We must admit that with the end of the All-Star Weekend, the competition between the teams in the regular season record and rankings has undoubtedly ushered in the final sprint stage!
It is not difficult to find that compared with the pre-All-Star game, the situation and ranking of the Eastern Playoffs that have surged this season can be described as visible changes with the naked eye.
From the current situation, with a wave of pre-All-Star game winning streaks, the Miami Heat, which is in a hot state, has achieved a regular season record of 38 wins and 21 losses.
Although the Bulls have followed closely, they have also won a 5-game winning streak in the recent past and successfully smoothed out the winning gap with the Heat.
But the Heat led by Lowry + Butler + Adebayo are still slightly better, and the Bulls, who are full of soldiers, occupy the 1st place and lead the entire East!
But rationally speaking, for the Bulls, who are in the 5-game winning streak, judging from the current momentum of the team, in the next schedule, the Bulls led by DeRozan + Ravin + Vucevic still have a great chance to re-attack the 1st place in the East!
Unlike the downturn at the beginning of the season, with the advancement of the schedule, the Philadelphia 76ers, whose previous record has been unsatisfactory, has now improved its regular season record by leaps and bounds under Embiid's leadership, and has risen to no. 3 in the East.
Coupled with the fact that the team has just completed the transaction and introduced All-Star guard James Harden to partner Embiid, it has to be said that the strength and depth of the 76ers team that has risen strongly is indeed not to be underestimated!
In contrast, this season's Dark Horse Cavaliers, although under the leadership of Garland + Allen + Mobley, this reborn Cavaliers team has achieved a team record of 35 wins and 23 losses, ranking 4th in the East.
And through the operation of the team management, the Cavaliers also introduced two strong new signings of Rondo + LeVert, which enhanced the core competitiveness of the lineup.
But rationally speaking, the injury retirement of the main players such as Sexton + Markkanen is undoubtedly a big blow to the Cavaliers, whose overall lineup is relatively young and lacks playoff experience!
In contrast, the performance of the Milwaukee Bucks, who have been in the spotlight this season as the defending champion, is indeed a big surprise.
After all, since the start of the regular season, the Bucks, who have opened high and low, have only achieved a regular season record of 36 wins and 24 losses, ranking only 5th in the East.
Although in terms of overall winning percentage, the Bucks have reached 60%, but there is one thing to say, for a team like the Bucks that urgently needs to prove itself, such a record and ranking is obviously not outstanding!
Coupled with the No. 6 Green Army led by Double Flower Tatum + Jaylen Brown, and the No. 7 Raptors led by VanVleet + Siakam, they all regained their game status before the All-Star Game and returned to the ranks of the playoffs.
It is no exaggeration to say that judging from the win gap between the Bucks, the Green Army and the Raptors, the Bucks, as the defending champions, are obviously not optimistic about the next road to defending the title!
Of course, as another strong contender for this season's championship, the Brooklyn Nets' performance before and after the All-Star Game was equally disappointing.
After all, at the beginning of the season, the Nets' regular season record, once overpowered the Heat and bulls, ranked high in the East, once made many teams in the East feel frightened!
However, with the injury of the team's star Durant, the Nets, who have experienced 11 consecutive defeats, have also experienced a cliff-like decline in record, and now the team ranking has fallen to 8th in the East.
Fortunately, for the Nets and head coach Nash, the arrival of new signings such as Ben Simmons + Seth Curry + Drummond + Dragic has solved the urgent need for the team's shortage of major generals to a certain extent!
As for whether this Nets team can improve and improve in ranking after Durant's return, we obviously have to wait and see.
Finally, as a fan, in the next schedule, are you optimistic that this adjusted Nets team is back on track? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section!