Through the first six weeks of the season, the Eastern Conference has been a little better than expected, racking up a 36-40 (.474) record against the West and boasting nine teams with winning records.

But as we entered December, only two games in the loss column separated the third-place Toronto Raptors from the ninth-place Philadelphia 76ers. That means this month could make or break some of the teams in that group, and it feels especially urgent for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were thought of as an NBA Finals contender but are off to a disappointing 12-9 start through Nov. 30.

December is a unique month in the NBA calendar. It begins with six teams (five of them in the East) in the midst of stretches in which they are playing five games in seven days. But, because of the Emirates NB

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