Breaking down the Eastern Conference races
With only a month remaining in the National Basketball Association’s regular season, things are heating up across the playoff landscape. While some teams are long out of the race, others are fighting desperately to make the postseason in hopes of a shocking run.
On Monday afternoon, let’s take a look at the Eastern Conference and the road some teams might have to travel to make a deep postseason run:
1. Atlanta Hawks                49-13
2. Cleveland Cavaliers      40-25
3. Chicago Bulls                 39-25
4. Toronto Raptors            38-25
5. Washington Wizards    35-28
6. Milwaukee Bucks          33-29
7. Charlotte Hornets         28-33
8. Indiana Pacers              28-34
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9. Miami Heat                    28-34
10. Boston Celtics              25-36
11. Brooklyn Nets               25-36
Atlanta has clinched a playoff spot, and all but wrapped up the top seed. The Hawks are going to have home-court advantage throughout the Eastern playoffs, a place where they are 29-4. Atlanta has been slept on for most of the year, but is going to be a brutal out, even for Cleveland or Chicago.
Remember, the NBA playoffs do not reseed with each round. Atlanta will play the No. 8 seed and then the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup. With the Bulls and Cavaliers fighting hard for the Central Division, it is likely that means the Hawks would see either the Wizards or Raptors in the second round. In other words, there is a very good chance Atlanta winds up in the conference finals, at minimum.
If Cleveland and Chicago finish second and third in the standings, they are guaranteed to see each other before the conference finals. The Cavaliers and Bulls will likely destroy whoever they face in the first round, unless the Pacers can get a healthy Paul George back. Indiana still would be a longshot, but not a complete joke.
On the morning of March 9, Vegas has the Cavaliers at 2/1 to win the NBA Finals, putting them ahead of the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Hawks come in fourth at 9/1, with the San Antonio Spurs fifth. The Bulls have the eighth-best odds at 28/1.
Race for last
The Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks have been playing a fantastic game of can-you-top-this all season, and right now the Knicks are in the lead. With both desperately trying to get the best odds in the NBA Draft Lottery by having the NBA’s worst record, New York sits at 12-49 while Philadelphia is 14-49.
Considering the Knicks have a .197 win percentage and only 21 games remaining, there is a real chance one more 76ers win will be the clincher. New York beings a five-game Western road trip on Monday, playing the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, Warriors and Phoenix Suns. Despite the first three teams being awful, there is a terrific chance the Knicks don’t win a game.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are the only team with a chance to break up this party in the Western Conference, sitting at 12-47.
