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NBA Playoff Standings: How tight is the Cavs grip on the East's top seed?

We are getting into the stretch run, and the Raptors are playing great

Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

Despite recent hiccups, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still putting together an impressive season. Kyrie Irving missed a large chunk of the season but appears to be rounding into form. LeBron James is still LeBron James. Matthew Dellavedova and Tristan Thompson have had fine seasons, and J.R. Smith has been (gasp) pretty consistent since December. Heavy Eastern Conference favorites coming into the year, it doesn't appear as if much has changed. That being said, things are relatively tight at the top of the conference when it comes to fighting for the top seed.

1Cleveland Cavaliers 42 17 .712 - 25-5 17-12 6-5 25-12 102.9 97.2 +5.7 W1 7-3
2Toronto Raptors 40 19 .678 2 22-6 18-13 9-1 26-10 102.4 97.8 +4.6 W1 7-3
3Boston Celtics 37 25 .597 6.5 21-10 16-15 7-5 25-16 106.1 101.7 +4.5 W4 7-3
4Miami Heat 34 26 .567 8.5 19-12 15-14 8-4 21-16 97.5 96.9 +0.6 W2 6-4
5Atlanta Hawks 33 28 .541 10 19-12 14-16 7-6 21-17 102.3 99.8 +2.5 L1 4-6
6Charlotte Hornets 32 28 .533 10.5 20-9 12-19 5-7 21-15 102.2 100.4 +1.7 W2 8-2
7Indiana Pacers 32 29 .525 11 18-11 14-18 6-7 21-15 102.3 100.5 +1.8 W1 5-5
8Detroit Pistons 31 30 .508 12 18-11 13-19 7-6 20-16 101.5 100.5 +1.0 L1 4-6
Washington Wizards 30 30 .500 12.5 16-16 14-14 7-5 21-18 103.0 104.3 -1.3 W4 7-3
Chicago Bulls 30 30 .500 12.5 19-11 11-19 6-5 18-19 101.5 102.8 -1.2 L4 3-7
Orlando Magic 27 33 .450 15.5 17-15 10-18 3-8 16-21 100.9 102.2 -1.3 W1 5-5

Standings courtesy of espn.com.

The Raptors are two games back and will have DeMarre Carroll back pretty soon. They've beaten the Cavs twice this season and both Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan can get their own shot. They are a good team. Can they beat the Cavs? I'm sure they could, though it's hardly likely. Getting homecourt advantage for the playoff series feels like it would be of some value. Either way, we will stay updated on the standings. The Cavs wrapping things up early could mean a bit of rest at the end of the season.