NBA Least Conference - NBA Basketball News And Picks

NBA Least Conference
By Martin Gitlin
Posted 11:00 am PDT 2007-02-04

Don't blink. You'll miss something crucial in the Eastern Conference.

It's not that it's lousy -- you can't miss that. The NBA Least is 47 games under .500.

What you might miss is a shifting of playoff positions. The top six spots are separated by a mere two games. If the season ended today, Detroit would own home court advantage in the conference at nine games over .500. Indiana is sixth at five games above the break-even mark.

In between rests Washington, Toronto, Chicago and Cleveland. The Raptors own the worst record of that bunch, but would hold down the fourth seed as the leader of the Atlantic Division.

Of course, all that can change on any given day, including Sunday, when the Cavaliers can forge a tie for the top spot by defeating the Pistons in a nationally televised game. WagerWeb.com lists Cleveland as a 2.5-point favorite.

The Bulls inched to within a half-game of first place in the Central Division Saturday night with their second consecutive win on their West Coast swing. They edged Portland, 88-86, behind Ben Gordon's 33 points.

The Pacers, meanwhile, continued to surge with a 116-110 win at Memphis, their sixth in the last seven games. As usual, they were led by Jermaine O'Neal (25 points, 17 rebounds).

It's quite possible the only playoff representative in the Atlantic Division will be its champion. The loss to injury of center Nenad Krstic and forward Richard Jefferson sends New Jersey out of the favorite role. That now belongs to Toronto, which hosts the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon. The Raptors are 3-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.

WAY BACK WHEN: Bill Clinton was just starting his second term as president the last time the Denver Nuggets won in Sacramento.

And they play in the same conference!

It all adds up to 20 consecutive trips to Sacramento and 20 consecutive unhappy flights out, including the one following a 94-87 defeat Saturday night. Denver has lost five of six and is a mere one game over .500. Guard Allen Iverson missed his third straight game with a sprained ankle.

The Kings were coached by Scott Brooks, who is replacing Bill Musselman for two games while the latter serves a two-game suspension for drunk driving. They were paced by underappreciated guard Kevin Martin with 28 points.

DRIBBLES: New York center Eddy Curry remains one of the most pleasant surprises of the NBA season. His consistency and production continued with a 27-point performance Saturday night in a 94-86 win at Orlando. The slumping Magic received 17-of-50 shooting from their starters. ... Charlotte continued its improved play Saturday night with a 98-90 home defeat of Golden State. Gerald Wallace contributed 21 points and 16 rebounds for the winners. ... Houston got a whopping total of four baskets from starters not named Tracy McGrady Saturday night. The result was an 87-74 home loss to surging New Orleans, which has pushed to within one game of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference despite devastating injuries. ... Speaking of injuries, those suffered by the Miami Heat did uncover the talents of forward Jason Kapono. The four-year player out of UCLA leads the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage and solidified that by nailing 6 of 7 from beyond the arc Saturday night. He scored 28 points in a 117-98 romp at Milwaukee.

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