Who is the Top Dog in the NBA?

I would say the Celtics, but, are they really?

Alright, it has been a while since I have covered the NBA, but I feel like this is a topic that is interesting enough to talk about. There are so many teams right now that are capable of being elite.

The Celtics have already clinched the no. 1 seed in the East and we aren’t even close to ending the regular season yet. While I don’t think their bench is quite as good as in years past, their starting 5 is elite. With the additions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis as well as retuning stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White; Boston is a force to be reckoned with.

The Bucks have tremendous star power with Giannis, Damian Lillard, Kris Middleton, and Brook Lopez. At times, they have been unstoppable, but their consistency has been lacking.

The Cavs, Knicks, Magic, and Pacers are all interesting young teams that have been really good at times. My only concern is their shared lack in recent postseason success.

The teams at the top East shouldn’t just think the 1st round will be easy though, because the 7 and 8 seeds right now are really dangerous. The Heat (evident by their finals run last year) are a really good playoff team. The 76ers were one of the top teams in the NBA at one point this season, but have fallen with the injury to Joel Embiid; however, he is expected to return soon, which makes Philadelphia extremely dangerous.

The West may be even stronger than the already loaded East.

The Thunder, Timberwolves, and Nuggets have been within a game of each other at the top of the West for what seems like the whole season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Nikola Jokic have all had All-NBA caliber seasons for their respective teams; the ladder could very well win MVP for the third time in 4 four years.

The Clippers have finally been able to have a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. James Harden and Russell Westbrook have been good and healthy as well, making them a very dangerous, star-studded team.

Dallas has been extremely hot as of late as they are currently riding a 7 game winning streak. Luke Doncic has had a masterclass season, and would be my pick for MVP right now.

New Orleans, Phoenix, and Sacramento have all had their moments this season, but consistency has been an issue. When they’re at their best, they can beat anyone. If one of these teams gets hot come playoff time, anyone of them had the potential to make a finals run.

The Lakers, Warriors, and Rockets are all interesting play-in teams that have the potential to make some noise if given the opportunity against the top seeds as well.

With all this said, who is the best?

The Celtics.

The Celtic are the best team in the NBA, hands down. Why don’t I think they’ll win it all? First and foremost, I hate them. Secondly, they aren’t exactly known for their postseason success. They have the one finals run a couple years ago, but they have been pretty bad elsewhere. One player in particular has been especially disappointing. Jayson Tatum. His play has been very underwhelming when it matters most, made abundantly clear in Boston’s series against the Heat last year.

In my personal opinion, I believe the winner will come from the West. I think all 8 of the top seeds right now have the potential to do it, and I think it will be whoever happens to come out on top. Right now, I just have feeling that the Nuggets are gonna get the repeat on the back of another Nikola Jokic MVP season.