The Cavaliers have been performing well under Donovan Mitchell since mid-December.
With about seven weeks left in the 2023-24 regular season, the haves and haves are starting to separate. Soon, both the playoff screen and the draft lotto screen will be 4k.
At the same time, some teams have been moving at full speed ahead over the past few months. These picks are all motivated by Da Mo. Yes, motivation is likely to lead them to satisfactory results, assuming of course they stay fit and bring another big moto – motivation.
We'll see. This season, like the others that have preceded it, comes without any guarantees.
That said, for the Denver Nuggets, especially the Dallas Mavericks after the trade deadline, here are the five most impressive teams heading into All-Star Weekend. Everyone hopes that the annual mid-season break won't hinder their momentum.
1.Los Angeles Clippers.
If you're bored or have time to kill time, you can discuss the Clippers' TV debate show after the James Harden trade on YouTube.
Just a hunch, but the buzzwords "wrong", "what they're doing", "this won't work out" and "the same old clipper" will revisit your eardrums. So many mistakes**, so many hasty judgments.
As you can see, after three months, everything is already beginning to show. After a six-game losing streak and missteps in the familiarization phase that required a quick role determination, the Clippers have a league-best 28-7 record since Dec. 1. Here's why:
Harden sacrificed his shot to create opportunities for his teammates.
Russell Westbrook threw himself away at Washington, Houston, and the Thunder to accept a bench role, which of course required a lot of soul-searching (and reality checking).
Kawhi Leonard, aka the player who is partly responsible for the player engagement policy, is currently in good health and is playing. The Clippers stars aren't going to rest.
Ty Lue has figured it out.
Suddenly, the Clippers got their ticket to a very unique club of serious contenders.
2.Cleveland Cavaliers.
In some ways, maybe the Cavaliers deserve more flowers than anyone else, if only because they have more problems to overcome than most teams.
From. Start: Darius Garland misses 19 games with a broken jaw.
AND: Evan Mobley missed 21 games after knee surgery.
However, the Cavaliers rejected any idea of making an inroads into the East and instead did the exact opposite. They have a league-best 23-5 record since Dec. 16, when Garland began to miss and Mobley missed five games. Driven by Donovan Mitchell while getting game-enhancing performances from the cast, the Cavaliers are defying logic and almost everyone is holding them back.
Since the start of 2024, they have beaten the Milwaukee Bucks twice, came back by double digits against the Clippers, and beat the Sacramento Kings by 26 points. All of this was done with a shortage of manpower.
Mitchell recently said: "We're going to try to keep playing the way we've always done ......And most importantly: how do we move forward? When their numbers were called, everyone stood up. ”
Now that everyone is healthy, the Cavaliers are officially a problem.
3.Boston Celtics.
Most of this party lived in the attic of the East, and the door was locked with a double lock. This level of staying power and consistency makes sense. The Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers have threatened at various times, and more recently the Knicks and Cavaliers have made similar threats. But Boston seems hell-bent on staying first.
Thus, four months later, the Celtics are still one of the teams to go into the second half after dominating the first half. They didn't lose at home until January 19. They have only lost once in a row, and that was at the beginning of November.
The beauty of the Celtics is their balance. They have Kia MVP candidate Jayson Tatum, a reliable partner for Jaylen Brown, a big man for Kristaps Porzingis, an unsung hero for Derrick White and a bench for Al Horford.
They are also in good health. Everything is heading in Boston's direction, and the signal is that this is a team that needs to be beaten.
4.New York Knicks.
Had it not been for the untimely injuries of Og Anunoby and Julius Randle, they would have been higher on this list (his ability to get rid of his shoulder would have been crucial).
The Knicks, who have taken the big city by storm since the beginning of December, have hinted that this could be one of the best teams in New York since the days of Patrick Ewing.
It was largely produced by Jalen Brunson, who is running for the most overlooked player of the last five years. The former second-round pick gave up Luka Doncic and Dallas to form his own team, and in a short period of time, he easily became the most influential Knicks player after Carmelo Anthony.
Coach Tom Thibodeau gave the Knicks smart basketball on both ends of the floor. Now they've brought in two underrated veterans, Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, to replace the scoring prowess lost by R.J. Barrett and Emmanuel Quickley heading to Toronto.
The ceiling for this team has been raised.
5.Golden State Warriors.
Don't log them out just yet. All of a sudden, the Warriors removed themselves from the list of disappointments and were once again the subject of reservations. Let's name the obvious reason – Stephen Curry refused to let them sink.
Conversely, Curry's winning streak gave the Golden State Warriors a winning streak. Head coach Steve Kerr has also helped by giving these young talents more time and more patience. Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Pozimski are earning playing time and playing in the fourth quarter.
Draymond Green said the Warriors have refocused after his suspension and return. At the very least, he seems to have regained his vitality in the right way.
Now the Warriors have two potential benefits – the return of Chris Paul, and perhaps Klay Thompson is more receptive to his role. If these two veterans can cope with the changes, the Warriors should at least make the playoffs.