With a month left in the shortened 2012 NBA season, the playoff picture in both the Eastern and Western Conference is starting to take shape. The Chicago Bulls have the best record in all of basketball, while the Oklahoma City Thunder are currently the top team in the Western Conference. As it stands right now, the Eastern Conference Playoff race is basically a nine team affair, with the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks battling it out for the last spot. The Western Conference is much more congested, with six teams all within three games of the seventh spot.
At the top of the conferences, the Miami Heat trail the Bulls by 3.5 games in the East, with the Orlando Magic coming in 8.5 games behind in third. In the West, the Spurs are behind the Thunder by three games, and Lakers sit 8.0 games back in third. Here’s a look at how each Playoff Picture looks heading into the final month of the season.
EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
SEED |
TEAM |
RECORD |
GB |
| 1. | Chicago Bulls | 41-11 | - |
| 2. | Miami Heat | 36-13 | 3.5 |
| 3. | Orlando Magic | 32-19 | 8.5 |
| 4. | Philadelphia 76ers | 28-22 | 12.0 |
| 5. | Indiana Pacers | 30-20 | 10.0 |
| 6. | Atlanta Hawks | 30-22 | 11.0 |
| 7. | Boston Celtics | 28-22 | 12.0 |
| 8. | New York Knicks | 26-25 | 14.5 |
WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
SEED |
TEAM |
RECORD |
GB |
| 1. | Oklahoma City Thunder | 39-12 | - |
| 2. | San Antonio Spurs | 35-14 | 3.0 |
| 3. | LA Lakers | 31-20 | 8.0 |
| 4. | LA Clippers | 29-21 | 9.5 |
| 5. | Memphis Grizzlies | 27-21 | 10.5 |
| 6. | Dallas Mavericks | 29-23 | 10.5 |
| 7. | Utah Jazz | 27-24 | 12.0 |
| 8. | Houston Rockets | 27-24 | 12.0 |
Whats Your Verdict?