The All Star break is here, which means were unofficially at the halfway point of the 2015-2016 NBA season (and officially past it)! With a few exceptions, the NBA landscape certainly feels different than we expected it would look at the start of the year.
The East is wide-open, and somehow better top to the bottom than the West? While the Cavaliers are still the clear favorites, the picture is murky beyond them to an extent we haven’t seen in quite a while. Let’s take a look at how the Eastern Conference playoff race looks as we head into the festivities in Toronto this weekend.
The Contenders
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are in first in the east, by a considerable margin, and still are the class of the conference despite having a tumultuous season. Kyrie Irving started the season injured and took a while to get healthy, but is finally rounding into form. However, that couldn’t save former head coach David Blatt’s job, as he was kicked out in favor of longtime NBA veteran Tyronn Lue. LeBron James is quietly dominating yet again, and the supporting cast, while inconsistent at times, has mostly held up its end of the bargain. Cleveland appears to be breezing to yet another Eastern Conference title.
Toronto Raptors
Our hosts for the weekend are the resurgent Toronto Raptors, led by skinny Kyle Lowry and a stone cold killer in DeMar DeRozan. This offseason, Lowry slimmed down and has looked considerably better this year. He is having a career year and is controlling the flow of the Raptors’ offense like an All Star should. Meanwhile DeRozan has developed beyond just being an isolation player, and despite an injury to DeMarre Carroll, this team is rolling on through the rest of the east. Of all the teams in the conference, Toronto just might be the most dangerous to unseat the Cavaliers.
The Undecideds
Boston Celtics
Honestly, the Celtics could be right up there with Toronto and Cleveland. I just don’t know how this team holds up, especially if they decide to make a move at the trade deadline. They went into Cleveland and beat the Cavaliers, but it remains to be seen if Isaiah Thomas can continue to carry the scoring load on a good/potentially great team. They’re certainly towards the top of the conference, but where they rank exactly is still a mystery.
Atlanta Hawks
More so than the Celtics, the Hawks enter All-Star Weekend with huge question marks about their roster. Will the team trade Al Horford before he can walk in free agency? Will they dump Jeff Teague to unleash the power of German Rajon Rondo, Dennis Schroder? The Hawks have suffered from the loss of Carroll in the offseason, but Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap are still playing fantastic basketball. This team could make a run or ease off the gas; It all depends on what happens prior to February 18th.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls have (yet again) suffered from injuries this season, but if they get healthy they could make a substantial run in the east. However, that is quite a big if. Right now Joakim Noah, Nikola Mirotic and Jimmy Butler are sidelined, and the team is in free fall. We know a fully healthy Bulls team can make a run, and their health is the only thing keeping them from being a true contender this year.
The Pretenders
Miami Heat
Miami is an enigma of a team, which still sports former all stars yet can’t seem to emerge from the pack. The production of Dwyane Wade is encouraging, but the fact that Miami is only 5 games over .500 in spite of his health is concerning. Overall, the Heat don’t have enough firepower up and down the roster to make a real run, but at this point it’d be a surprise to see them miss the playoffs.
Indiana Pacers
The experiment of having Paul George play the power forward position has had mixed results. He has had spurts of greatness and periods of anonymity. As currently constructed, the Pacers have a lot of disjointed parts that are just good enough to be relevant in the conference. However, they aren’t good enough to compete when it comes to the playoffs, and that could mean the experiment is a failure.
Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte has bordered on the playoff picture for the last few weeks, and currently sits in eighth. However, an injury to defensive expert Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will likely sideline him for the rest of the season, and while Al Jefferson is set to return soon, his presence might actually disrupt this team’s offensive flow. This team is fighting for the playoffs, but won’t make much noise if they get there.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons are also hovering on the edge of the playoffs, and are riding the play of Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond all season. However, the team doesn’t really have anyone beyond them and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to carry them. They’re growing at a respectable pace and could be a factor in a year or two, but not in 2015-2016.
Washington Wizards
The Wizards have been quite the disappointment this season, after being serious contenders last year and currently sitting in 10th. Despite a career year from John Wall the Wizards haven’t been able to adapt to the new offensive system, and the loss of Paul Pierce hurt defensively as well. Washington might not even make the playoffs this year, and it’s hard to imagine seeing them putting a run together or keeping the team together through the offseason if they don’t make a run in the second half.