Ben Mulry
This year has given us one of the more interesting NBA regular seasons in recent memory. The East is absolutely stacked, and while the West is a little top-heavy, they’re still going to field some of the top teams like the Suns and the Grizzlies.
While the Suns are the current favorites to take home Mr. Larry O’Brien, there are a couple of teams I think could pose a serious threat that are not getting much talk. Dark Horse might not be the right word but whatever, these are some teams that aren’t the betting favorites.
EAST
I can hear it now. “YoUrE a CeLtiCs fAN”. Yes. I am. But that doesn’t change the fact that it is very likely The Cs will be the team coming out of the east. They started off terrible, and for a while, it looked like we might be lucky just to avoid the play-in tournament. Since that Jaylen Brown tweet about the energy changing, the Celtics are like 24-5. They’re first in defensive efficiency with a top 10 offense. If they get a healthy Rob Williams back, the league is on notice… officially.
Now a team I don’t like as much. The 76ers. This part is gonna suck to write, but I gotta give you Philly fans your flowers I guess. Right off the bat, they have Embiid. The dude is pretty much a shoe-in for MVP and for good reason. He also is leading the scoring title race while being a lockdown defender and rebounder. They also have one of the greatest scorers in the league in James Harden. Some crazy shit would have to happen, and they’re praying they don’t have to get embarrassed by the Celtics again, but I don’t think it’s fair to say there’s no way they can win.
WEST
All anyone wants to talk about in the West is the suns. And for good reason, they’re incredible. But, again there are a few teams I think would match up nicely.
Firstly the Warriors. Admittedly they have struggled a lot without Steph, but he is going to be back for the playoffs, and his extra 25 points, 6 dimes, and 5 boards should be enough to push the warriors back into the contention conversation. When you have the splash brothers playing together with a solid supporting cast, you should never write them off.
Lastly, I would keep an eye on the Mavs. Luka is unreal. I don’t know how much more explaining I need to do. He just keeps getting better, and the Mavs are now a 50 win team. They’re not the sexiest team, but they consistently get the job done just like me in accounting class crafting masterpieces for you guys to read. Also, Mark Cuban is cool and says “Fuck” on live tv. I know there’s a lot of “eat the rich” sentiment circulating the internet, but I vote to give Marky a pass. If you disagree and have enjoyed at least one episode of shark tank, you are a hypocrite.
Should be a dope postseason, hope we get some healthy teams and electric moments.
