Eastern Conference Power Rankings: March 2025 Edition
March is here and spring is near!
It’s time to check in with some fresh power ranks.
LET’S GET IT.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (49-10) - prev. #1
February: (10-1) No. 1 offense / No. 2 defense
The best record in the NBA and best start to a Cavs season through 59 games.
Cleveland just put a stamp on it with their comeback win Friday night in Boston, on ESPN for the world to see. So on March 1st, it’s a 7.5-game lead ahead of the No. 2 Celtics in the East.
And don’t sleep on the Cavs acquiring De’Andre Hunter at the deadline, precisely what this team needed to level up and get ready for the Yoffs.
2. Boston Celtics (42-18) - prev. #2
February: (8-3) No. 5 offense / No. 10 defense
February started 8-1 — yet it’s the loss to the Cavs after being up 25-3 that stands out the most.
It’s important to remember that Porzingis and Holiday were both out, but that’s still a game the C’s should have closed out at home, especially with Tatum ringing up 46 points.
Either way, this is the time of the year when the Celtics round into form. Three big matchups await in the next two weeks: Nuggets, Lakers and Thunder — all home at TD Garden.
3. New York Knicks (39-20) - prev. #3
February: (7-4) No. 13 offense / No. 29 defense
The good: the Knicks are 19 games above .500 on March 1st.
The bad: the Knicks are 0-7 vs. the top 3 teams in the NBA, getting the roof blown off their doors by the Cavs and Celtics last week.
But vibes in the big apple are still sky high with Captain Clutch coming up big vs. Philly (would have been a tragic loss) and then passing the torch to OG in the corner in Memphis.
Not to mention getting Mitchell Robinson back!
4. Milwaukee Bucks (33-25) - prev. #5
February: (7-5) No. 23 offense / No. 11 defense
The offensive and defensive numbers for the month are surprising, but the Bucks have won 5 of 6 and are fresh off their most impressive win in a while vs. the Nuggets.
Kuzma is an upgrade over the aging Middleton, and people probably forget just how good Kuzma can be on a team with actual weapons.
Losing Bobby Portis for 25 games is certainly not ideal, but at least he’ll be back in time for the playoffs.
5. Detroit Pistons (33-27) - prev. #6
February: (9-3) No. 4 offense / No. 7 defense
Folks, it’s officially official:
THE PISTONS ARE THE YOUNG SURPRISE TEAM THAT WAS PROMISED.
The Pistons offense has been lighting the league on fire, including whooping the defending champs by 20!
The Nuggets did just slay the dragon that was the Stones 8-game winning streak, but the league knows that Detroit basketball is BACK.
6. Indiana Pacers (33-25) - prev. #4
February: (7-5) No. 11 offense / No. 20 defense
The Pacers have cooled down from their red-hot 10-2 January.
Haliburton’s 3-ball has remained dialed in at 44 percent again for the month, but Siakam had a tough time shooting the ball in Feb. and hasn’t scored 20 points in almost 3 weeks.
The schedule looks pretty favorable for Indiana as they jockey with fellow Central division foes for the No. 4 seed in the East. Two big matchups vs. the Bucks are looming in March.
7. Orlando Magic (29-32) - prev. #7
February: (5-7) No. 27 offense / No. 8 defense
The Magic offense just can’t seem to get going. So many possessions are like pulling teeth.
Paolo, however, is starting to get back to his beginning of the season ways, scoring 36 vs. the Hawks and 41 vs. the Warriors.
This certainly won’t be a rollover team in the playoffs with this defense, but the Magic also will have trouble winning any games if they can’t make any 3’s. Orlando is still last in the league in 3-point percentage.
8. Miami Heat (28-30) - prev. #8
February: (5-7) No. 21 offense / No. 15 defense
This Heat team had to adapt to life without Jimmy long before he was actually traded.
It really wasn’t talked enough about how funny it is that Jimmy was traded for Andrew Wiggins.
The Kel’el Ware Rookie of the Year campaign was short lived, but Ware still had six double-digit rebound games in February, more than he had the rest of the season combined.
9. Atlanta Hawks (27-33) - prev. #10
February: (5-7) No. 8 offense / No. 25 defense
The Hawks have dropped 5 of the last 6. Having a top-10 offense and bottom-5 defense in Feb. is just so Hawks.
So was trading away De’Andre Hunter when he was finally putting it all together. We understand that the season was lost when Jalen Johnson went down, but still.
However, we have always been a Terance Mann fan.
(Bonus: Is… is Okongwu taking and making 3’s now!?)
10. Chicago Bulls (24-36) - prev. #11
February: (3-8) No. 18 offense / No. 26 defense
The good news is that the Bulls didn’t end up with Bradley Beal at the trade deadline, but the bad news is pretty much everything else.
Zach Collins recently led the team in points scored if that tells you anything about whatever the hell is going on here.
Buzelis finally getting real minutes is nice to see. (The opposite of his embarrassing appearance in the dunk contest.)
11. Brooklyn Nets (21-38) - prev. #13
February: (6-5) No. 28 offense / No. 6 defense
Where were you on the random Saturday night in February 2025 when a masked Nic Claxton hit the tip-in game-winner to beat the 76ers in Philly?!
Before losing the last 3 games, the MF Nets had a stretch of winning 7 out of 9 games…
The Young Surprise Team of the first two months of the season was showing serious signs of life again, bringing back some of those ole D-Lo Brooklyn vibes of 2018-19. We shall see what happens with Cam Thomas back in the fold down the stretch.
12. Philadelphia 76ers (20-38) - prev. #9
February: (1-10) No. 25 offense / No. 28 defense
No team in the NBA in February lost more games than the Philadelphia 76ers.
The fact that they are just 3 games back of the 10-seed as an 18-games below .500 team is a testament to just how shitty the bottom of the Eastern Conference has been this season.
This season has been a disaster of epic proportions and they should 100 percent shut it down.
Embiid has officially been shut down. And to think, just when Podcast P was ready to focus on a championship.
13. Toronto Raptors (18-42) - prev. #12
February: (3-9) No. 29 offense / No. 21 defense
The Raptors have some tanking work to do if they want to get one of the coveted top-4 chances at Cooper Flagg. Unfortunately they have the easiest remaining schedule left according to tankathon.com — we’ll have to monitor closely how they manage that.
There are a lot of fun, young players on this roster. It’s still just so shocking when you look at how expensive they are. But adding Ingram to the mix could be interesting. Another team with a potentially exciting offense but horrendous defense.
14. Washington Wizards (10-48) - prev. #15
February: (4-7) No. 20 offense / No. 18 defense
February was the Wizards best month of the season by far!
The month started by snapping that 16-game losing streak and winning 3 in a row.
And since trading Kuzma and getting Middleton and Marcus Smart, the Wiz have been playing with a renewed vigor. An extra pep in their step.
With a top lottery spot already guaranteed, they literally have nothing to lose.
15. Charlotte Hornets (14-44) - prev. #14
February: (2-11) No. 30 offense / No. 22 defense
Since Jan. 21, the Hornets are 3-16.
Some of the recent losses have been absolute obliterations, trailing by 55 to the Blazers (!!), 45 to the Kings and 39 to the Warriors in consecutive games.
The slight bit of good news is they did compete in their last game in Dallas. And they finally return to Uptown after a 9-game grueling road trip.
Saturday night is a SHOWDOWN vs. the Wiz as the Hornets attempt to avoid getting swept. (By the Wizards!)
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