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Cavs gain upper hand in East race

The Lakers have turned the race for the top seed in the Western Conference into a coronation. Are the Cavaliers now poised to do the same in the East? Since
Chris Mannix|

The Lakers have turned the race for the top seed in the Western Conference into a coronation. Are the Cavaliers now poised to do the same in the East?

Since losing March 6 at Boston to fall into a virtual tie with the Celtics, the Cavs have won five in a row and opened a 3½-game lead over the injury-plagued defending champions and a four-game advantage over the Magic with 16 to play. What's more, beginning Tuesday against Orlando, the Cavs play seven of their next eight games at Quicken Loans Arena, where they are 28-1 this season.

Meanwhile, there could be at least one East race that goes down to the wire: the eighth-seed chase. Six teams entered the week separated by 2½ games.

(All stats and records are through Sunday.)

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Chris Mannix
CHRIS MANNIX

Chris Mannix is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated covering the NBA and boxing beats. He joined the SI staff in 2003 following his graduation from Boston College. Mannix is the host of SI’s “Open Floor” podcast and serves as a ringside analyst and reporter for DAZN Boxing. He is also a frequent contributor to NBC Sports Boston as an NBA analyst. A nominee for National Sportswriter of the Year in 2022, Mannix has won writing awards from the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Pro Basketball Writers Association, and is a longtime member of both organizations.

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