With only about three weeks to go before the NBA regular season ends, the final eight teams for the Eastern and Western divisions have yet to be complete as the lower half of the magic eight remains a toss-up.

The Golden State Warriors are well on their way of getting the best regular season record. Aside from that, the Warriors are likely to improve on the previous 72-10 mark held by the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls (1995-96).

The San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers are expected to hang on to the second, third and fourth slots respectively, meaning they will all enjoy home court advantage at least in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers will technically be the best in their division with the Toronto Raptors likely snagging second.

The Last Bus for the West

With the top four teams conceded to Warriors, Spurs, Thunder and the Clippers, it will be interesting who their opponents will be.

The Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets are occupying the 4th to 8th spot as of this writing though Dallas Mavericks loom as the only team that could cause some changes.

The Mavericks are half-a-game behind the 8th place Rockets but changes could ensue if the Mavs pull off something in their remaining eight games. If they can pull of a mini streak of wins, the order from the 5th place down could be in for some changes.

The Eastern Conference Circus

Compared to the Western Conference, the Eastern side is hard to call at this point. At least eight teams still have a chance of filling up the six slots with their win-loss records pretty close.

For the upper portion of the standings, the Atlanta Hawks need to sustain their momentum and get more wins to fend off three teams who could overtake them with a run.

The three teams in mention are the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Hornets who all have 43 wins at the moment. The Hawks can secure the third spot by winning at least 8 of their final assignments which would relegate the three teams to jockey for the fourth spot.

Down below, the race is equally interesting. While the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers occupy the 7th and 8th spot, the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards can still make it with a run of their own.

The NBA Playoffs are 19 days away but things are expected to get a bit more interesting for the teams vying for a playoff berth. Wins will be crucial to get to the needed number to qualify so expect a highly charged and emotional wrap up before the real war begins.

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