At 50-15, Cleveland is still the best team in the East, but Orlando has gone 9-1 in their last 10 games and has cut their lead in the conference to just 4 ½ games. The Cavaliers have a 15 game lead over Milwaukee (34-29) in the Central division, but the Bucks have gone 9-1 in their last 10. The Magic, currently on a seven game winning streak lead Atlanta (41-23) by four games in the Southeast division. In the Atlantic division, Boston is 40-23 and has an eight game lead over Toronto. There are eight teams in the East that have a winning record with Miami currently holding the 8th at 33-32. The only other team in the playoff hunt is Chicago at 31-33. Here is a brief look at my power rankings for the top three teams in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland Cavaliers (50-15) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 8/5
Last Friday, LeBron James scored 40 points in a 99-92 win over the Pistons. The following night with James out of the lineup, they were stomped by the red hot Bucks 85-92. With James sitting this one out as well, they were able to grind out a two point 97-95 win over the Spurs. Through 65 games James leads in points per game with 30 and assists with 8.5 and Anderson Varejao is averaging 7.8rebounds per game. Next up for the Cavaliers are the 76esr tonight in Philly, back home to play the Celtics on Sunday, the Pistons on Tuesday in Detroit, and then back home against the Pacers on Wednesday, March 17th.
Orlando Magic (45-20) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 6/1
Against the Nets last Friday, six players scored in double figures in a 97-87 win over the Nets. Vince Carter scored a team high 25 points and Dwight Howard added 15 points and 16 rebounds in an impressive 96-94 win over the Lakers. They won their seventh straight with a 111-82 rout over Chicago. Through 66 games Howard leads in points per game with 18.6 and rebounds with 13.3 and Jameer Nelson leads in assists with 5.4. Next up for the Magic are the Wizards tonight on the road, the Bobcats on Sunday and the Spurs on Wednesday at home, and then back on the road to face the Heat on Thursday, March 18th.
Atlanta Hawks (40-23) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 10/1
Against the Warriors last Friday, three players scored 20+ points led by Josh Smith’s 29 in a 127-122 victory. The next night they dropped a 94-100 decision to the Heat. In their next game, Al Horford’s last second shot did not beat the buzzer and they lost to the Knicks by one, 98-99. Last night Jamal Crawford scored 29 points off the bench in a 105-99 win over the Wizards. Through 64 games Joe Johnson leads the team in points per game with 21.5 and assists with 4.7. Horford is the leading rebounder averaging 9.5 per game. Next up for the Hawks are the Pistons on Saturday at home, and then on the road to play the Nets on Tuesday and the Raptors on Wednesday, March 17th.
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