Are The Toronto Raptors Finally Eastern Conference Favorites? FiveThirtyEight’s NBA podcast takes the East to The Lab in advance of the playoffs.

Welcome to The Lab, FiveThirtyEight’s basketball podcast. On this week’s show (April 5, 2018), Neil, Chris and Kyle break down the Eastern Conference ahead of the playoffs.

First, the Philadelphia 76ers have clinched a spot, but the team has also lost star center Joel Embiid to injury. Embiid may miss the beginning of the postseason. How will the Sixers function without him?

Next, the Toronto Raptors are on track to be the No. 1 seed in the East, but the team’s past several playoff runs have been disappointing. The crew takes a look at why Toronto is playing better this season. Plus, a significant digit on Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers.

Here are links to what the podcast discussed this week: