NBA Playoffs 2015: Postseason Standings and Ranking Top Title Contenders
The 2014-15 NBA regular season will come to a close on Wednesday. Heading into Saturday's action, there are still three playoff berths up for grabs in the Eastern Conference and one in the Western Conference. It's a distinct possibility a couple of those will come down to the final day.
Those battling to earn a spot in the postseason aren't the only teams worth watching, though. Some intense jockeying for seeding is also taking place, especially in the West. So there's still a lot to be decided over the next handful of days.
Let's check out the way things presently set up in both conferences. The updated standings are followed by a closer examination of the top contenders with the playoffs now right around the corner.
Current NBA Standings
Eastern Conference
| 1 | Atlanta Hawks - x | 60 | 19 | - |
| 2 | Cleveland Cavaliers - x | 51 | 28 | 9 |
| 3 | Toronto Raptors - x | 47 | 32 | 13 |
| 4 | Chicago Bulls - x | 47 | 32 | 13 |
| 5 | Washington Wizards - x | 45 | 34 | 15 |
| 6 | Milwaukee Bucks | 39 | 40 | 21 |
| 7 | Boston Celtics | 37 | 42 | 23 |
| 8 | Brooklyn Nets | 37 | 42 | 23 |
| 9 | Indiana Pacers | 36 | 43 | 24 |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 35 | 44 | 25 |
| 11 | Charlotte Hornets | 33 | 46 | 27 |
| 12 | Detroit Pistons | 30 | 49 | 30 |
| 13 | Orlando Magic | 25 | 54 | 35 |
| 14 | Philadelphia 76ers | 18 | 61 | 42 |
| 15 | New York Knicks | 15 | 64 | 45 |
Western Conference
| 1 | Golden State Warriors - x | 64 | 15 | - |
| 2 | Memphis Grizzlies - x | 54 | 25 | 10 |
| 3 | San Antonio Spurs - x | 54 | 26 | 10.5 |
| 4 | Portland Trail Blazers - x | 51 | 28 | 13 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Clippers - x | 53 | 26 | 11 |
| 6 | Houston Rockets - x | 53 | 26 | 11 |
| 7 | Dallas Mavericks - x | 48 | 31 | 16 |
| 8 | New Orleans Pelicans | 43 | 36 | 21 |
| 9 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 43 | 36 | 21 |
| 10 | Phoenix Suns | 39 | 41 | 25.5 |
| 11 | Utah Jazz | 36 | 43 | 28 |
| 12 | Denver Nuggets | 29 | 50 | 35 |
| 13 | Sacramento Kings | 27 | 52 | 37 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Lakers | 21 | 58 | 43 |
| 15 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 16 | 63 | 48 |
Top Championship Contenders
1. San Antonio Spurs
The reigning champion Spurs entered the season as the team to beat. They went through a lull during the middle of the season, in large part due to an ineffective Tony Parker, which led to the usual conversation about whether their dynasty was nearing its conclusion.
Then, with the playoffs approaching, San Antonio starts moving the ball around on offense like it's on a string once again. One of the many things Gregg Popovich does extremely well is get his team to play its best basketball at the right time.
That's certainly happening now. The Spurs are winners of 10 straight, beating opponents by an average of 18 points. The team passed along comments from longtime leader Tim Duncan about the sudden surge:
One of the victories during that stretch came by 15 over the Golden State Warriors. That helped establish the Spurs as the team to beat once again, even without the top seed in the West. When they are firing on all cylinders, it's awesome to watch and they're almost impossible to beat.
2. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have been the best team in basketball for most of the season. A margin of victory above 10 is quite a statement, and they would be the clear favorites for the title if not for the Spurs' recent return to form. But it's still an extremely close race between the Western powers.
If something happens to cause San Antonio to drop out of the top four heading into the playoffs, the positions probably flip again back in favor of Golden State. Ultimately, as Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated explains, it's really a 1A-1B situation at this point:
One key difference this season for the Warriors has been their defense. Led by the vastly improved play of Draymond Green, they lead the league in defensive efficiency (97.9), according to ESPN.com. Add in the sharpshooting of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, and it's no surprise they blow a lot of teams out.
That said, getting stops in the regular season and slowing down the Spurs offense in the postseason are two completely different animals. The defending champions proved that in their aforementioned last meeting. If they do end up meeting in the Western Conference Finals, defense will be the deciding factor.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
You could make a solid case for another Western team to fill this spot. After going 9-1 over their past 10, the Los Angeles Clippers would be an excellent choice. But the Cavs get the nod because the Eastern Conference playoffs shouldn't be nearly as difficult to navigate.
The Toronto Raptors don't have enough top-end talent in a league driven by stars in the playoffs, and the Washington Wizards, while trending in the right direction, aren't on a title-winning level. That leaves the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls as the only major threats.
Atlanta is a legitimate group and could have easily made the list. But let's focus on the Bulls. Sean Deveney of Sporting News highlights the fact that they could suddenly transform into a very difficult out if Derrick Rose can provide even a little magic:
"Given the consistency of Pau Gasol inside, the return of Jimmy Butler from an elbow injury and the emergence of rookie Nikola Mirotic in March (when he averaged 20.8 points a game), Rose will be returning to what is easily the best team he's ever had around him—the 62-win Eastern Conference finalists of 2010-11 were deep but did not have the same level of up-front talent.
"
Yet keeping Rose healthy is an uphill battle for Chicago. So a roster that features LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love is the one to beat in the postseason. Another meeting between King James and the Spurs could be on the horizon.
