Per usual, the NBA’s Eastern Conference is comprised of a less-than-inspirational bunch of contenders and pretenders outside the upper echelons.
Three weeks of hardwood action in the 2013-2014 season reveal the top-heavy nature of this section of the Association.
The Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, with a combined record of 19-4. There’s no doubting the title-worthiness of these two clubs.
Unfortunately, only two of the remaining conference leaders would qualify for the playoffs if they played out west. None of the other eastern members can even bring a winning record to the discussion.
Ouch.
So, where does that leave us?
A twosome of championship contenders and, well, everybody else. Let’s get the bad news over with first.
Pretenders
Charlotte Bobcats, Third Place, Southeastern Division
We did qualify these initial selections as pretenders, did we not?
The notoriously awful Bobcats are harking back to the nostalgic days of 2009-2010 when the franchise owned its only above-.500 record at season’s end. At 6-6 in 2013, they are sitting pretty as the sixth playoff seed in the East.
Five Bobcats average double-digit points, including starting point guard Kemba Walker (16.0), shooting guard Gerald Henderson (13.4) and the up-and-coming- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (10.5).
But as encouraging as those numbers—and the .645 shooting percentage by former No. 7 overall pick Bismack Biyombo—are, Charlotte is a collection of NBA irrelevants.
It does not have a player that dishes out more than four assists per game or collects eights rebounds. No member of the starting five has earned a player efficiency rating above the 15.0 league average.
The Bobcats have not beaten a single opponent with a winning record.
While technically worthy of a postseason berth as things currently stand, playoff basketball is not in this team’s future.
Atlanta Hawks, Second Place, Southeastern Division
No, we are not prejudiced against the Southeast—promise.
Mock sarcasm aside, the new-look Hawks sit just two games back of the reigning champs at 7-5. The conference’s No. 5 overall club also boasts the fourth-highest winning percentage at home with a 4-1 mark.
Ascending point-man Jeff Teague has assumed the leadership role with 18.4 points and 8.7 assists per game. The second of those career-bests ranks fourth in the league. Six games with 10-plus dimes—including four in a row earlier this month—have contributed to that impressive average.
Atlanta also features four starters with above-average ratings in player efficiency. The underrated frontline of Al Horford and Paul Millsap offers both reliable scoring and rebounding as well.
Even with a solid inside presence, skilled point guard and the sharp-shooting Kyle Korver from distance (51.6 percent), the Hawks are not legitimate contenders. An otherwise quality plus-3.0 point differential will not hold when the race for conference finals comes around in earnest.
The Hawks simply need to show more than their six of seven wins over sub-.500 opponents.
But hey, at least they’re on pace to eclipse their 13-win counterpart from 2004-2005. That must account for something.
Chicago Bulls, Second Place, Central Division
“Blasphemy!,” says the Chicago faithful.
Okay, let’s begin with some encouraging statistics.
The Bulls are up to their usual defensive excellence boasting the NBA’s No. 2 ranking with 89.0 points allowed. Only three opponents have reached the 90-point plateau against a defense anchored by Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng and the ever unsentimental Joakim Noah.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau’s proclamations of blue-collar, grind-it-out team defense have not fallen on deaf years.
Moreover, the Bulls recently orchestrated a dominant five-game winning streak. Thibodeau’s squad limited the opposition to 81.8 points while securing victory by an average margin of 15.1.
The undoubted highlight of this run was franchise centerpiece Derrick Rose draining six of his team’s 11 three-pointers against the previously undefeated Pacers. The Bulls hung a staggering 110 on the league’s top-ranked defense.
Now, did that performance serve as evidence for the return of a 100-point-worthy offense in Chicago?
Regrettably, Rose and Company had only once before lit up the scoreboard with triple digits this season. That came against the defensively incapable Philadelphia 76ers, who have surrendered 100 or more points in all but two games.
They certainly came back down to Earth on Thursday night by scoring just 87 points on 38.8 percent shooting against the Denver Nuggets.
Here’s what’s certain: The Bulls play shutdown defense, are undefeated at home and occupy the No. 3 playoff seed in the East. But they’re also deficient offensively, have a 1-4 record away from home and lack a reliable scoring option outside of Rose.
And even the former MVP is shooting a career-worst 34.4 percent from the field.
The Bulls are contenders in theory, but are merely pretenders through the first three weeks.
Contenders
Indiana Pacers, First Place, Central Division
Second place on this list despite rocking the East’s best record—say what?
Please remain calm.
The Pacers have far exceeded any expectations placed on them before the 2013-2014 campaign began.
They roared to a perfect 9-0 start in overwhelmingly dominant fashion. They outscored, out-rebounded and out-defended every opponent along the way.
Immediately following their only loss, the Pacers retained their winning prowess with a gritty 103-96 overtime victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Certifiable MVP candidate Paul George showed in that game exactly why he is so deserving of that NBA honor.
The do-it-all 6’9’’ small forward produced a stat line of 35 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, and 2 BLK. He accomplished this impressive feat while defending the league’s second-leading scorer Carmelo Anthony for just about every one of the game’s 53 grueling minutes.
George and fellow starters Roy Hibbert, David West, Lance Stephenson and George Hill use their length and toughness to defend all areas of the floor. No team matches their 82.7 points allowed. Only the Heat and San Antonio Spurs average a superior point differential to Indiana’s plus-9.2.
And for the purposes of this article, only the Pacers can truly contend with Miami in the East—both now and through season’s end.
Miami Heat, First Place, Southeastern Division
If games lasted 47:59 seconds, defeat would resemble nothing but a ghost of October past for the incumbent champions.
Miami has reeled off eight victories this month, with its sole losses materializing only by way of late-game closeouts by the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics.
The Heat have indeed returned this year in optimal form in defense of their NBA crown. They overpower opponents behind the league’s unrivaled plus-9.9 point differential and LeBron James’ unreal 60.1 shooting percentage.
Every foe has experienced a 100-point onslaught, save for the Bobcats. And even then the Heat still won by a cushy 16-point, 97-81 margin.
For the fourth consecutive season, the Heat step onto the hardwood as prohibitive title favorites.
This time, they appear worthy of an NBA three-peat—three weeks into the season or otherwise.
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