NBA: "We're Halfway there"

  With the annual NBA All-Star weekend finishing 2 weekends ago, the NBA is now in the final half of the regular season. And this point, ladies and gentlemen, is when things get exciting! With the Playoffs scheduled to start somewhere in mid to late April, there is roughly a month left with still a whole lot of games. With at least 30 games left for every team in the league, the pressure is starting to build and each team is going at it, neck and neck, for the 16 playoff spots (8 in the East, 8 in the West).

from philippinesgoforgold.blogspot.com

Eastern Conference: The Eastern Conference is divided into three parts: The Top, the Middle and the Bottom. The top part, or the the top two seeds, belong to the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat (as it has been since the last few months of last season). The Bulls and the Heat have been the two most dominant Eastern teams (with Chicago having a slight edge over Miami) and have been head and shoulders above everyone else. The Middle pack has the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. Entering this season, the make up of the East has been somewhat established. We all knew it would be these 8 teams making the playoffs, the only thing unsure, is what place will each team be in. These 6 teams are only separated by a few games (with exception to New York who is farther from the 5 other teams or all squished together). The last month of the regular season will truly be frantic for these 6 teams as they scratch and claw their way to individual playoff spots. The Bottom part, has the remaining teams: Charlotte, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Washington, Toronto, New Jersey and Detroit.These 7 teams aren't good. None of them are above .500 and, unless something drastic happens (if New Jersey can somehow land Dwight Howard or Kyrie Irving can will the Cavs to the playoffs), I don't see any of these teams getting close to the top 8.

from wikimedia.org

Western Conference: The West is different, It has one team lording the standings, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who exude a dangerous combination of tenacity and youth, and the next 10 teams: San Antonio,Utah,the Clippers, the Lakers, Denver, Houston, Dallas, Minnesota, Portland and Memphis, are all separated by a few games. This is the most exciting part of the season because these 10 teams are battling for 7 spots. And even a short 2-3 game losing streak could mean the difference between making the Playoffs or going fishing by the end of April. Watch and follow closely each of these teams and witness the playoff like atmospheres when these teams face each other.The next few weeks will surely be a scratch-and-claw affair as each team will pull out all the stops to make it to the final 7 spots. The final 4 teams, Phoenix, Sacramento, New Orleans and Golden State, though not far from the others like the East, lack the manpower and skill to make it over the hump. Look for these teams to just jostle for pride as the season winds down.

from wordpress.com

So the NBA season, though shortened, has become much more exciting. With only a few weeks left before the Playoffs, it will be really interesting and fun to watch which 16 teams will make it.