A look at the overall NBA standings shows four teams at the top – Indiana, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Miami – separated by one game in the loss column. In fact, they were dead even until three of them lost Sunday.
Just a notch below them are three more teams – Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland – separated by two games in the loss column. They also would have been dead even had the Blazers held on Sunday against the Rockets.
Let’s call these teams the Magnificent Seven, because your NBA champion is somewhere among them. Dismiss any of them at your own peril; these are the only teams who, at the season’s three-quarter pole, have won at least two-third of their games.
That pace translates to at least 55 wins, a threshold reached by the last seven NBA champions. So the idea that a Golden State or a Memphis or a Chicago is going to catch lightning in a bottle this spring is far-fetched.
The Magnificent Seven all have several things in common. They are the only teams still boasting single-digit loss totals at home. They are all considerably above .500 on the road. And they are the top seven teams in point differential.
All seven also do a great job of beating the teams they’re supposed to; Portland’s 35-12 mark against teams outside the Magnificent Seven – a .745 clip – is the worst of the bunch.
But how do they do against each other?
This is what really matters, because these teams are going to be seeing a lot of each other in May and June.
For example, if Oklahoma City secures the top seed in the West, it could conceivably have to beat Houston, Portland or the Clippers; San Antonio; and Miami or Indiana in its last three series to win the championship.
The Thunder seem best equipped for this potential gauntlet. They are 10-5 against the other six elite teams – by far the best mark among the Magnificent Seven – and are the only team that has beaten all the others at least once.
It has been no secret that the Spurs have struggled all season with the league’s best. Thursday’s home rout of Miami improved their mark to just 4-11 vs. other elite teams, and they are winless against three of them.
Playing in the weaker Eastern Conference, the Heat and Pacers have a smaller body of work. But both are a solid 5-3 against the West’s elite with two games left.
The toughest team to figure may be the Clippers, who are 0-4 vs. the Pacers and Heat but an excellent 7-4 vs. the West.
Here’s a handy table showing how the Magnificent Seven have done against each other.
| TEAM | IND | MIA | OKC | SAS | HOU | LAC | POR | TOTAL |
| INDIANA | 1-1 | 0-1 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 6-4 | |
| MIAMI | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 2-0 | 1-0 | 6-4 | |
| OKLAHOMA CITY | 1-0 | 1-0 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 10-5 | |
| SAN ANTONIO | 0-1 | 1-1 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 2-1 | 1-2 | 4-11 | |
| HOUSTON | 1-1 | 1-0 | 0-2 | 3-0 | 0-3 | 3-1 | 8-7 | |
| LA CLIPPERS | 0-2 | 0-2 | 2-1 | 1-2 | 3-0 | 1-1 | 7-8 | |
| PORTLAND | 1-1 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 2-1 | 1-3 | 1-1 | 7-9 |
And here’s a breakdown of what each team has left:
INDIANA: Four games left, including one home and one away with Miami. On the season’s final weekend, the Pacers visit Miami on Friday and host Oklahoma City on Sunday. Those games could go a long way toward determining home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
MIAMI: Before their two crucial meetings with Indiana, the Heat host Houston and Portland. They were handled by the Rockets last week and beat the Blazers at the buzzer without LeBron James.
OKLAHOMA CITY: Thus far, the Thunder have handled the Texas teams, going 5-0 with one left vs. San Antonio and two remaining vs. Houston. They also visit the Clippers before their late-season matchup with the Pacers.
SAN ANTONIO: The Spurs have the most alarming record among the elite teams. Even if you throw out their 0-3 marks vs. the Thunder and Rockets, they are still under .500. And it could get worse; San Antonio hosts Portland but still visits Indiana, Oklahoma City and Houston, against whom it is a combined 0-7.
HOUSTON: The Rockets still have five games against elite teams. In addition to the pair vs. Oklahoma City, they can sweep San Antonio with a home win and avoid a sweep by the Clippers with a home win. With a road win, Houston also has a chance to be the only team in the group to sweep Miami.
LA CLIPPERS: They may be sitting in the best spot with just three games left against elite teams, the fewest of the group. A home win vs. Oklahoma City would make LA the only team with a winning mark against the Thunder. On the season’s final night, the Clips visit Portland, which could be a huge game.
PORTLAND: The Blazers haven’t dominated any other elite team but haven’t been dominated, either. They also can have a notch in their belt against every team if they can win at Miami. Portland also visits San Antonio and hosts the Clippers.
TRIVIA: Only four active players have led the NBA in assists per game. Who are they? Answer below.