NBA Stock Report: Where the Top Eight Teams Stand

The ability to string together multiple wins is an important trait in the NBA, and as the regular season races to a close that quality becomes critical. This week's edition of NBA Stock Report is highlighted by a couple of teams who have soldified their playoff positioning and created separation in the standings due to long winning streaks. The Cleveland Cavaliers have won 10 games in a row and are slowly pulling away from the other top contenders in the Eastern Conference. In the West the Utah Jazz currently own an eight game winning streak and are doing everything in their power to remain in position for a home court playoff series. Streaking is always a good thing for NBA teams but the ability to do it in the second half of the season is pivotal when it comes to team confidence, morale, and leverage. The only negative thing associated with long winning streaks is the possibility that a team may have reached their peak too early, and can't sustain momentum through the postseason. Only time will tell if that dynamic affects either the Jazz or the Cavaliers, but as far as this week's list goes the top eight positions remain virtualy unchanged. That may be a sign of the best teams distancing themselves from the pack, and the competition between those teams has become fierce. Only percentage points separate numbers three through seven and in the case of a team like Boston the battle may have already been lost due to a failure to secure two key season series. This list is created by the current NBA standings which are not up for debate, but because of the slim margin of error held by much of the list, the future tidings of each team remain in doubt. Feel free to share your opinions about the direction of each team and let me know which team you envision making major moves, whether they be positive or negative. Enjoy.Begin Slideshow

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