Final Standings Predictions – Eastern Conference

With nearly a fifth of the season remaining, there is still a lot of uncertainty with what the final standings will look like. The Eastern Conference is slightly easier to navigate than the West, however there has been a lot of injuries that have derailed a few teams. The top 10 spots seem to have cemented themselves to at least make the play-in. Boston will easily take the 1 seed, while the Bucks and Cavs will fight for the 2 seed, and the rest of the standings are still being determined. 

1. Boston Celtics

          The Celtics have been the best team all season. They have the number 1 offense and the number 2 defense in the league. They have one of the best starting five units in the league as well as a deep bench. They are 9.5 games ahead of 2nd place and also have the easiest schedule remaining. The will easily be the 1 seed in the playoffs.

2. Milwaukee Bucks

          Doc Rivers’ tenure as the Bucks’ head coach got off to a rough start with a 3-7 record before the All-Star break. After the break, they starting to put it all together with 6 straight wins and 7 of their last 10 games. During the 6-game win streak, they looked unstoppable with the 2nd best offense and the best defense in the league. They have the 4th toughest schedule remaining, but if they can play close to that level on both ends of the floor, they will remain 2nd in the East.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers

          Donovan Mitchell has been playing the best basketball of his career and has led the Cavs towards the top of the East despite all the injuries this team has sustained. Their defense has been dominant all year, boasting the 3rd best defense in the league. They had a stretch from December 16th to February 10th where they were the hottest team with a 22-4 record with the best defense and 3rd best offense in that span. With the except of that hot streak, their offense has been inconsistent, ranking middle of the league. The offense and injury concerns are why I have them finishing 3rd in the East.

4. Orlando Magic

          The Magic have improved significantly since last season. Their 2 young stars, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, have developed into All-Star caliber players and will be the duo of the team’s future. The rely heavily on their defense, which they have been the 4th best defense all season.  They are one of the youngest teams in the league, which has resulted in offensive inconsistency and a high turnover rate, ranking in the bottom 10 in both offense and turnovers. Since the All-Star break, they have gone 8-3 and boasted the 2nd best offense. They have been playing well enough to be able to move up to the 4th seed gaining home-court advantage in the playoffs.

5. Indiana Pacers

          The Pacers play at a very fast pace and put up a ton of shots, both ranking 2nd in the league, and they still have the best FG% in the league shooting 50.6%. They have the 2nd best offense this season, with Tyrese Haliburton leading the league in assists per game with 11.4. Since Haliburton’s injury and trading away Buddy Hield, the Pacers offense hasn’t quite looked as dominant. Their defense has been lackluster, ranking in the bottom 10, and has been their achilles heel this season. If they can be consistent on offense, they can move up to take the 5th seed.

6. Miami Heat

          The Heat have been dealing with the injury bug this season as only 3 players have played more than 50 games so far and they have played 21 players throughout the year. From January 31st to March 5th, the Heat went 11-3 and had the 3rd best defense in the league. They are on a 4-game losing streak right now, but they have the 3rd easiest schedule remaining. I believe they will get back on track and play well enough to avoid the play-in.

7. New York Knicks

          After the OG Anunoby trade, the Knicks looked like a true title contender. From January 1st through February 1st, they were the hottest team going 15-2 and boasting the best defense in the league and a top 10 offense during that span. Then injuries started to pile up losing OG Anunoby, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson for a significant amount of time. They may be able to get healthy and move up in the standings, but I still think they fall to 7th.

8. Philadelphia 76ers

          Before Joel Embiid’s  injury, he was the favorite to win the MVP with 35.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.8 bpg, and 1.1 spg. With Embiid, the 76ers were top 10 in both offense and defense. Since Embiid’s injury, they have gone 7-13 and have been one of the worst shooting teams in the league and their offense and defense has dropped to bottom half and bottom 5 of the league, respectively. They have fallen all the way to the 8th spot in the East, but they shouldn’t drop any further. They will remain the 8th seed as the end of the season.

9. Chicago Bulls

          The Bulls have been middle of the road in every way this season. They aren’t good enough to be a true contender, but aren’t bad enough to tank. The only facet of their game they really excel at is the mid-range, where they lead the league in percentage of points from the mid-range. DaMar DeRozan has also been among the best in clutch situations, scoring the 2nd most clutch points this season behind Steph Curry. They have a solid hold on the 9th spot in the East, and there isn’t much doubt that they will stay there the rest of the year.

10. Atlanta Hawks

          The Hawks should be better than they are. They have a roster full of good players, but they just haven’t been able to put it all together. They boast a top 10 offense led by Trae Young and Dejounte Murray and they play at a fast pace while putting up the most shots per game. However, their downfall is their defense, which they rank 3rd worst this season. They have a 3-game cushion ahead of the 11th place Brooklyn Nets, so they should stick around to make the play-in barring an utter collapse.

11. Brooklyn Nets

          It’s safe to say the Nets have been underwhelming this year. Mikal Bridges has not played up to expectations and the front office has had their fair share of issues. While they have a bunch of good players, they don’t posses the star talent needed to win many games in this league. They are almost guaranteed to stay just outside of the play-in in the 11th spot in the East.

12. Toronto Raptors

          The front office for the Raptors have made some questionable moves in recent years, but the good thing is they moved on from Anunoby and Siakam to acquire younger talent. Scottie Barnes has taken the next step in his development by becoming an All-Star and improving in every statical category this year. They need to prioritize developing their young talent and they should be able to get back to the playoffs in the next couple years. As for this year, they just aren’t there yet. They will finish 12th in the East.

13. Charlotts Hornets

          The Hornets are still in a rebuild, but they have found their second star in Brandon Miller to pair with LaMelo Ball. Miller is averaging 16.6 points per game and is 3rd in the Rookie of the Year race. With new ownership, there may be a positive change within the organization and things may improve in the next few years. If Ball can stay healthy, they may be able to make the playoffs in a couple years, but they will finish at the bottom of the East this season in 13th place.

14. Detroit Pistons

          There is a lot of young talent on the Pistons, but there seems to be a lack of culture and identity with this team. A lot of their struggles are caused by their coaching and front office decisions. However, a third of their wins have come after the All-Star break, a major improvement from before. Cade Cunningham has also shown he can be a true star. He has scored 30+ points in 15 games this season and averages 22.3 PPG and 7.5 APG this year. Hopefully they will be able to maximize the talent they have in the coming years, but they will finish near the bottom of the league once again.

15. Washington Wizards

I’m not going to sugar-coat it, the Wizards are the worst team in the league and there’s no clear direction of what they are trying to accomplish. The Jordan Poole experiment hasn’t worked, and they have a mix of veterans and young players needing development. They need to find an identity and prioritize their youth and look towards the future. They will finish dead last in the league and will have a chance at the number 1 pick.