(1)
Hawks prep for six-game road 'test'
BLOGS
(1)
BLOGS
TOP STORY
TOP STORY
MORE STORIES
WATCH
DRIVE: SIMEON
TOP STORY
SHOP
MARK STROTMAN
The Bulls seem to have found their stride after a rough November, but the rest of the Central Division is surprisingly keeping pace.
Winners in eight of their last 11, the Bulls have jumped from 6-7 to 14-10, and have sat atop the Central standings the last week. The impressive play of Luol Deng and Joakim Noah, both of whom are logging 40+ minutes per night, has the Bulls in contention even without the services of Derrick Rose.
The Bulls may have the weakest record of any first-place team of any division, but the Central stands as the closest race in the league, and one of two divisions with three teams better than .500, as Christmas nears.
Three teams -- Chicago, Milwaukee and Indiana -- are within 1.5 games of each other. The next closest race involving three teams in a division is the Southwest, where Houston (12-12) sits 5.5 games back of San Antonio (19-8) and 5 behind Memphis (16-6).
The Bucks have feasted on a rather easy schedule to win six of their last nine games, all in December. During that stretch, the only team better than .500 the Bucks have defeated is Brooklyn (13-11).
Indiana has also maintained pace by winning nine of 14 games dating back to Nov. 19. But of teams with a winning record, the Pacers are just 1-10 against other winning teams. With games against Utah, Chicago, Atlanta and Memphis to close the month, the Pacers will know more about their squad's ability to remain in the Central division race by the time the calendar hits 2013.
| Â Division | Â Win % | Â Teams above .500 |
| Â Atlantic (East) | Â .504 | Â 2 (NYK, BRK) |
| Â Central (E) | Â .478 | Â 3 (CHI, MKE, IND) |
| Â Southeast (E) | Â .460 | Â 2 (MIA, ATL) |
| Â Northwest (West) | Â .581 | Â 4 (OKC, DEN, UTAH, MIN) |
| Â Pacific (W) | Â .516 | Â 2 (LAC, GSW) |
| Â Southwest (W) | Â .524 | Â 2 (SAS, MEM) |
No one will argue the Central division as being the league's best, but as it stands it is the Eastern Conference's most competitive division and the closest race in the league. The standings may change when the Pacers get Danny Granger (knee) back in February or when Rose returns for the Bulls, but for now it's looking like a three-team race that should continue late into the season.
Tags: Eastern Conference, milwaukee bucks, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Central Division
RELATED STORIES
COMMENTS
MORE HEADLINES
BLEACHER REPORT
PRO BASKETBALL TALK
MORE BULLS NEWS
FROM PRO BASKETBALL TALK
TOP NATIONAL BUZZ
FROM SB NATION
FROM BLEACHER REPORT
MY FEED
MY HEADLINES
