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Central Division: Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks.
It's not rocket science that the Central Division is ruled by the Greek Freak and his squad. At the same time, they are not faced with much competition. Filled with struggling teams in the Cavaliers and Bulls among others, there is nothing that provides resistance to the Bucks' surge to fame in this division.
Three of the five teams in this division are set to bag a comfortable playoff berth, while the other two turn their attention towards draft picks.
Let's dive in and take a look at the current team standings on the Central Divison leaderboard.
#5 Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland got the taste of a sports title for the first time in 52 years when LeBron and his Cavs snatched one from the Warriors in an Epic 2016 NBA Finals. However, what has transpired in his absence can be regarded as the worst plummet by any team in just a year.
From being the Eastern Conference Champions last year, the Cavaliers now host the second-worst record of the East at the moment. They are an insurmountable 34.5 games behind the Conference leaders and are officially out of the playoff race for this year.
Hosting a miserable 17-52 (0.246) win-loss record on the season, the team has won just 2 games against Central Division teams this year so far.
#4 Chicago Bulls
Led by Zach LaVine's 23.8 ppg this season, the Bulls did show signs of life but yet again, too little too late. Lauri Markkanen's absence exacerbated the Bulls' depleted roster woes, but it is something that can be fixed in the coming seasons if the franchise can keep this set of players intact.
“I just think they’re developing. I think they’re maturing. I think they’re playing harder. I think they’re competing better – not that they weren’t competing but I just think they’re growing in all areas. They’re developing into who we hoped they could be,” Coach Jim Boylen said.
According to a recent Bulls Twitter post,
The Bulls have been on a tear lately averaging 117.7ppg in their last 12 games, fourth in the NBA, with a net offensive rating ranking seventh in the league.
Their irregular winning patterns have only fetched them a 19-50(0.275) win-loss record on the year so far, making them another team that's out of the postseason race.
#3 Detroit Pistons
Dwane Casey and his Pistons have been overcoming obstacles all season long. Having put their faith in Blake Griffin as the chief on the court, the team haven't really taken off but somehow managed to keep their head above water. They are currently 34-33 (0.507) on the season, down at the 7th spot on the East leaderboard.
The Pistons look set to make it through to the playoffs, and compete with the Pacers or Raptors in their first-round matchup. They have won both games against Toronto and are split with Indiana.
With All-Star Blake Griffin averaging almost 25 ppg and Andre Drummond chiming in with double-double averages, this team can surely make a push for a deeper playoff campaign when the time comes.
#2 Indiana Pacers
Despite Oladipo's itching absence, the Pacers have managed to stick tight to their beloved third spot on the East leaderboard, now just 0.5 games ahead of fourth place Philly though. Wes Matthews, Damontis Sabonis, and others have stepped up big time for their team as they look forward to the playoffs with their leading scorer on the sidelines.
The Pacers lie 7.5 games behind Conference leaders in the Bucks as they host a solid 44-25(0.638) record on the season across 69 games played so far.
#1 Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee has taken the East by storm, now 2.5 games clear of the second place Toronto Raptors. They are an imposing 13-1 when playing Central Division teams and their current win-loss record of 51-17 (0.750) on the season leads the division, Conference and League.
They possess the best defensive rating in the league as of now, clocking in the second best average of blocks per game. Moreover, the collective machinery of Giannis, Bledsoe, and Middleton has got them covered with a top-five offense as well.
With the valuable addition of Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol, the margin of error when playing this team has only become tighter. And come postseason, they have all the weapons needed to make it all the way.
Having lost just five games in total at home this season, the Bucks are surely the team to beat this year around if the Warriors want a three-peat to their name.
Guess the Lakers players!
