With the new NBA season underway, teams in the league have been able to play a few games and get an idea of where they stand. And so far, in what has been a bit of a surprise, teams in the Eastern Conference are massively underperforming, especially when compared to teams in the Western Conference. In fact, teams in the East currently have an 11-27 record when playing against teams in the West.
As things stand, out of the top 15 teams in the NBA, only 4 are from the Eastern Conference – the Cavaliers, the Celtics, the Pacers, and the Nets. The other 11 teams that occupy the top 15 are all teams in the Western Conference, showcasing the incredible disparity between the two conferences.
The West has three teams tied for the best record in the conference, as the Thunder, Suns, and Warriors all boast a record of 7-1 to start the season. The Celtics, who are the defending champions this year, are fifth across conferences with a record of 7-2. Furthermore, the teams between the fifth and eighth seeds are also tied with a record of 5-3.
While the Cavaliers are on top of the East with the best record in the NBA (9-0), the rest of the conference is definitely underperforming. The Pacers and Nets currently occupy the third and fourth seeds in the conference with a record of 4-4. This same record would barely help them break into the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Teams like the Knicks, 76ers, and Bucks, who were all expected to be highly competitive and championship contenders have also underwhelmed. The Knicks currently boast a record of 3-4, whereas the Bucks and the 76ers are at the bottom end of the conference standings with records of 2-6 and 1-6, respectively.
Only Two East Teams Have Winning Records
At the time of writing, only two teams in the Eastern Conference have a winning record (above .500) – the Cavaliers and the Celtics. The Celtics were expected to be one of the best teams in the NBA this year, so this doesn’t come as a surprise. But the Cavaliers have been the surprise package so far, as they are the only undefeated team in the entire league.
Of course, with the NBA, we will only have a better picture of the conference standings later in the year. But this has been a wild start to the new season, with some of the best teams in the NBA severely underperforming, such as the Bucks and the 76ers.
While other teams that were expected to struggle this year, such as the Warriors and the Nets, find themselves close to the top of their respective conferences. If this run of form continues for all the teams in the league, we could be in store for the most unpredictable NBA season in recent history.
Can fans expect this start to the season to sustain itself all the way till April? It’s unrealistic, as many teams have started the season missing key players. But it is not outside the realm of possibility.
What do you think of how the new NBA season started? Do you expect any of the surprise teams so far to sustain this level come playoff time?
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
