NBA Convention Standings
The Los Angeles Lakers (9-2) cruised previous the Golden State Warriors (2-10) 120-ninety four at Staples Heart Wednesday night. I could make a case for all 11 teams on this listing to make the playoffs. For now, these are the eight that I feel will make the postseason. By offseason acquisitions, established expertise, and different elements, I strongly imagine that the above groups will make it to the NBA playoffs. Would I be surprised to see considered one of my just out” groups make the playoffs? No. However, I wouldn’t wager on it.
The Celtics come again after a season of disappointment that everyone who slurps Chowda blames on the departed Kyrie Irving. They changed him with Kemba Walker, who really has not gained large in the NBA. The Celtics are good, not nice. Gordon Hayward seems better with some pop back in his game, but there nonetheless is a minutes downside for him, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Numerous toughness is gone. Enes Kanter is at heart and he can provide a double-double, but also present suspect defense.
In general, the league is so overstuffed with talent at this point—heck, Durant, who moved from the West to the East, and Zion Williamson, drafted into the West, haven’t played in any respect this season—that this sort of spread would make sense. There are almost sufficient elite players for everybody who desires one (er, sorry, Knicks fans). Furthermore, the elevated volume of star participant transactions may benefit conference balance if extra gamers like Durant and Butler move from West to East.
The main MVP candidates are Giannis and three Western gamers (LeBron, Harden, and Doncic). The West has Big Twos and individual gamers lighting up scoreboards by themselves, even on inferior teams—see: Karl-Anthony Towns on the Timberwolves—whereas the East’s greatest group might need just one All-Star, and the conference’s only so-referred to as Big Two has seen these two players—Irving and Durant—mix to play just 11 video games this season.
As the league embraces a attainable first step into playoff realignment—the reported proposal would reseed the four semifinalists with out conference consideration—a full sixteen-team overhaul may very well be the natural next step. It figures that this sort of thinking would come after years of complaints—only to reach when the East has finally evened the scales for the first time in years.