The murkiness is clearing on the picture of legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference, while the West is increasingly mysterious.
The Milwaukee Bucks, who once were 9-0, have dropped three of their past four games, including two lopsided losses to the Atlanta Hawks.
Atlanta's dominance of Milwaukee has allowed the reigning East champion Boston Celtics to jump into the top seed in the midst of a seven-game win streak.
The Celtics will have to defend their streak and top seed against the Hawks in Wednesday's tilt (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN).