Eastern Conference – The Chicago Bulls have opened up a three-game lead over the Boston Celtics as at Saturday with a 113-106 win over the Toronto Raptors. The win took them to a 56-20 record and put them in a firm position to claim the top spot in the conference.

If they manage to achieve this feat it will be the first time doing so since the 1997-1998 season when they were led by Michael Jordan which interestingly was also the season they won their last NBA championship.

By losing three of their last five games coming into the week the Celtics have slipped to third in the conference with a 52-23 record. Coach Doc Rivers must be dumbfounded as to why his team has suffered against the likes of Atlanta Hawks and the lowly ranked Indiana Pacers.

The Miami Heat have welcomed the decline of the Celtics to move into second place in the conference backed by a two-game winning streak to make it eight wins from their last 10 games. The two wins came against the Washington Wizards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Despite ending the week with a 93-97 loss in overtime to the Milwaukee Bucks the Philadelphia 76ers were still on a high as they had secured a long awaited play-off berth earlier in the week. With a 40-37 record they closed the week in sixth place ahead of the struggling New York Knicks. The Knicks, however, did manage to restore some semblance of hope with a two-game winning streak to close the week after losing nine of the 10 games played before.

With a 35-42 record the race for that final spot in the conference the Pacers hold a slight advantage numerically over their closest rivals the

Charlotte Bobcats who hold a 32-43 record.

Skidding Spurs

Western Conference – FOR the first time since 1997, the San Antonio Spurs lost an unbelievable six games in a row. While the defeats can be attributed to the injuries of many of their top players like Manu Ginobli and Tim Duncan, this is still no excuse for the remaining players on the roster.

The Spurs closed the week with a 58-18 record which is still the league’s best and it must be now that they are welcoming the multiple 10-plus winning streaks that they put together during the course of the season.

The Los Angeles Lakers were in

totally contrasting form extending their winning streak to nine games as at Saturday to make it 16-1 since the All-Star weekend (the only loss coming against the Miami Heat). If the decline of the Spurs continues they may be able to overtake them in the quest to secure first place in the conference.

The only other realistic contender for the top spot, the Dallas Mavericks, did nothing to help their chances as they have lost consecutive games. With a 53-23 record they are two games behind the Lakers and almost five games behind the Spurs with just six regular season games left for them to play.

The Memphis Grizzlies have continued their impressive season with a four-game winning streak that has helped them to overtake the New Orleans Hornets. Winning eight of their last 10 games, only the Denver Nuggets and the Lakers can compare based on recent form. The Nuggets have given their post-season a huge boost with a five game winning streak for an overall record of 47-29.

The Houston Rockets are the best poised challengers for eight place in the conference, but a threegame deficit may prove a bit too much to conquer.