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We have less than a month to go in the regular season, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are still in line for the Eastern Conference's top seed. With just 12 games to go, the 50-20 Cleveland Cavaliers are putting together one of the best regular seasons of the franchise's history. Will it be enough to withstand a late challenge from the Toronto Raptors? It's hard to say, particularly as it seems the Cavs are inclined to rest starters instead of pushing for the top spot.
From ESPN.com, here are the latest standings:
| W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | PPG | OPP PPG | DIFF | STRK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1y -Cleveland Cavaliers | 50 | 20 | .714 | - | 29-6 | 21-14 | 6-5 | 28-13 | 103.9 | 97.8 | +6.1 | W1 | 7-3 |
| 2Toronto Raptors | 48 | 21 | .696 | 1.5 | 28-8 | 20-13 | 11-1 | 33-11 | 103.0 | 98.3 | +4.8 | W4 | 8-2 |
| 3Miami Heat | 40 | 29 | .580 | 9.5 | 23-13 | 17-16 | 8-5 | 25-19 | 99.3 | 97.9 | +1.4 | W1 | 7-3 |
| 4Atlanta Hawks | 41 | 30 | .577 | 9.5 | 23-13 | 18-17 | 7-7 | 23-19 | 102.6 | 99.1 | +3.5 | L1 | 8-2 |
| 5Boston Celtics | 41 | 30 | .577 | 9.5 | 24-12 | 17-18 | 9-6 | 28-19 | 106.0 | 102.3 | +3.7 | W2 | 5-5 |
| 6Charlotte Hornets | 40 | 30 | .571 | 10 | 27-11 | 13-19 | 7-7 | 25-15 | 103.0 | 100.8 | +2.2 | W1 | 8-2 |
| 7Indiana Pacers | 37 | 33 | .529 | 13 | 21-13 | 16-20 | 6-7 | 24-18 | 101.8 | 100.3 | +1.4 | W1 | 6-4 |
| 8Chicago Bulls | 36 | 33 | .522 | 13.5 | 24-12 | 12-21 | 7-5 | 21-21 | 101.8 | 102.9 | -1.1 | W3 | 6-4 |
| Detroit Pistons | 37 | 34 | .521 | 13.5 | 22-12 | 15-22 | 8-6 | 23-20 | 102.1 | 101.5 | +0.7 | W3 | 6-4 |
| Washington Wizards | 35 | 35 | .500 | 15 | 19-17 | 16-18 | 8-5 | 26-20 | 103.2 | 103.9 | -0.8 | W5 | 5-5 |
There is a bit of a race for the 8th seed right now. All three of the Bulls, Pistons, and Wizards have had some success against the Cavs so far this season. It's hard to say what that means, if anything. Getting the top seed would mean home court advantage through the Finals, but we saw last season that a top seed wasn't essential to get there. We will see.