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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18104098/nba-power-rankings-marc-stein-week-5-rankings', 119)                                                 | You take in all those numbers and inevitably conclude that Orlando has to feel somewhat fortunate to be off to >>>6-7 start<<< unless that 's merely a function of its favorable schedule so far .                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18209694', 103)                                                                                               | Looking at the >>>" Last 10 " category<<< in the standings is somewhat remedial in this era of advanced stats , but it 's worth a glance on this Rankings Monday as we try to make sense of what 's happening to the unraveling Hawks .                                                                                                                                                                          |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18350797/nba-power-rankings-marc-stein-week-10-rankings', 146)                                                | We always say that paying too much attention to the L10 category >>>in the standings<<< feels somewhat remedial in this era of advanced stats , but the Trail Blazers ' ongoing 1-9 funk is like the car crash you ca n't look away from .                                                                                                                                                                       |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18432407/nba-power-rankings-marc-stein-week-12-rankings', 174)                                                | The Heat 's current 1-8 nosedive has dropped them >>>below the Sixers in the standings<<< ... if South Beach-ers can bear to look .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18497579/chris-paul-los-angeles-clippers-thumb-surgery-6-8-weeks', 34)                                        | The Clippers ( 29-14 ) entered Tuesday >>>in fourth place in the West<<< .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18625916/nba-power-rankings-marc-stein-week-16-rankings', 177)                                                | How do you expect us to project what 's going to happen with the >>>No. 8 spot in the West<<< when the Kings can lose to bottom-of-the-West Phoenix at home and then turn around the next night to outlast Golden State on the second half of a back-to-back ?                                                                                                                                                   |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18673058/nba-power-rankings-marc-stein-week-17-rankings', 209)                                                | In real life , of course , this is nothing for Orlando to celebrate , given its status as a team >>>well under .500<<< wherever it plays ; 9-17 in Orlando and 11-19 on its travels .                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19077894/nba-back-backs-road-cavs-kryptonite', 5)                                                             | Cleveland would hold the tiebreaker based on >>>conference winning percentage<<< should Boston win tonight and the two teams finish with identical overall records .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26097803/no-more-room-anthony-davis-ifs-lakers-path-playoffs', 42)                                            | Everybody should be motivated to make the postseason , >>>overcoming a three-game gap<<< over the final 21 games , for their own reasons .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26106848/nba-power-rankings-houston-utah-battle-waging-west', 2)                                              | The >>>battles for home court<<< in the first round of the playoffs are heating up as we hit March .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26318729/who-gets-golden-state-round-1-okc-worst-case-scenario-looms', 10)                                    | Once viewed among the elite in the Western Conference only a month ago , a couple injuries and a few other setbacks sent the Thunder sliding to >>>eighth in the conference based on tiebreakers<<< .                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28154384/nba-power-rankings-week-6-lakers-bucks-nuggets-rolling-here-comes-luka-doncic', 93)                  | The Pacers have quietly reestablished themselves among the >>>six teams to separate<<< from the field in the Eastern Conference .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28261089/kevin-love-different-cavs-trade-talk', 0)                                                            | BOSTON -- As the Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves mired at the bottom of the >>>NBA standings<<< , losers of 12 of their past 13 games heading into Monday night 's game here against the Boston Celtics , All-Star forward Kevin Love finds himself waiting to find out if he 'll be traded .                                                                                                                |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28357370/with-clippers-showdown-looming-lakers-focus-big-picture-3rd-straight-loss', 0)                       | LOS ANGELES -- A Los Angeles Lakers season that started with a loss to the LA Clippers and then skyrocketed to a first-place perch >>>in the Western Conference standings<<< for weeks has hit a bit of a snag heading into the Christmas Day rematch with their Staples Center cohabitants .                                                                                                                    |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28368581/sources-pacers-victor-oladipo-hopeful-late-january-return', 6)                                       | The Pacers are 21-10 , only 1 ½ games behind second-place Boston in the >>>Eastern Conference standings<<< .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28431732/heck-luxury-lakers-post-nba-first-20-block-game-20-years', 50)                                       | " Great " is an apt way to describe the Lakers , winners of five straight and owners of the >>>best record in the Western Conference<<< at 29-7 .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28829391/giannis-antetokounmpo-brothers-one-goal-their-father-legacy', 23)                                    | For the brothers , success is n't measured in wins and losses , even though Giannis , Thanasis and Kostas play for the >>>two winningest teams in the NBA this season<<< .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28974799/michael-jordan-series-espn-moved-april', 7)                                                          | April should have been the stretch run of the NBA season , with teams >>>jockeying for playoff positioning<<< .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29223585/which-superstars-teams-the-nba-bubble-debate-heating-up', 27)                                        | When the NBA and NBPA canvass teams at the >>>bottom of the standings<<< , they also hear ambivalence .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29272447/nba-debate-biggest-unknowns-best-matchups-new-title-chase', 5)                                       | While Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans will be competing for the No. 8 seed , Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks will look to improve their >>>playoff seeding<<< .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29284049/nba-playoff-predictions-no-8-seeds-title-favorites', 18)                                             | With no real home-court advantage in Orlando , the Raptors ' current lead in the >>>standings<<< gives them less of an edge .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29336891/clippers-lou-williams-50-50-nba-players-returning-want-distraction', 25)                             | The Clippers ( 44-20 ) are >>>second in the Western Conference<<< behind the Lakers ( 49-14 ) .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29353177/the-nba-kept-zion-williamson-play-ready-put-show', 26)                                               | If New Orleans can elbow its way from 10th in the >>>Western Conference standings<<< into the eighth seed , a first-round matchup with the No. 1-seeded Los Angeles Lakers probably would be a ratings bonanza for the league .                                                                                                                                                                                  |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29370346/best-games-playoff-races-nba-title-favorites', 24)                                                   | MORE : >>>Current NBA standings<<<                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29375147/how-nba-coaches-preparing-bubble-orlando-restart-nears', 14)                                         | If you 're Vogel 's Lakers , why would n't you want to treat the first game on July 30 as if it were March 11 , with your >>>West-leading 49-14 record<<< and less than a week removed from statement wins over first-place Milwaukee and the rival LA Clippers ?                                                                                                                                                |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29388278/sources-nuggets-close-facility-due-coronavirus', 8)                                                  | The Nuggets ( 43-22 ) are the >>>third seed in the Western Conference<<< behind the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29388415/three-pelicans-players-test-positive-virus-david-griffin-says', 20)                                  | The Pelicans sit >>>3 ½ games back<<< of the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29394306/milwaukee-bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-says-pandemic-shake-fears-only-make-winning-title-harder', 13) | Ahead of the NBA suspension due to the pandemic , Milwaukee ( 53-12 ) held the >>>league 's best record<<< .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29423318/wizards-bradley-beal-play-nba-restart-shoulder-injury', 20)                                          | The Wizards are in >>>ninth place in the Eastern Conference<<< , trailing Orlando ( 30-35 ) by 5 ½ games for the eighth spot and Brooklyn ( 30-34 ) by six games for the seventh spot .                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29457048/nba-bubble-intel-restart-schedule-standings-latest-news-orlando', 4)                                 | All 22 teams have arrived in Orlando , Florida , and started training camp ahead of seeding games to determine the >>>final standings<<< , a potential playoff play-in series and the standard four-round postseason .                                                                                                                                                                                           |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29615416/pelicans-rest-zion-williamson-wizards', 16)                                                          | New Orleans sits 2 ½ games behind Memphis for the >>>eighth spot in the Western Conference<<< , and two games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the ninth seed and the right to be in the play-in tournament .                                                                                                                                                                                               |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29626418/coach-monty-williams-proud-scrappy-team-suns-keep-streaking-nba-restart', 0)                         | As the Phoenix Suns continue riding the momentum that comes with being the hottest team in basketball -- the only remaining undefeated team in the >>>NBA 's bubble<<< after winning their fifth straight game over the Miami Heat on Saturday night -- star point guard Devin Booker said he believes the franchise is finally heading in the right direction after years of futility and unfulfilled promise . |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29636037/suns-improve-6-0-bubble-one-game-approach', 19)                                                      | Phoenix ( 32-29 ) trails the Portland Trail Blazers ( 33-39 ) by a >>>half-game for the No. 9 spot<<< in the Western Conference with two seeding games remaining .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29640454/nba-playoffs-2020-everything-know-16-teams-win-title', 2)                                            | After 66 scrimmages , 88 seeding games , one play-in -- and plenty of fishing -- the matchups for the >>>2020 NBA playoffs<<< are finally set .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/page/holidayhoops28268453/wrong-nikola-jokic-denver-nuggets-need-more-all-star-center', 5)                       | And it has the Denver Nuggets fifth >>>in the Western Conference<<< , at 14-8 , after they were the second seed last season .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/page/nbareturn29564338', 22)                                                                                     | The Lakers have >>>plenty of cushion atop the Western Conference<<< , while the Clippers are less concerned with seeding and standings than cohesion and health .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/page/nbareturn29602472/picking-nba-all-bubble-team-five-best-stars-far', 3)                                      | The >>>race for the No. 8 seed<<< in the Western Conference looks loaded , and Toronto Raptors are reminding people not to sleep on the defending champs .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/page/nbareturn29618525/nba-campus-intel-schedule-live-updates-day-10', 42)                                       | The Phoenix Suns stand alone as the undefeated team in the >>>NBA bubble<<< , as Devin Booker 's 35 points paced his squad to a 119-112 victory over the Miami Heat on Saturday .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
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| ('espn.com/nba/story/_/page/nbareturn29629960/nba-playoff-race-eight-swing-games-watch-week', 2)                                        | Entering the final week of seeding games in the >>>NBA restart<<< , teams have only a few more opportunities to improve their place in the standings .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
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