The NBA All-Star break provided no respite from the league's 24/7/365 news cycle.

Kawhi Leonard might be done for the season in San Antonio. The Hornets are undergoing front-office changes that could result in them trading Kemba Walker over the summer. Jimmy Butler is tired. Joel Embiid is recruiting Giannis Antetokounmpo to play for the Sixers.

So, yeah: Basketball is back, Jack! And there's a lot to talk about. Andy and Dan blitz through it all, while going deep on the Eastern Conference's playoff picture, seed by seed.

Will the Raptors hold onto first place? Do the Cavaliers have time to leap-frog the Celtics? Which team is more likely to secure home-court advantage through the first round: Washington, Milwaukee or Philadelphia? And which squad will be left out in the lottery cold: Detroit or Miami?

Be sure to check out our in-depth Western Conference predictions as well, which can be found here.

As always, be sure to subscribe to and rate Hardwood Knocks on iTunes. You can also find us on Stitcher and BlogTalkRadio. And as 50 Cent's biopic suggests: Follow Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey), Dan Favale (@danfavale), the show (@HardwoodKnocks) and NBA Math (@NBA_Math) on Twitter or die trying.

138 - Kawhi Leonard's Future w/ Spurs, NBA Playoff Primer for Eastern Conference

Share

Embed