Let’s take a look at who’s projected to be in the playoffs as the season winds down.
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The NBA regular season is winding down. Playoff seeding is coming into focus. Let’s take a look at how things are projected to shake out.
Unsurprisingly, the Cavs are expected to finish within the top four of the Eastern Conference. They enter Friday’s showdown with the Boston Celtics six-and-a-half games ahead of them in the standings.
The Cavs currently have the second-best odds to win the Eastern Conference at +270 behind only the Celtics at -150, according to FanDuel. The next closest team is the New York Knicks at a distant +800
The only difference between this listing and what we see currently in the standings is the inclusion of the Milwaukee Bucks over the Indiana Pacers. The Bucks currently have a half-game lead over Indiana, and the Detroit Pistons, on their eight-game winning streak, are close behind.
Filling out the remainder of the conference is where things get more interesting. The Pistons and Pacers are included, but so are the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat.
The Magic and Heat are both going through rough patches. Orlando is stuck in neutral as they’re 5-5 in their last 10 games and are three games under .500. Miami has struggled to adjust with the new pieces they received from the Golden State Warriors in the Jimmy Butler trade and find themselves 3-7 in their last 10.
The Atlanta Hawks are just a game behind both Orlando and Miami. Even though the Hawks were sellers at the deadline, they have a chance to sneak into the top eight of the conference to have an easier chance of getting through the Play-In.
There aren’t too many surprises in the Western Conference.
These are currently the top four teams in the standings. The Houston Rockets are the only other team that could conceivably jump into the top four, but they will have a hard time overkaing a surging Los Angeles Lakers team.
Things could get messy with the bottom four spots. If these results stand, the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns would both miss the postseason.
Mavericks fans, however, are slightly more optimistic than the national audience. They believe that their team will make it despite Anthony Davis’s current injury.
What are your thoughts on the playoff projections? Are there any surprise teams that were or were not included?
Be sure to head over to FanDuel to see the full odds for NBA futures bets.