The NBA season is coming to a quick close believe it or not. The standings are tight for the lowers seeds and the playoffs are right around the corner. After the conclusion of February, March will mark the last complete month of basketball as the playoffs get ready to start in late April. Find out who's in the picture and who might sneak up if they tighten their game in what remains of the 2012-2013 season.
I'll tell you one thing, when the Golden State Warriors enter the playoffs, nobody will be pushing Stephen Curry to the ground. Following the scuffle against the Indiana Pacers that left the Warriors short handed, if stepping up is what somebody had to do for Golden State, stepping up is what Curry did flushing down 54 points against the New York Knicks in a losing effort.
Speaking of the Knicks, they continue to play decent basketball as they are holding on to the third seed in the Eastern Conference despite facing injuries. The Pacers continue to play great basketball and are rolling on a five-game winning streak.
There's no need to mention the way the Miami Heat are dominating basketball right now. They are on a 12-game winning streak and chasing after the San Antonio Spurs for home court advantage in the playoffs.
Before we move to the Western Conference though, let's look at the Eastern Conference's "teams in the bubble." Sorry for the NCAA bracket term, but these are the teams that, though not considered competitors, have a chance of making the playoffs. This is strictly based off numbers.
The Philadelphia 76ers are six games out from the 8th spot as they're posting a 22-33 record. Of course, they will have to improve greatly if they expect to make the playoffs, but if the Milwaukee Bucks slip, the Sixers could have a chance. Right behind the Sixers are the Toronto Raptors who are 6.5 games out.
In the Western Conference, the aforementioned Warriors are holding on to the sixth spot, while the Los Angeles Lakers are staying afloat just 2.5 games behind the Houston Rockets. Both teams lost their most recent game, which is great news for the Lakers.
Behind the Lakers just a game and a half back are the Portland Trail Blazers in the 10th spot and they're leading the 11th seeded Dallas Mavericks by just a game. For those who hate adding decimals and fractions, the 8th through 11th seeds are separated by just five games.
Enough of my talk. Take a look at the standings yourself. (Source:NBA.com)
|
Eastern |
W |
L |
PCT |
GB |
|
41 |
14 |
0.745 |
0.0 |
|
|
36 |
21 |
0.632 |
6.0 |
|
|
34 |
20 |
0.630 |
6.5 |
|
|
33 |
23 |
0.589 |
8.5 |
|
|
34 |
24 |
0.586 |
8.5 |
|
|
32 |
25 |
0.561 |
10.0 |
|
|
30 |
27 |
0.526 |
12.0 |
|
|
28 |
28 |
0.500 |
13.5 |
|
|
22 |
33 |
0.400 |
19.0 |
|
|
23 |
35 |
0.397 |
19.5 |
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|
Western |
W |
L |
PCT |
GB |
|
45 |
14 |
0.763 |
0.0 |
|
|
42 |
15 |
0.737 |
2.0 |
|
|
41 |
18 |
0.695 |
4.0 |
|
|
38 |
18 |
0.679 |
5.5 |
|
|
37 |
22 |
0.627 |
8.0 |
|
|
33 |
25 |
0.569 |
11.5 |
|
|
31 |
27 |
0.534 |
13.5 |
|
|
31 |
28 |
0.525 |
14.0 |
|
|
28 |
30 |
0.483 |
16.5 |
|
|
26 |
31 |
0.456 |
18.0 |
|
|
25 |
32 |
0.439 |
19.0 |
