We'd like to imagine that every franchise has a blind-squirrel's chance of reaching the ultimate prize, but history — and a best-of-seven format — suggest a powerful link between regular season and early summer triumph.

Of course, the Celtics almost wrecked our theory by occupying that dead zone separating shock and eventual glory last season. It also should be noted that prolonged injury and an unexpected funk by a couple of teams could erase what represents chalk in the Western Conference bracket.

Here's a look at the contenders and pretenders, with a quick list of variables in their favor and situations to assist the respective quests for victory:

Eastern Conference

Cleveland Cavaliers