I Tried Writing About the East but got Freaked Out by the Suns Instead
This week, I’m going to try to take a close look at the Eastern Conference, which has suddenly become the cool super-competitive side of the league. For years, the East was the shallow end of the pool controlled entirely by LeBron and a team’s fate was determined by how soon they had to meet LeBron in the playoffs. I have to admit, I watch a disproportionate amount of Western Conference games; because those games never start at 5am.
Right now, the number 6 team in the East, Brooklyn, is only 2.5 games behind the number 1 team, Miami. As we head towards the pointy end of the season, each of the top teams in the East are going to start jostling for home court advantage when it comes to playoff time. My only fear is that by the time you read this, the standings will have moved again.
Before going over the East, it’s worth remembering that winning your conference is only half the task. Sure, you get a trophy for winning the Eastern Conference Finals, but can you remember what it looks like? There are plenty of players out there with tattoos of the Larry O’Brien trophy (the Finals trophy), but I’m willing to bet whatever money a bookie will accept that no player has a tattoo of the Eastern Conference trophy.
The Suns are Freaking Me Out
Taking a peek at the top of the West, the Phoenix Suns are starting to run away with the 1st seed, sitting at 40-9 after another comeback win led by Chris Paul’s offensive genius and ability to hit absolutely any pass. Phil Jackson once wrote that championship teams make it to 40 wins before they have 20 losses and now Phoenix have hit 40 wins before 10 losses. I don’t know anything about winning an NBA championship, but Phil definitely does (his ‘96 Bulls started the season 40-3), and Phoenix just halved his measure of greatness. As an aside, having one of the greatest teams of all time prove your theory is a classic Phil Jackson move and I’m all for it.
Phoenix are on another winning streak, which is currently 10 games, after an 18 game win-streak earlier in the year. Phoenix are just so clinical; they enter a game knowing exactly what plays they’re running from minute 1 to minute 48, and nearly every one of them results in a good shot. Devin Booker has figured out a method to find an open shot whenever he wants by flinging himself around the upright columns that make up Phoenix’s front court to become one of the most reliable scorers in the league.
Going over their last 4 losses, which means going back 17 games to Christmas day, they have only lost to the Warriors, Grizzlies, Miami and Boston. Apart from the Celtics – a game where Booker went 7/26 from the field; these are the three teams with the best records behind the Suns and their greatest competitors. No one’s tearing up the playbook after those losses.
For the second year running, the longest streak since Robert Sarver took ownership, there’s nothing catastrophically wrong with the Suns, an achievement in and of itself. This has apparently reduced the number of reported incidents of Sarver storming into the locker room to demonstrate proper screening technique, or suggesting an improved substitution pattern to the team’s coach.
Phoenix aren’t just leading the league, they’re dominating the league and they’re a strong chance to finish the season with 60 – 65 wins. I’d say they’ll almost certainly make it to 60 wins- one third of their last 33 games are against the 6 worst teams in the league. Hell, they could go undefeated the rest of the season but I know from my deep mental anguish, that losing only 9 games in a regular season means absolutely nothing if you don’t win the title.
The Suns are running away with the number 1 seed, and will probably end up with a good enough record to ensure they have home court advantage. Phoenix fans are salivating at the mouth for another crack at the title and will take full advantage of the chance to scream at an opposing team for 48 minutes – or maybe just to punch on in the stands, or count money on TV, I don’t know.
The Suns will have a target on their backs come playoff time – but no team in the West can replicate what Giannis did in the Finals, maybe Jokic can do a slowed + reverb remix of it, tricking Ayton with his change of pace moves and shoving him around on the low block. However, when it comes to the regular season, no one’s touching Phoenix.
So, the East.
How can you not love the barking Cavs
I spent the better half of the last decade hating the Cleveland Cavaliers and everything they stand for, mocking all of their front office moves and reveling in their post-LeBron failures. I swore that I’d always hate that team for winning the 2016 NBA Finals after Draymond was wrongfully suspended for his “natural shooting motion” (kicking multiple guys in the dick), and forcing Harrison Barnes to transform into a player unable to perform the basic functions of a guy who only has one job to do. I’m betraying myself, but this current Cavs team is ridiculously good fun.
The Cavs didn’t do themselves any favours in the early days of the post LeBron-era, putting all their chips into the Kevin Love basket with the illusion that they could remain a playoff team built around him, ignoring the wall falling down around them. They then spent the next three years drafting players in the same position before landing future franchise cornerstone Evan Mobley at number 3 this year.
Suddenly, Kevin Love is back to his former glory, racking up effortless double doubles and Jarrett Allen, a throwaway in the James Harden trade who the Rockets gave away, has become one of the most effective lob targets in the league. Whilst it has nothing to do with basketball, Isaac Okoro has the best set of arms in the entire league, which I like.
I wrote in week 4 to keep an eye on Cleveland after they’d run up a series of big wins and shown noticeable upside, but no way could anyone have expected them to be sitting 4th in February, only one game behind the league-leading Heat and Bulls. In the past two months, Cleveland have announced themselves as a genuine playoff team, especially once they beat the Bucks will all of the Giannis, Middleton Holiday trio on the court (Bucks fans have been conveniently excusing their poor record by hiding behind the fact their big 3 haven’t played together very often).
Darius Garland is the shining light of the Cav’s offense, who was given room to grow when both Colin Sexton and Ricky Rubio suffered season-ending injuries. Garland is responsible for almost everything Cleveland does on offense and leads the team in scoring and assists. He’s more than willing to go directly into the body of whoever is defending him and keeps growning in confidence on the offensive end of the floor. Cleveland’s offense is still a touch stilted, ranking 23rd, but the defense, where they rank 2nd, is what’s keeping them in the top of the conference.
The key to Cleveland’s defence? Barking.
This might be my favourite NBA story this year: Cleveland has embraced their underdog status so much that they bark like dogs in their huddles. Even coach J.B Bickerstaff does it, it’s amazing. Guard Lamar Stevens barks at every player he’s defending. I’m not making this up – Cleveland are DOGS. If that doesn’t make you a fan of this team then nothing will.
Cleveland have embraced the unorthodox this season, starting Evan Mobley, Lauri Markannen and Jarrett Allen, 3 guys on the closer side of 7 foot, in 30 of their 51 games. It’s bizarre but refreshing to see a team play with so much size in a league which has become increasingly loaded with guard scoring. The sheer size that Cleveland presents on defense is incredible, but the way that these guys are able to move about is unprecedented. Any errors the two guards make are completely erased by the fact that there’s 3 more giants in front of the rim ready to erase every shot.
Last year, the Bulls couldn’t find a trade partner for Markannen or his expiring contract but he’s been a great pickup for Cleveland, giving decent outside shooting without clogging the lane for Allen and Mobley. It’s nice to know that the guy paid $17m a year can actually play basketball.
What else is there to say about Mobley? If you don’t think he’s the rookie of the year you’ve got rocks in your head. He’s already the Cavs best defender, he’s been far better than advertised on offense and he’s only getting better. Condolences to Cade Cunningham, who’s also having a great year, but Mobley has this locked down.
Even if it is a betrayal of my former self, I can’t wait to watch this team develop and I’m keen to see them take some scalps in the playoffs.
Does Anyone in the East Actually Want the One Seed?
I’m serious – the one seed in the East is a poison chalice this season. This is less about who is at the top of the ladder, and more about who is sitting in the back of the standings.
2022 will be the second year of the controversial end of season play-in tournament which decides who gets the 7th and 8th playoff seeds for both conferences. In the last days of the season, the 7th seed plays the 8th seed, with the winner of that game entering the playoffs as the 7th seed. The 9th and 10th seed then play each other as well. The loser of the 7-8 game then plays the winner of the 9-10 game.
The tournament is designed to give teams who might have lost chunks of the season due to injury a chance to stay in the running for the playoffs. How teams feel about the tournament depends on their place in the standing. Last year, Dallas owner Mark Cuban complained profusely about how unfair it was that a team that ends up 7th can be kicked out of the playoffs because of just two games. Mark didn’t have the same concerns after Dallas locked down the 5th seed.
Right now, the Atlanta Hawks are sitting at 10 and have just enjoyed a 7 game win streak, which started with a home game demolition of the Bucks on the same day I pointed out they hadn’t won a home game since November. Apart from covid absences, the Hawks haven’t been greatly impacted by injury. Their 24 – 26 record was more a result of their inability to structure an offense that allows each of their young stars to get their hands on the ball as much as they’d like. When Trae gets to take 20 shots every single game, it takes some time to figure out what everyone else is going to do. If it’s not already obvious, I fucking love watching Trae Young play basketball.
It remains to be seen whether Atlanta can capitalise on their recent success, but it will be an uphill for them to make the top 6 and avoid the play-in tournament at all. Given their up-and-down nature, all the Hawks need to do is stay at number 10 – above the always-dysfunctional Knicks, the crawling Wizards and the pile up of sadness that is the Pacers, Magic and Pistons.
If anything, I’d like for the Hawks to stay at number 10, meaning they would have to win two home games to make it into the playoffs. Trae Young is one of the great villains in the league right now and he’s certainly the most talented villain, a player who feeds off the energy of the spite that he generates from opposing fans. Trae only grows under the spotlight, so please give him two do-or-die games in someone else’s house and watch him burn it down.
This is a team that, at their best last year, took two games from the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals – including game 1 in Milwaukee. They know how to win playoff games, especially on the road. They have the cattle, they just all need to keep running in the same direction.
Whichever team ends up with the number 1 seed, there’s every chance they run into a red-hot Hawks team with no regard for home-court advantage. There’s two reasons that a team competes for the number 1 seed: home-court advantage and an easy ride against some poor 8th seed.
Right now (barring injury), any of the teams 1 through 6 could win the East.
This might be calling it early, but the play-in tournament has the opportunity to throw the top seeds into disarray if a team wants to avoid a particular opponent. The Nets might want to play an away series so Kyrie can play 4 games instead of 3, the Hornets might push out of the 7th seed and the Celtics … are done.
If you think I’m desperately wrong or unfair or callous, please send me a DM.