2012 NBA Standings: Hawks Still Clinging To Home Court Advantage

There is seven games left in the NBA season and it looks more and more likely with each passing day that the Atlanta Hawks are headed for a first round clash with the Boston Celtics. The only question that remains is which team will have home court advantage in the series.

Currently the Celtics hold the No. 4 seed by virtue of their lead in the Atlantic Division. However, home court advantage between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds is given to whichever team has the best record. Atlanta currently leads Boston by a half game in the standings. The Hawks however must finish with a better record than Boston because the Celtics own all of the tiebreakers between the two clubs. Atlanta's Friday, April 20 matchup with the Celtics at Philips Arena could very well be for homecourt advantage in the first-round of the playoffs.

Atlanta has fallen 2.5 games back of Indiana for third place in the conference after the Pacers have won eight of their last 10 games and four in a row. The Hawks hold a one game lead over the Orlando Magic who are sixth but may be without Dwight Howard for an extended period of time.

Here is a look at the Eastern Conference Standings as play begins on Sunday: