There are only a few details left to be worked out before the playoffs begin, but one of the most compelling appears to be the battle for the top seed in both the Eastern and Western Conference.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat are currently in second place in their respective conferences, and both teams have an outside chance of catching the teams ahead of them, although the circumstances of each race are a little different.
The Heat are two games behind the conference-leading Chicago Bulls, but with only six games left to play, it will likely take an historic collapse by the Bulls for the Heat to gain an advantage.
It doesn't help that Miami has already been swept in the season series by the Bulls, which means in order to win the East, the Heat will have to do it outright.
The Heat are certainly playing well enough, as they are 9-2 in their last 11 games, but the Bulls are probably playing their best basketball of the season at this point.
It may be a more reasonable goal for Miami to hold onto the second seed, which could present problems of its own since the Heat are only a half-game ahead of the Boston Celtics.
Miami has also failed to beat the Celtics this season in three games, and its lone remaining meeting could determine who gets the second seed, as long as the Heat are able to finish with a better record than Boston.
In the West the San Antonio Spurs may be experiencing the type of historic collapse the Miami Heat need from the Bulls, and their current six-game losing streak has dwindled their lead over the Lakers to one-and-a-half games.
Two weeks ago, it was nearly impossible to think that the Spurs would relinquish the top seed, but injuries have once again made their presence felt, and...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
