Eastern Conference Power Rankings: All-Star Break Edition

1. Sixers (24-12) — prev. rank #1

We can’t emphasize this enough: THIS is exactly what we always hoped and dreamed of for the Sixers, going back to 2016 when Embiid finally made his long awaited NBA debut for the Process-laden 76ers, finishing 14th in the East but as one of the most fun teams in the league. Honestly, we thought Embiid could be an MVP-caliber player one day, but even so, he has exceeded our lofty expectations with his shooting prowess (53% on long 2’s and 41.6% from 3!) and Harden-like free throws (10 per game). He’s a wrecking ball with a soft, deft shooting touch, and he looks more nimble than ever before. Embiid and Simmons have the necessary shooting surrounding them that was always going to be needed to allow them to fully flourish. Philly is actually just 28th in made threes per game with 10.3, but middle of the pack 36.5 percent shooting from distance gets the job done when you also have the first half MVP in Embiid. The big question was always the crunch time hierarchy, yet now it’s clear: Give it to JoJo, clear out and be ready to fire away. Tobias Harris needs more credit, and Doc, too, as the Tobias Harris whisperer. And never forget (how could you) that it was all made possible by a man with a vision and an objective that many couldn’t understand at the time.

2. Nets (24-13) — prev. rank #2

The Nets have won 10 of their last 11 games and are averaging 121 points per game on the season. We knew the offense would be insane and it sure has been, even without KD who has missed nine straight games and 12 of the last 13. At what point does KD’s hamstring injury become more of a concern? Brooklyn is of course going to be extra cautious, but the Nets are going to need him eventually. Since joining the Nets, Harden has eight games of 14 or more assists. EIGHT. The Beard has to at least be mentioned when talking about MVP candidates. Nobody has benefited more than Joe Harris, currently shooting 50 percent from 3 on 6.7 attempts per game, getting wide WIDE open looks. The defense is still an issue, for sure, but since the beginning of February, the Nets have a very similar defensive rating to the Celtics, Clippers and Mavs. That’s not saying too much, but it is to say they actually haven’t been as horrendous on D as once anticipated. Blake Griffin is the newest Net, but we don’t anticipate him moving the needle too much, especially if he is as washed as he looked in his 20 games of action earlier this season. Another former Piston, Bruce Brown has been an absolute boon for the Nets in the rover do-a-little-bit-of-everything role.

3. Bucks (22-14) — prev. rank #4

The Bucks are now 5-8 in clutch games after last Thursday night’s escape in Memphis, thanks to Jrue Holiday who is looking more and more like the guy they traded a million draft picks for. There was a five game losing streak without Holiday, but the Bucks bookended that losing streak with two five game winning streaks. The Bucks be streaking. The signature win of the season was no doubt the Sunday matinee win in Staples vs. the Clippers when Giannis power dunked the exclamation point down on the come-from-behind victory. The Clippers and Grizzlies wins in close situations are exactly what the Bucks need to get battle tested and ready come playoff time. Coach Bud is experimenting on the fly, because he knows things have to be different this time around. The Bucks defense has improved a lot over the last month, up to top ten in the league (9th) over that span after being the 17th rated defense in January. Something we have noticed about this team is that they seem rather susceptible to all of a sudden going ice cold, as evidenced in the second half against the Grizzlies when they missed 13 consecutive 3’s.

4. Celtics (19-17) — prev. rank #3

After a stretch in which they lost 8 of 11 games, the Celtics ride a much needed four-game winning streak into the break. They have been without Marcus Smart since the end of January and it’s showed. Smart is a glue guy for the C’s, holding things together. We heard him described as an onion which is so very apt. You wouldn’t want to take a big bite out of an onion straight up, but certain dishes without some onions in it would seriously be lacking a key and necessary ingredient. Kemba is trending upward which has been pivotal to Boston’s recent success. The J team can only do so much, and they are already averaging 50 combined points while taking on the toughest defensive assignments night in and night out. It was nice to see Aaron Nesmith actually get some run — he had a couple of decent games, but he also had some zero contribution performances to the point that Brad Stevens went right back to the DNP CD’s. Payton Pritchard and Robert Williams off the bench can take this team up a level if they are on, but it just hasn’t consistently clicked yet as a unit. This team needs their onion back.

5. Heat (18-18) — prev. rank #8

As we knew they would, the Heat have gotten their shit together, healthy for the most part at long last. Winners of 15 of the last 19 games, the Heat have the #2 rated defense over the last month and the #1 defense over the last two weeks. The offense is still a work in progress, but the massive turnover problem is finally starting to improve. (Spo is probably sleeping a little bit better at night.) The three-point shooting has regressed as a whole, but Kendrick Nunn is really coming around. Nunn was a big part of their regular season success last season, and he appears to be putting the coco behind him. A glance at the second half of the season schedule looks pretty favorable. So long as Jimmy and Bam are out there, it feels safe to say that the Heat should be a team you won’t want to face when the going gets tough. And we are forever of the mind that Riles has something else up his sleeve. (DiPo? Kyle Lowry?)

6. Hornets (17-18) — prev. rank #6

Our beloved Hornets have been Living LaMelo Loco! LaMelo as a starter: 21 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 43% from 3 (!!). Rookie of the Year is in the bag as LaMelo’s shooting has been by far and away better than anybody anticipated, and we love that he is always in attack mode, pushing the pace, zipping here and zipping there. The Miracle After Midnight II was absolutely fantastic — a wondrous treat and reward for everybody who watches games in their entirety. Down by 8 points with 1:09 remaining and with the Kings shooting free throws and getting possession, it would be understandable if you turned off the game (we would never), but you missed out on one of the best comebacks, the Hornets buzzing all the way back to win in improbable fashion, Eric Collins and Dell Curry losing their minds more so than usual. We have no problem telling you that these Charlotte Hornets are the most fun team in the league. Shoutout to friend of the blog Miles Bridges who has shown he is much more than just one of the most consistent and ferocious power dunkers in the league. Bridges is shooting a career-high 38 percent from 3 and has hit 93 percent of his free throws. The Hornets have a multitude of guys who can catch fire on any given night, in any given quarter. LaMelo, Bridges, Rozier, Hayward, Monk, Graham and P.J. Washington are all very capable of shooting lights out, and all seven are averaging double-digit points.

7. Raptors (17-19) — prev. rank #11

Add the Raptors to the list of teams who have turned it around after their abysmal start to the season. The Raptors commenced the month of February with an 11-3 record before a recent slide of 1-4 before the break (thanks in large part the protocols) pushed them back under .500. The offense has come alive, top-10 in the league since February 1st. Nick Nurse (when he was still able to coach that is) started playing more small-ball and more of DeAndre Bembry off the bench. Yet we are still rather puzzled why Chris Boucher doesn’t play 30+ minutes a game, he’s currently averaging 45 percent from 3 (!!) on 3.8 attempts per game and just shy of 2 blocks per game at 1.9. Watch a Raptors game and you’ll see Boucher everywhere, and throwing down power dunks as well. (Bonjour!) Kyle Lowry missed some games, and the Raptors were able to survive because FVV keeps getting better and better. Siakam is still improving from his dreadful start to the season. A lot of Raptors games seem to come down to how well Siakam plays down the stretch. We have to mention that it still sucks so bad they are stuck 1,300+ miles away from home in Tampa.

8. Knicks (19-18) — prev. rank #12

The Knicks are above .500 and are currently in 5th place in the Eastern Conference! If we had told you before the season that both of these things would be true about the Knicks at the All-Star Break, you would have laughed your ass off. But the Knicks have won 8 of their last 11 games and 6 out of the last 7 at MSG. The Knicks have pulled this off with the 4th highest defensive rating in the NBA, and by bringing a collective, consummate team effort to the court. The Knicks also very much have a legit All-Star in Julius Randle: 23 points, 11 rebounds and 5.5 assists a night and 40 percent from 3! Randle’s numbers were dipping back to the mean a month ago, and now they’ve risen again. Also, Randle getting ejected in the first game after being named to the All-Star team which also happened to be the first game that fans were allowed back at MSG was just so Knicks. We weren’t fans of the Derrick Rose trade, wanting those minutes to go to Quickley, but D-Rose is currently shooting 45.5 percent from 3!? It’s come at Austin Rivers expense, playing in just two games since the trade.

9. Pacers (16-19) — prev. rank #5

The Pacers record since we last ran the Power Rankings on February 2nd is 4-10, including losing six out of the last eight games before the break. We must remind you that without T.J. Warren and Oladipo/LeVert, the Pacers offense is missing around 35 points a night. That’s tough, and it shows. Speaking of tough, you can always count on Sabonis and Brogdon to play hard as hell, giving it all they’ve got. Myles Turner is still leading the league in blocks at 3.4 per game. It’s the bench’s regression that appears to be the biggest issue. Justin Holiday has played fine, but his brother Aaron has not. T.J. McStealy is coming for your inbounds pass! Every time that we count out the Pesky Pacers, they sneak up on us again, so consider this a warning. Yet the beginning of the 2nd half of the season schedule is absolutely brutal: @Lakers, @Suns, @Nuggets, Nets, @Heat, @Heat, @Bucks. Yeah, BRUTAL.

10. Hawks (16-20) — prev. rank #7

It never felt to us like Lloyd Pierce was the main problem in Atlanta, but nevertheless he was deemed the scapegoat for the Hawks first half of the season struggles. We tend to blame the injuries and missed games of Hunter, Bogdanovic, Gallinari, Rondo and even Kris Dunn who has yet to play in a game this season. It is understandable that the Lloyd Pierce decision is a lot easier to make when you have a coach like McMillan ready to step into the interim role, and the Hawks promptly won the first two games with Nate Mac calling the shots, holding the Heat (sans Jimmy Butler) to 80 points (!!) and a gritty 19-point comeback win in Orlando. If this team ever gets to full strength, they could be a dangerous bunch. De’Andre Hunter is to be re-evaluated on March 19th and Kris Dunn could make his debut by the end of the month. Both should help tremendously on the defensive side of the ball. Since Hunter went down at the end of January, the Hawks have the 27th ranked defense in the NBA.

11. Bulls (16-18) — prev. rank #10

Zach LaVine is deserving of his first All-Star appearance, his super efficient scoring and shooting numbers have been no joke. The Bulls have also quietly won six out of their last nine games. Lauri Markkanen has been in and out of the lineup but mostly out, missing 20 games in all. Otto Porter Jr. has been completely MIA since February 1st, missing 15 straight games with the same back injury that caused him to miss the vast majority of last season. OPJ was once a reason for optimism for Chicago. LaVine’s running mate is primarily Coby White who scored 19 or more points in each of the last six games before the break. When the Bulls offense gets generated by Thad Young at the top of the key, it’s low key a pretty good time. Ryan Arcidiacono’s man bun can also be some nice comedic relief. (Especially like the time when he was being guarded by Rick Rubio and we had our first man bun vs. man bun of the season!)

12. Wizards (14-20) — prev. rank #14

The Wizards definitely had their run ins with the protocols, but this team has still very much underachieved. People were soo high on the Wizards in the preseason. They lost Thomas Bryant after he tore his ACL, yes, but do you really think that Thomas Bryant would make this team that much better? Then again, I guess Moe Wagner and Issac Bonga have both started 22 games this season. The Westbrook turnovers have gotten downright outrageous. Wizbrook is currently averaging 20 points, 9.8 rebounds and 9.7 assists… make of that what you will. Beal is scoring 32.9 points a night, but it’s surprising to see that he’s only shooting 33.5 percent from 3. Being a 90 percent free throw shooter helps, especially at 8.4 attempts per game. 54 percent on 2’s ain’t bad either. The Wizards, by golly, are only 1.5 games back of the play-in!

13. Cavs (14-22) — prev. rank #9

The Cavs lost 10 games in a row in February, but then they won four in a row, although two wins were against the reeling Rockets. But you could see this young Cavs team reclaiming some of that beginning of the season magic in those wins, especially in the crazy comeback against the Hawks and the OT grind out in Philly, only the Sixers third loss of the season at Wells Fargo. A high-level defensive player, Okoro is still playing 33 minutes per game, but he’s not bringing a whole lot on the offensive side of the ball. Meanwhile the Cavs defense as a whole has come crashing back to earth. Remember after the first seven games when Cleveland had the #2 defense in the league? Yeah, that was a long time ago. They have been the 28th defense over the last month and have dropped to 22nd overall. During their 10-game losing streak, the Cavs gave up an average of 124 points per game. The Sexland backcourt has still been way better than last season, and you gotta love some of Jarrett Allen’s fro power dunks.

14. Magic (13-23) — prev. rank #13

The Magic have been decimated by injuries. They have lost five in a row heading into the break after a three game winning streak looked promising. The Orlando offense has actually improved a lot over the last month, a middling 17th after being third worst in the league. Vooch is still the sun of everything the Magic do, the All-Star big man brings it right to you every night no matter who is out there with him. Man’s is shooting 41 percent from 3 on 6.5 attempts per game. You have to wonder if somebody will throw a godfather offer at the Magic at the deadline for Vooch. (Looking at you, Danny Ainge.) Mo Bamba has been nowhere to be seen, except for a few times when we are like, “Holy shit, it’s Mo Bamba!” And every now and again, we still get to yell “KHEM BIRCH!”

15. Pistons (10-26) — prev. rank #15

You wanna hear some crazy shit? The Pistons, the D E T R O I T B A S K E T B A L L Pistons, are only 6.5 games back of the play-in. So you’re saying there is a chance!? We’re not sayin, but we are sayin. Dennis Smith Jr. is actually looking like a basketball player. We love to see it after things didn’t work out for him in Dallas or the Big Apple. We just wish he would power dunk more, given we know how capable he is. Saddiq Bey was getting all of the buzz there for a minute, and rightfully so after dropping 30 points and 7-of-7 from 3 on the Celtics, good enough to earn Eastern Conference Player of the Week. But Saben Lee is the new Pistons rookie you need to keep an eye on. Lee has two games of 20+ points, both of which resulted in Pistons wins. Word on the street is that Killian Hayes might be set to return sometime in March after a hip injury has kept the Frenchman out for two entire months. The Pistons have a serious stack of rooks!

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