The 2012 NBA Standings show that the Eastern Conference playoff race isn't quite as exciting as the one taking place out West, but there is still plenty of intrigue and interest at the bottom of the bracket. The Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks are all fighting for position, while the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics battle for the Atlantic Division title and the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks scrap for the eighth seed.
Saturday won't go down as a day that made the back end of the Eastern Conference playoff race any clearer. Although the Knicks knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Bucks fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, New York emerged with the worst news of the day. The team announced that point guard Jeremy Lin will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and will miss 6-8 weeks as a result. In the thick of the playoff race, the Knicks could hardly afford injuries to Amar'e Stoudemire and Jared Jeffries, but the loss of Lin in the backcourt means more pressure falls on the uninspiring quartet of Baron Davis, Mike Bibby, Toney Douglas, and Iman Shumpert. Yuck.
The Bucks decided to be polite to the Knicks after hearing the news and kindly dropped an important home game to the Memphis Grizzlies, which puts New York up 2.5 games on Milwaukee for the eighth and final seed in the east bracket.
NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Standings Updated For Games Thru 3/31
If the Bucks make the playoffs, things are bound to become extremely close down the stretch and tie-breaker scenarios could pop up. Here is a rundown of the relevant tie-breaker rules (via NBA.com):
| a. Two Teams Tied | b. More Than Two Teams Tied |
| (1) Better winning percentage in games against each other. | (1) Better winning percentage in all games among the tied teams. |
| (2) Better winning percentage against teams in own conference. | (2) Better winning percentage against teams in own conference. |
| (3) Better winning percentage against teams eligible for playoffs in own conference (including teams that finished the regular season tied for a playoff position). | (3) Better winning percentage against teams eligible for playoffs in own conference (including teams that finished the regular season tied for a playoff position). |
| (4) Better winning percentage against teams eligible for playoffs in opposite conference (including teams that finished the regular season tied for a playoff position). | (4) Better net result of total points scored less total points allowed against all opponents ("point differential"). |
| (5) Better net result of total points scored less total points allowed against all opponents ("point differential"). |
Here is a look at the relevant tie-breaker information, in case it comes into play:
| Tie-Breaker Info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | vs. Celtics | vs. Knicks | vs. Bucks | Conference Record | |
| Boston Celtics | -- | 2-1 | 2-0 | 22-12 | |
| New York Knicks | 1-2 | -- | 1-2 | 20-16 | |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 0-2 | 2-1 | -- | 18-18 |
Finally, here are the remaining schedules for the Celtics, Knicks and Bucks:
| Remaining Schedules | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Bucks | New York Knicks | Boston Celtics | |||
| | | | |||
| | | Miami | |||
| @ Washington | @ Indiana | San Antonio | |||
| Cleveland | @ Orlando | @ Chicago | |||
| Charlotte | Chicago | @ Indiana | |||
| Portland | @ Chicago | Philadelphia | |||
| Oklahoma City | @ Milwaukee | @ Miami | |||
| New York | Washington | Atlanta | |||
| @ Detroit | Miami | @ Toronto | |||
| Indiana | Boston | @ New Jersey | |||
| @ Washington | @ New Jersey | @ Charlotte | |||
| @ Indiana | @ Cleveland | @ New York | |||
| New Jersey | @ Atlanta | Orlando | |||
| Toronto | LA Clippers | @ Atlanta | |||
| Philadelphia | @ Charlotte | Miami | |||
| @ Boston | Milwaukee | ||||
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