By Eric Vallen
Since our last issue, the NBA has seen a vast redistribution of standings, especially at the top of both conferences. Hometown favorites Golden State Warriors have dropped from the number one seed, sitting three games behind the now best team in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns. Despite star shooting guard Klay Thompson’s return, both the Warrior’s offensive and defensive efficiency has bottlenecked, resulting in several unlikely losses in the past few weeks. On the other side of the country, the top seven seeded teams in the eastern conference are now within three games of each other, with really no true front runner. The Miami Heat are the current number 1 seed, but in all honesty, that position will almost certainly be fluctuating in the following weeks as the season comes to a close. However, there are a few key takeaways from these congested standings, most profoundly that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets are true playoffs, and perhaps even championship contenders. Both teams have been on hot streaks for the past two weeks, while their high-seeded counterparts are continuously losing games in which they are favored. These two will likely continue to climb the ranks of the eastern conference, be sure to look for them in the top four seeds come playoff time. Unsurprisingly, for the mediocre teams of the league, conditions have been the same as usual. The Lakers, TrailBlazers, Celtics, Knicks, and other teams that had high expectations at the beginning of the season are continuing to slip. Many trade talks are beginning to surround these teams, most especially the Celtics, as despite their powerhouse young core, they cannot seem to win any games, and have fallen out of the playoffs for five straight years. However, the NBA trade deadline comes on February 10th, leaving these teams barely two weeks of negotiations to try and turn their teams around. At this point in the season, teams like the Celtics may have to just count their losses, and try for next year, leaving the rest of the season to the higher seeded, better teams. February is the month of big decisions for middling to bad NBA teams, and the final push for the greats. Within the next few weeks, teams may have entirely new looks, teams may pull ahead from the pack, or collapse, like the Warriors in the past few weeks.