When we took a closer look at the Western Conference earlier this week, we pointed out that the No. 1 seed had changed hands many times this season, with eight different teams holding it at some point and five of those clubs spending at least six days as the West’s top team.
That hasn’t been the case in the Eastern Conference, where the Celtics and Bucks have essentially shared the top seed all season. According to Basketball-Reference, Milwaukee held it from October 24 to November 13, Boston had it from November 14 to December 17, and the two teams have traded it back and forth during the past week.
Milwaukee and Boston have made a strong case to be considered the East’s most serious championship threats. The Celtics have been especially impressive, posting the NBA’s best offensive rating (116.6) and net rating (+6.0) while getting an MVP-caliber performance from Jayson Tatum. They’ve also spent most of the season playing without their best rim protector, Robert Williams, and could have an even higher ceiling now that he’s back.
The Bucks have stuck right there with them though, buoyed by the league’s third-best defense and an MVP candidate of their own in forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Like Boston, Milwaukee has gotten off to a strong start despite playing shorthanded — All-Star forward Khris Middleton has been limited to seven games and has struggled mightily in those appearances, so the Bucks could presumably reach another gear if and when they’re fully healthy and firing on all cylinders.
Both the Celtics and Bucks have been up and down in recent weeks, however. Boston has lost five of seven games and actually has the NBA’s worst offensive rating (107.0) during the month of December. Milwaukee has lost four of its last seven.
As the East’s leaders have struggled, several other would-be contenders have closed the gap at the top of the standings, starting with the Cavaliers. The offseason addition of Donovan Mitchell has helped Cleveland take a step forward this season, while the frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley has led the NBA’s best defense (107.2 rating).
Cleveland’s +6.0 net rating is tied with Boston for the league’s best mark. The Cavs also have a pair of victories over Boston under their belts already this season and beat Milwaukee on Wednesday, proving they can hang with the East’s top clubs.
Meanwhile, two teams expected to be title contenders before the season began have been on fire lately after getting off to sluggish starts — the Nets have won eight games in a row and 12 of their last 13, while the Sixers are riding their own seven-game winning streak. Brooklyn is now within two games of the East’s top seed, while Philadelphia is just three games out.
The Nets’ offense has looked in recent weeks like the well-oiled machine that we thought it could be, as they comfortably lead the NBA with a 120.4 offensive rating in December. Kevin Durant has played some of the best basketball of his career, Kyrie Irving is staying out of the news and playing great basketball following his return from an eight-game suspension, and Ben Simmons is looking a whole lot more comfortable on both ends of the court after a concerning start to the season.
Somewhat surprisingly, Philadelphia has been most effective on the defensive end of the ball, trailing only the Cavs with a 108.3 defensive rating, but James Harden and Joel Embiid have been clicking on offense lately too. In a win over the Clippers on Friday, Embiid racked up 44 points while Harden had 21 assists. The offense should take another step forward once Tyrese Maxey returns from a foot injury.
The East’s top five seeds look like the best bets to come out of the conference, but we should also mention the Knicks (18-15), who have the East’s best net rating (+10.2) in December, along with the Hawks (17-16), Pacers (17-16), Heat (16-17), and Raptors (15-18), who are lurking in play-in territory for now.
We want to know what you think. Which team do you expect to finish the regular season holding the East’s No. 1 seed? Will the same club represent the conference in the NBA Finals, or will another team make a deeper playoff run? Do you consider the East to be as wide open as the West, or are there fewer real title threats here beyond the top few seeds?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
I should start by saying I’m a Cavs fan. That being said, I think Milwaukee and Boston are the top two seeds (probably in that order). The Cavs have been pretty dominant this year other than the losing streak they had earlier in the year, and they have some impressive wins so they can play with anyone. The Bucks and Celtics should get the benefit of the doubt just because of their experience though.
I’d put the Cavs third and the Sixers fourth, but any of those four could be the top seed and it probably shouldn’t be a surprise.
I put Nets ahead of 76ers. Why?
Nets have more future assets to make good trades
1
Actually Nets still have 2023 76ers unprotected pick
Nets have traded either the Nets’, Rockets’, or Sixers’ 2023 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable) to Jazz.
2. Nets have 2027 or 2028 76ers first round pick.
MIL will be the top team in the East!
It’s a long season so far it’s Milwaukee but still gotta get Middleton, Conn and Ingles back in playing shape along with Beauchamp more experienced. If they can upgrade from Sergio, Nwora, Hill and Mathews would help tremendously. They are doing a great job understanding of pacing themselves through the season so far with them being an older team.
All teams fully healthy, Bucks are likely to prevail.
76ers lack coaching, Celtics lack defense, and the Nets lack leadership.
Nets are on a streak, we’ll see tomorrow against the Cavs. They are playing pretty good defense.
Milwaukee depth is hard to match. They are best suited to not wear down like Boston will or start to run away from it like some other teams will.
I have no idea who will end up first in the East. Or in the West for that matter. With talent so evenly spread it will be who has the best coach and gets the most out of his players & system. Then, in the Playoffs, it will come down to luck and who has the best health. Go Celtics!