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It happens every season -- teams cast aside as also-rans, with no hope for salvation. But lowered expectations, in a way, can be a blessing -- they frame the slightest success as a massive coup, a badge of honor declaring the team overcame the odds and surpassed the media's conjecture and assumptions. Sometimes it's due to a gross undervaluation of the growth of the talent on the roster, other times it's due to changing environments in the league, which present new opportunities for teams. Last season's Phoenix Suns shocked the league with their hot start, and while they didn't quite make it to the postseason, their performance raised the expectation level for the team in the 2014-15 season. Meanwhile, the subtraction of Rudy Gay rerouted the Toronto Raptors from another trip to the lotto dais to division champs. Now they're considered to be one of the favorites to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown. Expectations change rapidly, so the following five underestimated teams should bask in the sunshine of exceeded expectations before it turns into an interrogation spotlight.
 New Orleans Pelicans
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