The eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference has been more or less a crapshoot for the past couple of years. In fact, the eighth seed has had a record of 38-44 in each of the past two seasons. The Atlanta Hawks were able to edge out the New York Knicks last season and, the year prior, the Milwaukee Bucks captured the last seed in the conference and a subsequent playoff berth with the same record. So it is tough to say that the top seed in the East has a particularly difficult matchup when the final playoff team has won less than half of their games.

As we approach the halfway point in the 2014-2015 season, the benchmark of a .500 record may be more than enough to qualify for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. In fact, the Milwaukee Bucks are currently in sixth place in the conference with a record of 16-16, eight games back from the top seed. Just below them are the Brooklyn Nets (15-16) and the Miami Heat (15-18). But what does this mean for the rest of the league?

With sub-par teams rounding out the top eight in the conference, the elite teams have a clearer path to the NBA Finals. The top five seeds in the Eastern Conference remain competitive and, while it is tough to foresee the playoff picture at this stage, first-round matchups are shaping up to be a breeze. We have seen in the past that no series has a guaranteed outcome (the Hawks took the top-seeded Indiana Pacers to seven games last season), but can a below-.500 team really make a run in the playoffs? It certainly seems as though the amount of teams that can be considered true contenders in the East can be counted on one hand.

While this trend has not been reciprocated in the Western Conference, it nonetheless makes for competitive basketball in the East. The West is far and away the host of better basketball teams. However, several teams with records above .500 are likely to miss out on the postseason, while teams well below that mark have just a glimmer of hope to cling to. On the flip side, a team such as the depleted Boston Celtics, who currently sit with a record of 11-18, are just one and a half games back from a playoff spot. The youth-filled Orlando Magic reside just on the tail of the Celtics, two and one half games back from the eighth seed in the conference. So, in a sense, the crapshoot of an Eastern Conference allows a majority of teams to stay in contention throughout the season and gives fans hope that their team, which was once thought to be tanking, may actually wind up in the playoffs.

That glimpse of hope, however dim, is enough to benefit the NBA. In the Land of Opportunity, everyone is given a chance and that includes those who are less fortunate and may not have the talent necessary to succeed consistently. Whatever the reason behind this trend, it allows teams to maintain just enough interest for fans to continue to buy tickets, whether the team is under .500 or not. While fans in the Western Conference may be more frustrated that their above-average team is not able to make the cut, fans of teams in the East are able to set their eyes on the lottery, but also be hopefull for the NBA Playoffs.

In the season of giving, will the Eastern Conference continue to be generous or will the bottom-half teams dwindle while the top eight teams become more clear-cut?