NBA Eastern Conference contenders and pretenders

In the blink of an eye, the NBA regular season is already 50 games deep.

At this point, teams are beginning to separate themselves from their counterparts as true title contenders, while others are faking this status for as long as possible.

Detroit Pistons: Contenders

It seems fairly obvious that the top team in the East is a firm contender.

The reason goes beyond their record, even though they are 37-13.

Cade Cunningham is continuing to ascend as a point guard, now leading the league in assists with 9.8 per game to complement his 25.4 PPG.

His pick-and-roll partner, Jalen Duren, has taken a massive leap as a scorer, averaging six more points per game than he did last year, while shooting 63% from the field.

Conversely, Detroit’s team defense has been otherworldly. They rank second in the league in defensive rating, only behind the Thunder, while averaging the most steals and blocks of any team in the association.

Relying on defense to win you games rather than scoring is what wins teams games in the playoffs. The philosophy Detroit is playing with will translate to the postseason, making them absolute contenders in a weaker-than-average East.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Pretenders

James Harden is a magician.

No, not in terms of his on-court ability (at least, not anymore), but his ability to vanish in the playoffs year after year, while simultaneously making fans forget that it always happens.

Were the Cavaliers able to get Harden for a good price? Probably. Does this launch them into top contenders status? Not at all.

The Cavs are currently 31-21, sitting at fourth in the Eastern Conference. After shipping off their second leading scorer, Darius Garland, for Harden, Cleveland still needs to find another reliable scorer on their roster.

Could it be Evan Mobley? Cavalier fans are hoping so, but they’ve also been hoping this same thing for the past two seasons. It’s unlikely that now is the time Mobley suddenly flips the switch.

The defensive backcourt is worrisome at best. Donovan Mitchell and James Harden defensively will be a fruitful sight for any guard playing the Cavs in the playoffs.

Also, who’s going to dominate the ball on offense? Harden isn’t an off-ball player, but neither is Mitchell, so someone will have to sacrifice touches.

There’s too many questions surrounding this team right now for me to call them a true contender.

Boston Celtics: Contenders

Given the circumstances, could this season be going better for the Celtics?

Jaylen Brown has proved that he can be the number one guy on a top team. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White were shouldered with more offensive responsibilities, and they’ve handled their new roles seamlessly.

Neemias Queta has looked great playing 25 minutes a night. Even if you question the center position outside of Queta, Boston just acquired Nikola Vucevic to fill that gap.

On top of all of that, your best player, Jayson Tatum, has the potential to return from his Achilles injury in time for later playoff rounds.

Obviously, getting Tatum back in any capacity would skyrocket Boston’s chances of winning the title. However, I believe they’re still contenders even without him.

Almost this entire team has postseason experience in some capacity, which cannot be said for the other teams in the East. Joe Mazzula has proven to be one of the best leaders of men in the NBA, especially when it comes time for playoff basketball.

The Celtics are currently tied for the second seed in the conference with the Knicks. If they can obtain those two seeds, they would likely be heavy favorites to make the conference finals. Sounds like a contender to me.

Brendan Kern is a second-year student majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact him, email bwk5372@psu.edu