How can a NBA division leader be fourth in the conference?

gtho4

Philadephia lead the Atlantic division but are running 4th in the Eastern Conference as their win-loss record is below three other teams.          W L GB ATLANTIC Philade 27 22   - Boston  26 22 0.5 CENTRAL Chicago 40 10   - Indiana 28 19 10.5 SOUTHEAST Miami   35 12   - Orlando 31 18 5.0 CONFERENCE STANDINGS Chicago 40 10   - Miami   35 12  3.5 Orlando 31 18  8.5 Philade 27 22 12.5 Atlanta 30 20 10.0 Indiana 28 19 10.5 http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/standings;_ylt=Aka4bCuad4xv.ocjeS3BuHe8vLYF Mar 26 12, 12:20 AM

noh38

Under the current NBA format, the top 4 positions in the conference standings are occupied by the three division leaders and the wild card team with the best record. The division leaders are Chicago, Miami, and Philadelphia. However, because Orlando (the wild card with the best record) has a better record that Philadelphia, they are moved up to the #3 seed. Mar 26 12, 8:02 PM

pspscruff

Thanks for the answer. I didn't realize there was a wild card in the NBA. I thought it was strictly a top to bottom 1-8 format with the division leaders being by default 1-3 with the non-division winners with the best records making up 4-8 according to their records. I certainly learned something. Mar 26 12, 9:30 PM