On January 15, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued. The Golden State Warriors beat the Bulls on the road, leaving the No. 1 Bulls in the East in danger, and the consecutive fiascos to the Nets and Warriors really need to be reflected. This season's Eastern Conference is still fiercely competitive, with a game that could move up or down 2-3 spots. Previously, a dominant Nets team, the last 10 games and 6 losses, the advantage is gone.
Now, the season is halfway through, and the strength of each team has also been displayed. Judging from the current situation, it is difficult to determine the final ranking until the last game of the season. Bulls, Nets, Heat, Bucks, these 4 teams will also show the momentum of staggered teeth and you catch up. The east is so messy! Bulls 1st and 3rd teams to catch up, 7 teams to melee, 6 teams to have hope! 3 teams have been left behind.
The Bulls team 1st and 3rd chased
The Chicago Bulls have finally risen to prominence and have been in a state of "sinking" ever since Derrick Rose left the area. Last summer, the team management brought in DeRozan, Caruso, Bauer, Vucevic, plus Zach Lavin, and a championship-contending division was officially formed. Both inside and outside, attack and defense balance, is the characteristic of this Bulls team. Recently, with a wave of 9 consecutive wins, the record has reached 27 wins and 13 losses, ranking first in the East.
They are followed by three teams: the Heat (1 win difference), the Nets (1.5 win difference), and the Bucks (2 win difference). It stands to reason that these 3 teams are not inferior to the Bulls, and they are all teams with a lot of experience in the playoffs, and these 4 teams have the strength to become the first in the East.
7 teams are melee, 6 teams are promising
It's no exaggeration to say that Eastern Conference champions will only be made in the Nets, Bulls, Bucks and Heat, and the other teams have hope, but very little. So, apart from these 4 teams, which other teams have the potential to make the playoffs? There are 4 places left, but there are 6 teams that are promising. Take a closer look:
The Philadelphia 76ers are no. 5 in the East, and losing Ben Simmons will only cost them hope of winning the title, but making it to the playoffs is not a big problem, and Embiid is enough to support the whole team.
The 6th, 7th, and 8th are: Knight, Wasp, and Wizard. Although they are temporarily in the top eight range, it is still difficult to maintain. There are 3 teams below that are not weak and may be in the back.
The three teams are: New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, and Greens. They were all playoff-level teams last season, especially the New York Knicks, in explosive form. This season, due to the injury problems of the core players and the problems of the lineup, their performance is not ideal. However, their strength is possessed, as long as they play a wave of consecutive wins, they can quickly complete the counter-overtaking and enter the top eight ranges in the East.
From the Philadelphia 76ers in 5th place in the East to the 11th green team in the East, the difference between the wins is only 4 games, which is a small gap. Therefore, the competition in the east is much fiercer than in the west.
3 teams have been left behind
In the highly competitive East, are there any teams that have fallen behind? There really is. At present, the Eagles, Pacers, Pistons, and Magic can be turned into one gear, all far from the top eight. But why is it said that 3 teams are left behind, not 4 teams? The main thing is that the Atlanta Hawks are not playing at a normal level, not that they are not strong. They have suffered four consecutive defeats recently, and they were the team in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, which is a huge and strong contrast. However, everyone believed they could bottom out and rebound, hitting the top eight after the All-Star Game.
The Pacers are already planning to rebuild, and the entire team can trade. The Pistons and Magic are in the process of rebuilding, and they have no special requirements for the record, mainly to develop young players. These three teams have fallen behind and missed the playoffs.