what the competition is.