The first half of the 2005-06 NBA season is officially over.

Larry Brown’s slot machine-esque rotations added fuel to the fire of the hell in which Knicks fans reside. Detroit flirted with 70 wins. Ron Artest and Peja Stojakovic traded area codes, and some guy named Kobe dropped 81 on Toronto.

But now things get serious. The spotlight is on the road to the playoffs. Here’s what to expect:

In the East, Detroit, Miami, New Jersey and Cleveland should stay put.

The Pistons are straight-up nasty and they’re the team to beat in this conference. As for the Heat, they are clinging to a four-game lead over New Jersey for second place. Shaq plus Dwyane Wade equals an automatic playoff berth, but with both players’ lack of chemistry, look for them to be going fishing come Finals time.

The third-seeded Nets, only five games over .500, lead the Atlantic Division. Note to Rod Thorn: you lack a frontcourt. Nenad Krstic is not enough. And welcome to Brooklyn.

LeBron James and company are the real third seed in the East. But with the current playoff formula, Cleveland is penalized for playing in the conference’s toughest division, where every team is competing for a playoff spot. Even with Larry Hughes likely to be out for the remainder of the season, Cleveland has the talent to reach the conference finals, but will most likely have to go through Detroit in the second round.

The remaining teams — Indiana, Milwaukee, Washington and Philadelphia — are all early exits. Without Jermaine O’Neal, the Pacers will slip, and the Bucks’ solid foundation of Andrew Bogut, Michael Redd and T.J. Ford can’t compete with the big dogs yet. The Chicago Bulls could steal the final berth, but they would also be quickly eliminated. As for the New York Knicks: there’s always next year.

Out West, Dallas has the conference lead. For now.

Mark Cuban’s boys have improved their defense, but anything is an improvement from zero. San Antonio is simply better in every facet of the game. The Spurs kept their championship core intact and added former Mavericks Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel to their bench; they would be starters on most other teams. Plus, Eva Longoria on the sidelines is a bonus for everyone.

Phoenix is in an excellent position at the midway point. The Suns have survived without Amare Stoudemire, who with his return makes a good squad a great one. More importantly, as the second seed, Phoenix would only have to play San Antonio or Dallas en route to the finals, not both.

Too bad playing an “NBA Live” style of basketball does not translate into championship success. Just look at the 2004-05 Suns.

The third-seeded Nuggets are underachieving due to center Marcus Camby missing 21 of the first 52 games. Denver is only two games over .500 and 1 1/2 games ahead of Utah in the Northwest Division. New York currently owns Denver’s first-round pick, so Knicks fans will be rooting for the Nuggets to miss the playoffs.

The Clippers, Hornets, Grizzlies and Lakers round out the West. The L.A. Clippers are finally realizing their potential while New Orleans and Memphis, even with inspired play from Chris Paul and Pau Gasol respectively, aren’t serious playoff contenders. Look for Golden State to make a push for the final spot, but, once in, they would be decimated by San Antonio. As for Phil Jackson and the L.A. Lakers, even if Kobe Bryant dropped 101, they’d still lose to the Spurs.