At 54-15, 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 six games. The Cavaliers have a 16 ½ game lead over Milwaukee (36-30) in the Central division, but the Bucks have gone 8-2 in their last 10. The Magic leads Atlanta by four games in the Southeast division. In the Atlantic division, Boston is 43-24 and has a 9 ½ game lead over Toronto. There are seven teams in the East that have a winning record with the Raptors currently holding the 8thspot at 33-33. The only other team in the playoff hunt is Chicago at 31-36 but they have lost nine straight. Here is a brief look at my power rankings for the top three teams in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland Cavaliers (54-15) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 9/5
Last Friday the Cavs held on to beat the 76ers 100-95. Against the Celtics, LeBron James had 30 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in a 104-93 win. They outscored the Pistons by 13 points in the fourth quarter to pull out a 113-101. They increased their current winning streak to five with a 99-94 win over the Pacers. Through 69 games James leads in points per game with 29.9 and assists with 8.6 and Antwan Jamison is averaging 8.1 rebounds per game. Next up for the Cavaliers are the Bulls tonight in Chicago, the Pistons on Sunday at home, and the Hornets on the road on Wednesday, March 24th.
Orlando Magic (48-21) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 5/1
Last Saturday, Dwight Howard scored 28 points and pulled down 15 rebounds in a 109-95 win over the Wizards. Despite Howard’s 27 points the next night, they still lost to the Bobcats 89-96. In a 110-84 romp over the Spurs, they outscored San Antonio 28-16 in the third on the way to a 110-84 win. Last night they grinded out a 108-102 win over the Heat. Through 70 games Howard leads in points per game with 18.7 and rebounds with 13.2 and Jameer Nelson leads in assists with 5.4. Next up for the Magic are the 76ers on Monday and the Hawks on Wednesday, March 24th both on the road.
Atlanta Hawks (43-24) Current Odds to Win the NBA Championship: 12/1
In a 112-99 win over the Pistons last Saturday, Joe Johnson led all scorers with 26. Outscoring the Nets 33-17 in the second quarter, they coasted to a 108-84 win. Their three game winning streak came to an end with a one point 105-106 loss to the Raptors. Through 67 games Johnson leads the team in points per game with 21.5 and assists with 4.7. Al Horford is the leading rebounder averaging 9.4 per game. Next up for the Hawks are the Bobcats at tonight and the Spurs on Sunday at home, the Bucks on Monday on the road, and then back home to play the Magic on Wednesday, March 24th.
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