Eastern Conference Power Rankings: Early-March 2023 Edition
1. Milwaukee Bucks (45-17) — prev. rank #3
YO. A 16-game winning streak is no joke. The Bucks are looking like a complete team at just the right time.
Giannis has even missed some games and he’s been as dominant as ever when he’s in there.
Splash Mountain has been open for business.
Joe Ingles has added the additional playmaking and shooting. Jae Crowder has added the wing defense. Exactly what they needed.
The Bucks went undefeated in February, a 10-0 record with the No. 1 defense (104.6) and No. 13 offense at 115.2, which keeps trending in the right direction (top 5 over the last two weeks).
2. Boston Celtics (45-18) — prev. rank #1
The Celtics might have dropped out of the No. 1 spot for the first time since early November, but the C’s have won 8 of the last 10 and 12 of the last 13 games, still rocking the best net rating in the NBA for the season.
Tatum was having a tough post-All-Star run after his All-Star Game MVP performance. A 41-point outing against the Cavs on Wednesday night might put that behind him. And it’s not like he didn’t hit that game-winner against Philly on Saturday night primetime. (Tatum has led the C’s in both rebounds and assists for the last five games.)
No. 1 in the NBA in 3-point percentage? That would be Malcolm Brogdon at 46.4 percent.
After having the No. 27 offense (110.9) in December and the No. 19 offense (114.7) in January, the Celtics finally found their way again in February with the No. 7 offense (118.5).
With a current 4-game lead on No. 3 Philadelphia, it looks like the race for the East’s 1-seed comes down to Milwaukee and Boston.
3. Philadelphia 76ers (40-21) — prev. rank #2
The Sixers avenged Monday night’s loss to the Heat by stomping them in Miami without Embiid on Wednesday night, a great win with an unleashed Tyrese Maxey (27 & 7) and B-Ball Paul (16 & 14.)
Embiid has been an absolute menace as he once again pushes for MVP.
Folks will talk about Harden like he’s washed, but he’s still averaging 22 and 11 while playing 36.7 minutes per game.
Is Jalen McDaniels the Sixers’ missing link? Time will tell but it sure seems like he’s the prototype of what they needed. Will Doc give him a real chance and trust him?
Philly’s offense was always going to take a step back after an insane January (No. 1 at 121.3), and they managed right around the same offensive (115.2) and defensive (111.7) numbers that they currently have for the season, good for a top-5 net rating.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (39-26) — prev. rank #4
The Cavs started February with a 7-game winning streak, but they followed that up by losing 4 of the last 5, including at Philly and at Boston.
In his first year in Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell is having the best season of his career. What a home run of a trade for the Cavs.
Evan Mobley has had some high-scoring games recently. His 31 against Jokic and the Nuggets was Mobley’s most since his 38 against the Bucks.
Moving on from Kevin Love was peculiar. Yeah, he fell out of the rotation. But the vibes, man…
Only the Kings had a better offense in February than the Cavs, rocking a 119.9 offensive rating, and with the No. 5 defense (109.5) — only the 16-game-winning-streak-Bucks had a better net rating.
5. New York Knicks (37-27) — prev. rank #7
Well look at this! The Knicks — the NEW YORK KNICKS — have won 7 games in a row and are currently 10 games above .500!
Julius Randle was the All-Star and he’s having a great season, but Jalen Brunson was snubbed from Salt Lake City and has completely transformed this team. The newest King of New York.
It’s more than that as the entire team is coalescing. Josh Hart instantly breathes what Thibs preaches.
Quickley has been consistent and reliable as a constant spark off the bench.
The Knicks had the third-best net rating in the month of February with the No. 3 offense and a top-10 defense. Only the Bucks won more games than the Knickerbockers in the second month of 2023.
6. Toronto Raptors (31-32) — prev. rank #11
This high might be a little bit of a stretch, but the Raptors have won 8 of the last 10 games and it’s starting to feel like the second half of last season when they ripped off a big run.
Siakam continues to shine in the midst of a career year, averaging his most points per game and the most minutes per game in the league. He’s had to shoulder more of the load as…
… Fred VanVleet continues to struggle mightily. FVV is shooting 39 percent from the field and has had way too many games where he can’t buy a bucket.
The trade-deadline move for Poeltl was one we didn’t see coming. Just more Masai magic, though. A low-risk flier to fill their exact need.
February was a soft schedule for the Raptors and they have the hardest remaining schedule according to tankathon.com.
7. Miami Heat (33-30) — prev. rank #6
The Heat did not have a good February, a 4-6 record with a bottom-5 net rating. Miami has currently lost 5 of 6.
The most concerning part of the recent skid might be the fact that Jimmy Butler has played through all of it. Butler has only missed one game since the calendar flipped to 2023. Great news that he’s maintained his health. The bad news is that it has not translated to more wins.
The Heat’s lone All-Star, Bam has also missed just one game since Jan. 1. But when Bam has an off game, the Heat play an uphill battle.
Kyle Lowry has been out since Feb. 2. He can still bring some stability and organization to the table, but the Heat are 22-22 with him and 11-10 without him. Lowry just doesn’t move the needle like he used to.
What’s amazing about the Heat is that they have the 6-worst net rating in the NBA (-1.0), but they are still right within striking distance of the coveted 6-seed.
8. Atlanta Hawks (31-31) — prev. rank #9
Nate McMillan is out and Quin Snyder is in. The Hawks are looking for another 2020-21 late-season turnaround.
The coaching change is all about getting Trae Young to buy in. Ice Trae never has found his 3-point shot. It’s getting pretty late…
John Collins is still here! Speaking of not finding a 3-point shot, Collins is shooting a by far career-worst 25.3 percent from 3.
Trading 2nd-round picks for Saddiq Bey at the deadline seems like a true bargain. Bey has flashed plenty of potential.
The Hawks’ offense has stayed near the top 10 while the defense has remained near the bottom 10, pretty much the same all season and what is expected of Atlanta at this point. Perhaps Quin Snyder can unlock something new from this group.
9. Brooklyn Nets (34-28) — prev. rank #5
The new-look Nets started out as a fun and feisty bunch — that home win over the Heat with Mikal Bridges’ 45 points was a blast — but a 4-game losing streak has hindered the vibes.
The defense was also the Nets’ issue and that is the same story for this group. The Knicks just scored 81 in the first half on them and rang up 142 for the game.
All that said, expect this team to stick together and find peace and harmony in a place where there used to be anything but.
Ben Simmons… not even sure what to say at this point.
It’s really too bad that the Nets don’t play the Suns or the Mavs again this season.
10. Washington Wizards (29-32) — prev. rank #8
The fightin’ Wiz are still hanging around! They might be the definition of mediocre, but you can’t take them lightly. That’s when they surprise you.
Blue Panda has turned up the scoring dial as of late. Beal had five games with 30+ points in February after having just four such games in the first 3.5 months of the season.
While Kyle Kuzma has had a career-best year, his pre-game outfits are consistently iconic and forever polarizing.
It’s really crazy that the No. 10 pick in last year’s draft (Johnny Davis) has not played more than 9 minutes in an NBA game or scored more than 3 points yet.
It feels like the Wizards are destined for the 10 seed.
11. Chicago Bulls (23-27) — prev. rank #10
The only team in the NBA with a better defense than the Bulls in the month of February and since Jan. 1 is the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bulls have a top-5 defense on the season! And yet, it just has not translated to winning ways.
That’s because the offense has stayed stuck in the mud, bottom-5 in February, and close to that for the season.
DeRozan was an All-Star, but he has not played much like one lately. He’s also been dealing with a strained quad, which explains it.
LaVine is starting to heat up at the right time. 41 points on Wednesday night in Detroit was his fourth 40-burger of the season. That was the Bulls’ first road win since Jan. 28.
Can Mr. Play-In Pat Bev lead another team to the promised land?
12. Orlando Magic (26-37) — prev. rank #12
The Magic on currently on the old win a game then lose a game pattern, but they had both a winning record (6-5) and a positive net rating (0.6) in February.
Paolo has had Rookie of the Year wrapped up for a while now. This kid is the real deal. To hear him called a bigger version of Jayson Tatum by some is a scary thought.
Bill Simmons talked about it on his pod recently, and it must be emphasized here: It is WILD that Markelle Fultz is a better player than Ben Simmons right now.
Mo Bamba and T-Ross traded at the deadline marks the end of an era in Orlando. Moving on from R.J. Hampton was tough as well.
The Magic are four games back of No. 10, so they will probably be in the lottery again. B ut don’t be too shocked if they sneak into the play-in!
13. Indiana Pacers (28-35) — prev. rank #13
The Pacers have won 3 of the last 4 games, but before that, there was a stretch of losing 16 of 18.
Haliburton actually returned for almost half of that. The Pacers were getting smoked without him, though.
Probably would not have believed you if you said that Aaron Nesmith would start 44 games before March 1.
Definitely would not have believed you if you said the same thing about Andrew Nembhard. Didn’t even know who he was before the season.
The Pacers are currently two games back of the 10 seed and they would be a really fun team to see in the play-in. But what if they had a chance to get You Know Who.
14. Charlotte Hornets (20-44) — prev. rank #14
Steve Clifford’s big purple dogs did lose to the Suns last night in KD’s Suns’ debut, but the Hornets had a 5-game winning streak heading into March.
LaMelo's season-ending fractured ankle is a bummer. At least it happened during a season that was already lottery bound.
Kelly Oubre has returned at long last after missing two months. His added scoring has been a part of the Hornets’ recent run.
Since Plumlee was traded at the deadline to the Clippers, Mark Williams has been grubbing as the new starting center. He has five double-doubles in that span after having just one all season.
The Hornets have all but locked up the 4th-worst record in the NBA. A 12.5 percent chance of landing the lauded No. 1 pick.
15. Detroit Pistons (13-39) — prev. rank #15
The lowly Pistons are on a 6-game losing streak and have lost 9 out of 10 for the third time this season.
A lowlight that will live on: Rookie Jaden Ivey pulling a Chris Weber and calling a timeout that the Pistons did not have on Wednesday night in crunch time.
The Pistons’ trade deadline was puzzling. They kept Bogdanovic and traded Saddiq Bey for James Wiseman. Nothing wrong with taking a flier on Wiseman, he just seems redundant for what they already have.
Killian Hayes has really been dishing the rock lately and did you know he’s shooting a career-high from 3? (You probably did not because 30.0 percent should not be anybody’s career high.)
The Pistons might not catch the Rockets for the worst record in the league, but they have had a bottom-3 record wrapped up since Christmas.
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Western Conference Power Rankings dropping soon.
New Power Rankings dropping every month.
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