As the NBA season nears its midpoint and NBA All-Star break, the battle for both conferences is heating up. While some teams have solidified their positions at the top of the standings, others are surging with newfound form, determined to disrupt the current order. From the impressive runs of the small market franchises Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder to the resurgence of the Houston Rockets and the steady determination of the Indiana Pacers, the season is shaping up to be as unpredictable as ever. With standout performances from key players and teams overcoming early struggles, the league is poised for a thrilling second half.
Interestingly, four of these teams—Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Houston, and Indiana—are making their mark without relying on big household-name superstars, instead focusing on cohesive team dynamics and rising talents. Yes, Donovan Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous Alexander are all-stars and the latter is an MVP candidate, but they’re not LeBron, Steph or Durant level in terms of marketability.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Over in the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers have put themselves in the best position to secure the first seeding spot and the most favorable draw in the play-offs. Their position at the top of the Eastern Conference has been cemented largely due to the impressive home form shown at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
With secure performances on home soil, despite having a twelve-game winning streak snapped in a recent defeat to the Indiana Pacers (93-108), the likes of shooting guard Donovan Mitchell and point guard Darius Garland have been able to display the same freedom away from Cleveland as Kenny Atkinson’s charges look to win their first championship since 2016.
Many thought the Cavs early winning streak to start the season was cute, but now? You have to consider the Cavs as serious contenders not only to come out of the East, but as potential champions with greater odds.
Oklahoma City Thunder
On the western side, the Thunder have been setting a similar pace to the Cavaliers. One big 1.98m reason for their surge to the top of the Western Conference is the form of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The point guard is right at the top when it comes to points scored per game. SGA has just been amazing this season and his offensive consistency, if you check the latest NBA betting odds his performances has propelled to the season favorite to be the league’s MVP after being a runner up for a couple seasons.
The Kentucky graduate displayed his full repertoire of skills in the recent crunch match against the reigning NBA champions, the Boston Celtics. With 11 rebounds and 6 assists in 39 minutes played, SGA led Thunder to a convincing victory against the Celtics in what could be the final showdown in June.
Boston Celtics
And what about the reigning champions? Their form has been somewhat indifferent so far this season. While Nikola Jokić has maintained his MVP form and also remains in the hunt for a fourth and back-to-back MVP awards, the Celtics have not been able to maintain the same levels of consistency compared to last season’s title-winning campaign. This includes a wretched festive period when the Celtics lost three out of six games between 20th and 30th December, including their Christmas Day matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Forget the Christmas period. Despite this minor blip, Jokić and co. remain in the hunt for the coveted top spot in the Eastern Conference in their bid to become the first team since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 to claim back-to-back NBA championships.
Houston Rockets
By their own admission, the 2023-24 season was a desperately disappointing one for Houston. Missing out on the Play-Ins, and by quite a margin to, meant a pre-season back to the drawing board. And it seems to have worked so far this season. The Rockets’ early season form has seen them firmly cement their place in the top ten with designs instead on how to bridge the gap to Thunder at the top. Like the Celtics, Houston also endured a miserable festive period, losing two consecutive games narrowly against the Timberwolves (112-113) and Heat (100-104). But despite those setbacks, Houston have gone on to reel off four wins from five games since the turn of the year. The demons of the 2023/24 season are certainly being banished. Keep playing with freedom and keep up the defensive intensity that has them fourth in the league in terms of team defense.
Indiana Pacers
We know this is a hot take, but the Pacers are shaping up to be one of the league’s better teams.
Although not featuring towards the top of the conference, the Pacers have been the form team in the NBA of late. Yes Tyrese Haliburton being relatively terrible this year has a lot to do with that. Even still the Olympian is averaging 17.9 points and 8.8 assists. Their recent win over the Cavaliers was impressive, and a run of six consecutive wins between 3rd and 13th January has pushed Indiana up the Eastern Conference standing. The top two spots might be out of reach, but the Pacers will certainly want to cash in fully on their current form and finish as high up the standings as possible. With a passage to the play-offs also not guaranteed, the Pacers will also have to keep one eye looking over their shoulder, but if recent form is anything to go by, the only way should be up.
The Cavaliers and Thunder have emerged as strong contenders, leading their conferences with consistent performances and star players stepping up in critical moments. Meanwhile, the reigning champion Boston Celtics are fighting to find their rhythm as other teams, like the Rockets and Pacers, position themselves for a playoff push. The competitive spirit across the league promises an exciting finish, with every game carrying significant implications. We can expect the remainder of the season, post-all star weekend, will shape the playoff picture.