Since the season began, it’s been a foregone conclusion* that the Cavaliers would be playoff-bound in 2009. Two weeks into the season, it became apparent that the Finals and a championship were well within reach. Now, with less than 30 games to play, the Cavs lead the Eastern Conference and are working towards the #1 seed in the playoffs and the home court advantage that comes with it.
But this season has been all about the old cliche’, “taking it one step at a time”. Step one is to clinch a playoff berth, then we can start focusing more on what seed we will capture.
The Magic Number system is complicated, but yet simple. It represents the total of additional wins by the front-running team or additional losses by the rival team after which it is mathematically impossible for the rival team to capture the title in the remaining games.
There are 15 teams in the East. We need to finish the season ahead of 7 of them to get a playoff spot, and finish ahead of 14 of them to get the #1 seed. Our Magic Number for each team is listed below.
- Washington – zero
- Toronto – 5
- Indiana – 7
- Charlotte – 8
- New Jersey – 9
- New York – 10
- Milwaukee – 10
- Chicago – 11
- Detroit – 15
- Philadelphia – 15
- Miami -16
- Atlanta – 18
- Orlando – 27
- Boston – 29
Let me explain a little better. As of this moment, Washington cannot possibly finish the season with a better record than Cleveland. Their record is 13-42, and with 27 games left in their season, their best possible record this year is 40 wins. Cleveland already has 42, so the Cavs can’t be caught by Washington. Their magic number is officially zero.
Toronto is 21-36. The most possible wins they can have is 46. Cleveland, with 42 wins, needs 5 more to guarantee a 47th win which would secure their finish ahead of the Raptors.
The Magic Number decreases every time the Cavaliers win, and it also decreases every time the other team loses.
As of this moment, 11 more wins will clinch a playoff berth (or a combination of Cavs wins and Chicago losses that total 11). Let’s get that goal, then we’ll work on getting the top seed over Boston and Orlando.
Tonight’s games are thin. Only one game matters to our hunt, Miami plays Philadelphia.
Sunday is a much bigger day. We take on the Pistons, and a Cavs win will shrink Detroit’s number from 15 to 13. Other games in the East that will have an effect on us;
- Chicago – Indiana
- New York – Toronto
- Boston – Phoenix
- Charlotte – Houston
- Milwaukee – Denver
- Miami – Orlando
Every day, we have the chance to shrink numbers by one or even two games. Expect to see teams drop off the list a lot in the next 2-3 weeks.
* – “Free Love On The Free Love Highway” was a classic tune by that band.
Story By The Buckeye Battle Cry
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