2018-19 NBA Eastern Conference: Southeast Division Standings so far

Southeast Division: Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, and Atlanta Hawks

The tussle for a playoff spot was intense in the Southeast division. Orlando, Miami, and Charlotte went back and forth in the latter part of the regular season in an attempt to make a final push for the postseason.

The current status quo on the Eastern Conference leaderboard indicates the Magic going through while the Hornets and Heat find themselves a game behind the eighth-seeded Pistons.

Outlined by Wade's farewell tour and Orlando's rise to fame, the Southeast division has been a roller coaster in itself. Housing talents like Nikola Vucevic, Dwyane Wade, Trey Young, Kemba Walker and more, there exists no lack of quality in the division.

Let's head to the leaderboard and take a look at the current team standings in the Southeast division of the NBA.

#5 Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks traded Luka Doncic for Trae Young on draft day.

Atlanta got a taste of fresh talent and flair on the basketball court with the emergence of Trae Young and although they only jumped up three spots (12th) on the West standings from last year (15th), the team sure looks promising.

Led by John Collins and Young in terms of scoring throughout the season, the franchise looks ready to make the transition from old school to fresh legs. The Hawks have won 6 of 16 games against Southeast teams this year, and currently hold a 29-52 (0.358) win-loss record down at the 12th spot in the Western Conference.

#4 Washington Wizards

Wall's season-ending injury was the final nail in the coffin for the Wizards.

Despite being led by an All-Star in Bradley Beal, John Wall's absence hit the Wizards hard midway through the regular season. They were never themselves and struggled to bag a playoff berth, eventually getting eliminated from the race altogether.

They are currently 28 games behind the Warriors in the West and reside at a dismal 11th spot on the East standings. Having lost eight of their last ten games, Beal and co. are hoping for this season to get over. They are currently 32-49 (0.395) on the season, and their division record stands at 7-9 (win-loss).

#3 Miami Heat

The Heat tried hard to get D-Wade to the postseason and provide a fitting end to his One Last Dance. But the NBA is no fairytale. Miami has been officially eliminated from the playoff race after their most recent game and they will now concentrate on bidding farewell to their franchise's best player.

Currently, the team holds a subpar 39-42(0.481) win-loss record on the season, down at the 10th spot on the East standings with just one game to go. Having lost six of their last ten matchups, Wade and his county are 7-9 against teams in this division.

#2 Charlotte Hornets

Kemba Walker was an All-Star starter from the East this season.

With Kemba Walker averaging a career-high 25.4 points per game, the Hornets knew whom to give the ball to in crunch situations all season long. However, Charlotte have not been able to strike big off the 3-time All-Star's scintillating performances this year as they find themselves one game out of playoff contention.

With just a single game left in their regular season, the Hornets are down at the 9th spot (a game behind the Pistons) tied with Miami on a 39-42(0.481) season record. Jordan's team is still just two games behind the Division leaders in the Magic.

#1 Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic snapped a six-year drought by clinching a playoff berth.

Producing a first-time All-Star in Nikola Vucevic was just one of the many highlights from Orlando's illustrious regular season this year. From finishing 14th in the East last year to clinching the Southeast division this year along with finishing 7th on the leaderboard, the Magic have surely made notable progress in the 81 games played so far.

After falling behind in January, Orlando did a great job of picking up the pace enough to bag a postseason berth in the airtight East standings. With Fournier, Gordon, and Vucevic all averaging at least 15 ppg this year, the organization made a great call to hold on to their valuable assets even when the trade winds blew hard.

Nikola Vucevic summed up Coach Cliff's contribution to this grind in an apt manner,

"We’ve had a lot of ups and downs over the year and everything, but it shows that we’ve made improvements, each player individually and as a team as well. A lot of it came from him(Coach Clifford), for sure."