Cleveland remains the hottest team in the league despite having their 13 game winning streak snapped by Denver last night. They have a 6 ½ game lead in the conference and a 15 ½ game lead over Chicago in the Central division. Orlando has a 1 ½ game lead over Atlanta in the Southeast division. Charlotte is 9 ½ games back. In the Atlantic division, Boston has fallen to 34-18 and their lead over Toronto (29-24) is down to five games as the Celtic’s inconsistency continues while the Raptors are 8-2 in their last 10 games. Currently, there are only seven teams in the East with a winning record and at 26-26 the Bobcats are sitting in the eighth position. Here is a brief look at my power rankings for the top three teams in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland Cavaliers (43-12) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 8/5
Lebron James put up numbers on Thursday night that has not been matched since Pete Maravich did it over 40 years ago. He scored 43 points, snagged 13 rebounds, and added 15 assists, but it still was not enough as the Cav’s 13 game winning streak came to an end in an exciting 116-118 overtime loss to the Nuggets. Through 55 games James leads in points per game with 29.9 and assists with 8.3. Anderson Varejao leads in rebounds with 7.9 per game. Next up for the Cavaliers are the Bobcats tonight and the Magic on Sunday on the road, back home on Tuesday to play the Hornets, and then in Boston to play the Celtics on Thursday, February 25th.
Orlando Magic (37-18) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 6/1
With only one game scheduled since the All-Star break the Magic made the most of it by beating up on the Pistons 116-91. They only led by six points after the third quarter, but they turned on the jets in the 4th, outscoring Detroit 33-14. Dwight Howard led the way with 33 points, 17 rebounds, and seven blocked shots. Through 55 games Howard leads in points per game with 18.2 and rebounds with 13.4. Jameer Nelson leads in assists with 4.9. Next up for the Magic are the Mavericks tonight and the Cavaliers on Sunday at home, and then at the Rockets on Wednesday, February 24th.
Atlanta Hawks (34-18) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 10/1
Fresh off the All-Star break, the Hawks beat the Clippers 110-92. Their 12 point lead at the half was cut to six after three, but it never got closer than that as they outscored LA 29-17 in the fourth to seal the win. Al Horford led the Hawks with 31 points and Joe Johnson added 18. Through 52 games Johnson leads the team in points per game with 21.5 and assists with 4.6. Horford is the leading rebounder averaging 9.3 per game. Next up for the Hawks, in a three game road trip are the Suns tonight, the Warriors on Sunday, and the Jazz on Monday. They return home to play the Timberwolves on Wednesday, February 24th.
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