Charlotte, Brooklyn and Detroit are all fighting for the Worst Playoff Seed Ever (Ball Don’t Lie)

For whatever reason, the "contenders" that are "fightin'" for the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference's pathetic playoff bracket want us to notice them. Be it by trade discussions, terribly unfortunate injuries, or coaching intrigue, the below-.500 Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons have wormed their way into our browser windows. Those jerks. Why can't they just go away so that we can go back to swooning over the Hawks and Warriors? The Hornets currently own the prize of the eighth and final playoff spot out in the Conference, a game and a half in back of a Miami Heat team that figures to improve as health (hopefully) settles in. The team earned its position by winning eight of nine in impressive fashion earlier in January, but the last two contests included a 39-point defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers that somehow felt worse than the score would indicate, and a close 76-71 win over the New York Knicks that I hoped none of you stayed home to watch on Saturday night. As you likely know, star guard and fringe All-Star candidate Kemba Walker is out for an as-yet-undetermined amount of time as he undergoes surgery to repair a meniscus tear . Walker's play...