The NBA the playoffs are quickly approaching, and as teams continue to rise, and fall, the fates of each team will soon be known. There should be no surprise with who the top teams are toward the end of the year, but teams have been moving around slightly.

The San Antonio Spurs continue to rule the NBA, and are currently on a thirteen-game win streak. The Spurs have been one of the top teams for several years, and made it to the NBA championship last year before losing to the Miami Heat.

Following the Spurs’ first place spot are the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, and the Indiana Pacers to round out the top five.

The Miami Heat, who won last year’s NBA championship, follows closely behind in sixth place. They were in fifth last week, but lost recently, and have been showing signs of struggle.

It is no surprise to see that the West is dominating, although when comparing overall records, the Pacers are third overall, and were ranked third in the power rankings last week. The full NBA standings, showing their rankings in the conference can be seen here.

The Heat and Pacers are the two teams that have already clinched in the East, but due to tougher competition in the Western Conference, the only team that has clinched is the Spurs. The Mavericks just slipped from 8 to 10, and the Suns have risen from 11 to 9, placing them only one game behind the Mavericks.

Even the Brooklyn Nets, who looked amazing on paper to start the season, but struggled earlier, are on a four-game winning streak, and are likely to gain the fourth seed in the playoffs. Another surprise in the Eastern Conference in 2014 is the Toronto Raptors, who are currently in third place, although they are only half of a game ahead of the Bulls.

It is unclear where every team will land, and who they will each be paired with, but as the NBA season comes to an end, some teams have been improving, while others are falling. The Pacers are in first in the East, while the Spurs lead the way in the west. They almost met in the NBA finals last year before the Heat edged the Pacers out, could it happen this year?

Image via Twittter