Recently, there have been some changes in the NBA regular season, and there have been subtle changes in the team's ranking pattern. In a tight game, the Boston Celtics defeated the Indiana Pacers, the dark horse of the East, with a score of 129-124 to continue to lead the league. As the only team in the league with a 75% win rate, the Celtics have shown great quality. Their starting lineup is very strong, with all five All-Star players at both offensive and defensive levels, and the Green Shirts have few obvious shortcomings. However, the challenge the Celtics will need to face is to break their ceiling in the playoffs. Over the past six seasons, the Celtics have reached the Eastern Conference Finals four times, but only once have reached the Finals and have repeatedly missed out on championships. Now it's up to ice to see if Tatum and Brown can go one step further in this year's playoffs.
On the other hand, the strength of the Pacers, who lost to the Celtics, this season should not be underestimated. They are the most offensive team in the league and a super dark horse. While Haliburton has just returned from injury and Siakam has just joined the Pacers, the team may go through a period of adjustment. Meanwhile, in the same round of the regular season, the New York Knicks easily defeated the excellent Jazz and became the most eye-catching dark horse in the Eastern Conference. Not only did they win eight in a row, but they also overtook the Philadelphia 76ers to move up to third place in the East. It's worth noting that since the start of this season, the top three spots in the East have been firmly occupied by the Celtics, Bucks and 76ers, and they have even been in the top three teams for the past two seasons. And now the 76ers seem to be losing the top three spots, and the Knicks are on the rise.
The Knicks have a 31-17 record after beating the 76ers. In the middle of the season, the Knicks made a major trade to send away two guards, Barrett and Quickley, in exchange for two forwards, Anunoby and Achiuwa. Anunoby has shown great ability to both attack and defend, and he was the league's steal leader last season, as well as having 3-and-D attributes. His addition has helped the Knicks take a qualitative leap forward, and the team has a 12-2 record since he joined the Knicks. The Knicks don't have a flashy roster without superstars like James, Curry or Durant, but they have a strong team cohesion and play both offense and defense. The team's star Brunson was also acquired by the Knicks through the draft, and the Knicks were willing to offer him a four-year 1$0.4 billion contract, which caused some controversy at the time, but now it seems that the deal is very good.
However, the rise of the Knicks has pushed the Philadelphia 76ers out of the top three. Recently, the 76ers have had some setbacks, as they have endured a four-game losing streak after losing to the Golden State Warriors, and Embiid, the core of the team, has suffered multiple injuries in the game against the Warriors. From the beginning of the game, Embiid was pulled by Dream Green's arm, hit his knee again in the second quarter, and was pressed to the knee by Kuming during the scrum in the fourth quarter, he couldn't continue the game and left the court early. In the whole game, Embiid only got 14 points, 7 rebounds and 8 turnovers, and the 76ers lost the game without suspense. This game has a good chance of being a turning point for Embiid.
First of all, his 14 points is a new low this season, and his streak of 30+ games was also terminated in this game, and his position at the top of the MVP list is no longer secure. Second, if he misses five more games, he won't be able to participate in this season's MVP selection. There is no doubt that Embiid will not miss only five of the next 40 games, which means that he will basically miss out on the MVP award this season. On the other hand, the Warriors have rebounded in form after beating the 76ers, but there are also some trade rumors within the team. According to NBA reporter Anthony Slater, the Warriors are considering trading Wiggins for other players, as Wiggins has been quite sluggish this season, with all numbers being career lows.
Wiggins' form this season has indeed been very sluggish, with a significant drop in offensive efficiency and a much weaker defensive performance. The Warriors considered trading him out and seeking to acquire a higher-caliber forward or interior player, and that option made sense. Finally, in this round of the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers lost 122-138 to the Atlanta Hawks in the East. With Bushy Eyebrow out due to injury, the true level of the Lakers team was exposed. Russell is also in a slump, and James is looking exhausted. The Lakers have had a defensive collapse in recent times, conceding 130+ points in four consecutive games. After losing to the Hawks, the Lakers' win percentage dropped to 50 percent, placing them ninth in the West.
Currently, the top eight in the West are: Timberwolves, Nuggets, Thunder, Clippers, Kings, Suns, Mavericks and Pelicans. The top eight in the East are: Celtics, Bucks, Knicks, 76ers, Cavaliers, Pacers, Heat and Magic. For the fans, the change undoubtedly resonated and there was a lot of anticipation for the upcoming matches. In this uncertain season, we will continue to monitor the development of the team and the performance of the players.