Now that the 2024 NBA All-Star Game has been played, it’s time to look ahead at what’s to come during the second half of the season. It has already been a thrilling start to the season, but now the playoff races are really going to start to heat up.
The Eastern Conference has been interesting to follow all season long, and that isn’t going to change as the year moves along. This is going to be quite the race to get to the top of the Eastern Conference as there are some great NBA teams.
Here is a look at the current NBA Eastern Conference power rankings, and what could be ahead in the second half of the NBA schedule.
Odds to Win Eastern Conference
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | +125 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +250 |
| New York Knicks | +800 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +850 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +1200 |
| Miami Heat | +1400 |
| Indiana Pacers | 3300 |
Celtics Clearly Favored
When looking at the NBA Eastern Conference power rankings, the Boston Celtics are clearly way ahead of the field. Boston is going to enter the second half of the season with a six game lead over the rest of the teams, and that is a massive head start.
The NBA odds for the Celtics to win the Eastern Conference are strong, but this is a team that hasn’t always been able to perform in the postseason. Boston is going to be a team to watch over the next few months though as they are led by superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
There are still going to be some tough moments on the NBA schedule for the Celtics, but they have proven that they can win against any team in the league. As long as the Celtics are able to stay healthy then they should be nearly impossible to beat.
That doesn’t mean that other teams won’t be pushing hard, and there are some top contenders lurking.
Great Teams Coming
When looking at the NBA Eastern Conference power rankings, it’s not going to be easy to figure out who the top contender is going to be. The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently in second place in the conference, but the Milwaukee Bucks are in the mix as well.
The Milwaukee Bucks have some great NBA team stats this season, but it’s strange that they just can’t seem to find a way to win NBA matchups. Cleveland has a massive size advantage over the rest of the league, and Donovan Mitchell can take over a game at any time.
If you were going to make NBA point spread predictions right now on a matchup between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, it might actually be the Bucks that are favored. It’s just impossible to ignore the superstar duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard as those two stars are having a massive season.
Other Teams in the Mix
Some other teams in the Eastern Conference are led by players with great NBA player stats, and those teams can go on a big run as well. The NBA standings do get extremely tight after the top three teams, but there is also a pretty big gap separating those teams.
The New York Knicks are currently sitting in fourth place in the conference, but they are currently 10 games back of the Boston Celtics. Odds really start to fall off for other teams in the conference, but that doesn’t mean that there can’t be some surprises.
Philadelphia is a team that could end up going on a run in the postseason, but only if Joel Embiid is able to get back into the mix. The rest of the conference is filled with some teams with flaws, and that will cause some issues in the postseason.
Here is a look at the other five teams that are currently in a position to reach the playoffs or play-in tournament heading into the second half of the season:
- Indiana Pacers
- Miami Heat
- Orlando Magic
- Chicago Bulls
- Atlanta Hawks
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