There has been so much going on in the NBA since the last time I wrote an article about it. With the Postseason near, we will be previewing the top 8 seeds in each conference as well as the MVP race and my top 10 teams.
Let's start with a quick preview of the current standings; most teams have played about 70 games which means only 12 to go.
East West
1 Heat 47-24 1 Suns 58-14
2 Bucks 44-27 2 Grizzlys 49-23
3 76ers 43-27 3 Warriors 47-24
4 Celtics 44-28 4 Jazz 45-26
5 Bulls 41-29 5 Mavs 43-28
6 Cavs 41-30 6 Wolves 42-30
7 Raptors 40-31 7 Nuggets 42-30
8 Nets 37-34 8 Clippers 36-37
Now, there is not that much to unpack here. As you can see, the defending finals champs (Bucks) are in 2nd in the East and the other Finals appearance team from last year, the Suns, are above and away #1 with 58 wins. The Lakers are not in this playoff picture at all. Your hometown PA team the 76ers are in 3rd with a solid record of 43 wins. For the first time in years, the conferences are balanced with neither being substantially better. There is so much young talent in the NBA.
My top 1o
1 Suns
2 Bucks
3 76ers
4 Warriors
5 Grizzlys
6 Jazz
7 Mavs
8 Celtics
9 Bulls
10 Nets
This is just my personal opinion. I know that it is tough to rank the Nets as top ten, but their talent is undeniable, and they have Kyrie KD and Ben Simmons as well. The Bulls, Celtics, Mavs, and Jazz are mostly equal. All 3 of these teams can shoot the 3 as well as play tough defense making them a threat. The Grizzlies and Warriors are just about equal but a step down in my opinion from the top 3. The fact that Steph Curry is hurt also should not go without saying. The Sixers and Bucks will be a very good Eastern Conference Semi Finals match up. Lastly, the Suns are above and way the best team in the league and it's not really close.
MVP race
1 Joel Embiid C Sixers #21
2 Nikola Jokic C Nuggets #15
3 Giannas Pf Bucks #34
4 Ja Morant PG Grizzlys #12
5 Steph Curry PG Warriors #30
Now again, this is just my humble opinion. These 5 men are definitely the only 5 in the conversation, but we really know only the top 3 have chances. All 3 are big men who are 6’11 and above. Embiid and Giannas have a lead in the team wins department but Jokic has amazing stats from his passing ability. The reason I made Joel #1 is because his defense
is extraordinary and the impact he brings to the game is like no other. All 5 of these men deserve a shoutout for having great seasons, though.
That's all for this month, next month in April we will have a playoff frenzy with matchups to watch and upsets to be spoiled. Thank you for reading.