After the All Star break, we typically get a good idea for where NBA teams are in terms of potential playoff success, current energy and how much “gas” the team has in the tank. Most importantly, we can start to get an idea of who the real contenders for a championship are.
Before we get into the contenders, here are a couple potential dark-horse teams you should keep your eye on.
The Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers all have what it takes to make a surprising deep playoff run. The Pistons have locked down their first winning season since 2016. They’ve been a completely different team since last season when they only won 14 games. So far this season, they’ve won 43 games and sit comfortably at the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. So after a historically bad season, what needs to happen to complete a historic turnaround?
It’s thanks to none other than the face of their franchise, Cade Cunningham who has been playing out of his mind lately averaging 25 points per game. He’s finally got the help he so desperately needed last season, Malik Beasley being a nice addition to the team. The Pistons were looking to add depth for so long to help Cunningham and Beasley’s 16.3 points per game do just that. This team’s defensive efficiency is a collective effort, players are creating second chances and defending the ball well, and they’re doing so as a unit, not just their stars.
Another team making shockwaves is the New York Knicks, thanks to the efforts of Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson. With the amount of depth the Knicks have added, the load has been lifted off of Brunson’s shoulders and resulted in an exciting turnaround. New York has been fantastic in extending plays this season by grabbing offensive boards and boxing out their opponents on the other end. If the Knicks want to make a deep playoff run they’ll have to figure out how to win against Boston and Cleveland (0-10 against them) now before they meet them in most likely the second round of the playoffs. Once New York got a reliable defense, they were able to allow their frontcourt to play fast paced, high volume passing basketball. So as long as they hammer down on fundamentals they are poised to make an exciting playoff run this year.
Any Celtics fan knows to be wary of the Miami Heat when it comes to the playoffs, no matter how their regular season has gone. Speaking of the Celtics, let’s get into the contenders.
The Celtics are an interesting team this season. They are the reigning champions, make no mistake about it, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have bested them for the number one spot in the Eastern Conference. In their regular season series against Cleveland the teams are tied at 2-2. They broke Golden State’s team record for most three-pointers made by a team in a single season, but the three ball historically has been the make or break factor for the Celtics in key games, more specifically what happens if they just can’t seem to make threes in a game. Forcing shots, and giving up good looks in the process.
Additionally, they lost a little bit of depth in their backcourt over the summer which was one of the biggest factors in their championship run. Their aging veterans like Al Horford and Jrue Holiday’s production has gone down due to their age. However, Luke Kornet has shown real potential as of late to take over that role. The Celtics are averaging almost 18 three-pointers a game, as well as dominating on the road, and thanks to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the charge, both averaging over 20 points. The only reason the Celtics didn’t win the Eastern Conference was because of the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers have three players averaging more than 18 points, as do the Celtics. So, what’s giving them the edge over Boston? Field. Goal. Percentage. As a team, the Cavs are shooting a ridiculously good 50% and they have nine players on their roster shooting over 45% (at least ten minutes of playing time). Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are both putting up over 20 points a game and Evan Mobley is putting the finishing touches on the offense with 18 points of his own. They’ve managed to go on two 15 game winning streaks so far this season, the Orlando Magic snapping their recent one. What could give the Celtics an edge is experienced, especially when it comes to big games. While Boston is coming off a championship, no one on the Cavs in their rotation other than Max Strus has reached the conference finals.
So, you can expect the Cavs and Celtics to breeze past Orlando and Miami. Any of the middle seeds could shock either of these teams, but one thing’s for certain: The East is Boston and Cleveland’s to lose.
