The landscape of the NBA this season has brought a new level of parity that the league has missed out on for years upon years. There’s a clear separation from the true title contenders and the borderline contenders. NBA fans are in for a treat this postseason with the level of depth of the playoff teams. 25 of the 30 teams have at least a .456 win percentage, making even the race to the play-in games a sight to see.
Let’s zone in on the Eastern Conference in particular. The East is home to arguably the two best teams in basketball in the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, but the other teams on the edge are no slouches. With teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks among more, anything can happen once playoff basketball rolls around. Here is an evaluation of each team’s ceiling and floor with just less than a month remaining in the regular season.
Milwaukee Bucks
Ceiling- NBA Champions
Floor- Second Round Exits
The Milwaukee Bucks started off this season blazing hot, but then took a slight step back down to reality toward the halfway mark of the year. However, you could argue this is the best the Bucks have looked all season. Milwaukee has gone 21-4 in their last 25 games, with a 16 game win streak in this span to go along with that. They’ve consistently beaten their opponents out with their defense, and their offense has been good enough to stay afloat. Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing Greek Freak things, and the team has the proper depth surrounding him to take it all the way come playoff time.
The sole reason Milwaukee isn’t considered the best team in the NBA by a large margin is their lack of a second star, along with their offensive inconsistencies. Khris Middleton when he’s played has been inconsistent and inefficient. All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday has been known for his playoff struggles as a scorer. If either of these two struggle on the offensive end come playoff time, teams can zone in on Antetokounmpo and make his life harder. Although the chances of them losing before the Eastern Conference Finals seem unlikely, there’s a possibility it happens when looking at other teams in the conference.
Boston Celtics
Ceiling- NBA Champions
Floor- Second Round Exits
Boston has the same ceiling and floor as Milwaukee, but for different reasons. The Celtics are one of the premier two-way teams in the league, and their offense has reached a new height this season. At full strength, this team has a near perfect combination of star-power, two-way prowess, depth and coaching. However, there’s a few things that could hold them back, one being their health. Robert Williams III when healthy is this team’s third best player due to his elite rim protection. But his health remains a big question mark.
With him being out, Boston’s frontcourt is a rough sight to see. Al Horford took a step back this season along with Grant Williams’ inconsistencies. The majority of their depth stems from their guard and wing play as it is, so losing the one big they have who can play elite level basketball raises an instant problem for them. Along with that, star forward Jayson Tatum has been dealing with his own share of injuries as of late. If that’s a problem that affects him come playoff time, Boston’s season could come to a drastic end. Overall, the Celtics still remain contenders, but they need to remain healthy if they want to break their ceiling from last year.
Philadelphia 76ers
Ceiling- NBA Champions
Floor- First Round Exits
The Philadelphia 76ers are arguably the biggest hit or miss team in the NBA this year. They have the superstar duo, they have the depth, and this is overall the best team Joel Embiid has had around him by a large margin. With a legitimate system in place, Embiid has less pressure on him than ever, especially with James Harden’s consistent ability to run the offense as the initiator. This offense has layers to it which makes them lethal, and they’ve also been one of the better two-way teams in the league this year.
This all sounds like a recipe for success, but there’s multiple factors that can prevent them from being a title team. Doc Rivers has a known reputation for single handedly losing teams playoff series’ as a head coach with him being allergic to making easy adjustments when needed. With Philadelphia having a starter in P.J. Tucker who’s regressed tremendously this year, these two things combined could hold Philadelphia back. They can either lose to one of the New York teams in the first round, or they can go all the way. The Sixers are one of, if not the most intriguing team to look forward to this postseason with their unpredictability.
Cleveland Cavaliers
NBA.com
Ceiling- Conference Finals
Floor- First Round Exits
The Cleveland Cavaliers have proven they’re a force to be reckoned with when healthy. They have a combination of an elite backcourt and an elite frontcourt, along with a coach in J.B. Bickerstaff who runs good sets on both ends of the floor. Due to this alone, they sit in the top ten for both offense and defense, second in the league on the defensive side of the ball. They’re home to two of the top ten or so defenders in basketball in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and two All-Star offensive engines in the backcourt in Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, these four have carried the majority of the load all season long. The depth on this team isn’t all there, and they look too top heavy to consider their ceiling anything more than a conference finals berth. They’ve remained inconsistent year round due to this lack of depth, and come playoff time, a rotation with only four above average NBA players isn’t something that leads to finals appearances. However, it’s not impossible they upset Boston or Milwaukee in the second round with their overall star-power and defense, although it’s not likely.
New York Knicks
Ceiling- Conference Finals
Floor- First Round Exits
The New York Knicks have been on an absolute tear lately, lighting it up on both sides of the ball. Jalen Brunson stepped into the Big Apple and turned into the point guard Knicks fans have craved for over a decade. Julius Randle has found his All-NBA form once again, and they have perfect complimentary pieces to surround the star duo. The Knicks are one of the league’s deepest teams, and a combination of this and them playing methodical, team basketball makes them a true threat to any team on any given night.
Despite this, a trend for this team throughout their 70 games played has been their inconsistencies. They’ve shown they can get hot for five plus games, but then get cold right after for a stretch. This is the best New York has looked all year, so that won’t be a problem for the rest of the regular season against teams worse than them. However, come playoff time against the cream of the crop, they have to be at the top of their game to do damage.
