The East
So who would've thought that the East would be so close this far with teams rising up and no real leader as of yet. As we stand here on December tenth, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in 1st but only 14-7 and right behind them the Charlotte Hornets, yes the Charlotte Hornets at 13-8 but that's not really saying much because there are several teams with very close to the same record.
Impressive so far
Some of the highlight teams I have seen this year have been the Toronto Raptors. Toronto added Demarre Carroll in the offseason and although they have not really moved up in the standings from last year, they look very impressive this year. Another team is the Indiana Pacers, Paul George is making a case for MVP however Steph Curry is stealing all that shine. On top of that they have Monta Ellis at point and can support PG at any given night, look to this team to be in the top four and ready to take on the Cavaliers. Someone I believe who doesn't get enough credit is the Boston Celtics, especially Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens. Danny Ainge has found a way to trade away two Stars and reap the profits off it with an amazing hire in Brad Stevens who has found many average players and made them look above average. Although they may not be a championship team, look at this team in the rankings throughout the year. My last team has to be the New York Knicks. New York was expected to be another crap team in the East just waiting for the season to end, but then came Kristaps Porzingis. Kristaps took the hate and boos from New York when he got picked and now he's making a case for Rookie of the Year, although the Knicks may not make the playoffs, they have impressed in that they are going above expectations.
Busts
Who's missing Paul Pierce right now? The Washington Wizards are with a below 500 record and they have one of the best backcourts in the NBA with Beal and Wall, hopefully they can improve because when they are on they are very fun to watch. The Atlanta Hawks have lost something in that they went from top team in the East to lost in the shuffle, this team needs to be able to improve because they are not a team that can handle a tough team in the playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks look very unimpressive when they had an impressive offseason but now look like they are still on the decline and a below average team. Lastly, the Chicago Bulls. I watched them last night against my Celtics and it really only looked like Jimmy Butler and a team that doesn't look inspired enough to win, Drose is suffering from double vision and it looks like he's struggling due to it.
Well that's all I have for you today, I'll try keep posting daily and next up the West! And remember keep on Swishing!
