NBA Standings 2015: Latest Team Records, Playoff Seeding and Predictions
As April begins, the two best teams in the NBA appear to be the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. If that assessment proves to be true, it would create one heck of an NBA Finals—one that would likely achieve some of the highest television ratings in recent memory.
I’m not sure the NBA could draw it up any better from a commercial standpoint than LeBron James and the Cavs taking on the new babyface of the league in Steph Curry and the Warriors.
Thanks to recent struggles by the Atlanta Hawks, the Warriors have almost wrapped up the top overall seed in the NBA postseason. Atlanta has the top spot in the Eastern Conference secured with the Cavs a distant second.
Cleveland has a two-game lead over the surging and rapidly healing Chicago Bulls. The two teams have a head-to-head meeting coming up on Easter Sunday that could be pivotal in obtaining the No. 2 spot in the East.
It's going to be an exciting finish to the regular season. Here's a look at the standings heading into April.
| 1 | z—Atlanta Hawks | 56 | 19 | --- |
| 2 | x—Cleveland Cavaliers | 48 | 27 | 8 |
| 3 | x—Chicago Bulls | 45 | 29 | 10.5 |
| 4 | y—Toronto Raptors | 44 | 30 | 11.5 |
| 5 | x—Washington Wizards | 41 | 33 | 14.5 |
| 6 | Milwaukee Bucks | 36 | 38 | 19.5 |
| 7 | Miami Heat | 34 | 40 | 21.5 |
| 8 | Brooklyn Nets | 33 | 40 | 22 |
| Boston Celtics | 33 | 41 | 22.5 | |
| Indiana Pacers | 32 | 42 | 23.5 | |
| Charlotte Hornets | 31 | 42 | 24 | |
| Detroit Pistons | 29 | 45 | 26.5 | |
| 1 | z—Golden State Warriors | 61 | 13 | --- |
| 2 | x—Memphis Grizzlies | 51 | 24 | 10.5 |
| 3 | x—Houston Rockets | 50 | 24 | 11 |
| 4 | x—Portland Trail Blazers | 48 | 25 | 12.5 |
| 5 | x—Los Angeles Clippers | 49 | 26 | 12.5 |
| 6 | San Antonio Spurs | 48 | 26 | 13 |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks | 45 | 29 | 16 |
| 8 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 42 | 32 | 19 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 39 | 34 | 21.5 | |
| Phoenix Suns | 38 | 37 | 23.5 | |
| z: Clinched Conference | ||||
| y: Clinched Division | ||||
| x: Clinched Playoff Berth |
Predictions
Which Teams Will Win the 8th Playoff Spots?
The Eastern Conference currently has three teams occupying playoff spots that don't have winning records. Those teams are separated by just 2.5 games. There are another four teams currently on the outside looking in that aren't mathematically eliminated.
I believe the Milwaukee Bucks are safe in the sixth spot, but the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets will have a battle on their hands from the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers for the seventh and eighth positions. The Nets are currently the hottest team in the East with four consecutive wins.
The team's Twitter account is optimistic about its playoff hopes.
Riding a resurgent Deron Williams and Brook Lopez, the Nets have the look of a playoff team for the first time this season. I predict they leapfrog the Heat in the final two weeks of the season to grab the seventh spot.
While everyone would love to see a Miami-Cleveland first-round series, the Heat look like an eighth seed as I expect them to hold off the Celtics and Pacers in the standings. Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic have had some issues meshing, and Hassan Whiteside has cooled a bit since his midseason surge, but the Heat's experience should push them through.
If the top of the East holds form, that means Miami would take on the Hawks in the first round.
In the Western Conference, Russell Westbrook has seemingly willed his injury-riddled team to a new level. The Thunder hold a 2.5-game lead over the New Orleans Pelicans, and it would be a shock if OKC didn't hold on to the No. 8 spot.
Who doesn't want to see Westbrook vs. Curry for at least four games?
Which Teams Will Take the 2nd Seeds?
The Bulls have a real shot to catch the Cavs. I expect Chicago to finish the season strong and to get Derrick Rose back in the final two weeks of the season. Rose participated in full-contact practice as reported by 670 The Score in Chicago.
The Easter game will be crucial, but the Cavs are playing too well to predict the Bulls to close the two-game gap. As it stands, the Bulls would have to be close to perfect to surpass Cleveland. The Cavs have a slight edge in tiebreakers after head-to-head—the teams would be tied in that category if the Bulls win on April 5. If Cleveland wins that game, it'll all but clinch its No. 2 seeding.
Bet on Cleveland finishing second and Chicago just behind it.
In the West, the Memphis Grizzlies are clinging to the No. 2 spot with a half-game lead over the Houston Rockets and just a two-game edge over the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland has won four in a row, but the two-game gap is too big for it to make up.
This will come down to the Rockets and Grizzlies with Houston owning a slight edge because of remaining strength of schedule. The Rockets have four games remaining against non-playoff teams; the Grizzlies have three. In such a close race, that's all it takes.
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