[Saba Sports News] Each season in the NBA, there are some dark horse teams that rise, and some teams that fall into a rut. This year, young dark teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs are doing very well, The Thunder and Rockets, in particular, are two dynamic young teams leading the Western Conference. The Thunder’s defense ranks first in the league, followed by the Rockets in second place, which shows that defense is indeed one of the keys to their good record.
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In addition, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics are also impressive in the Eastern Conference, with both teams leading the league in offensive and defensive efficiency and firmly occupying the top two spots in the East.
However, despite the rise of many dark horses, some teams are still struggling to underperform and compete for the No. 1 pick in the future. This year, the Eastern Conference seems to have the most bad teams. The Brooklyn Nets, who were supposed to be the most eligible team to blow up after trading away Mikal Bridges, are surprisingly still in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and in the play-off zone, showing some competitiveness.
The Detroit Pistons, once the “champions” of past years, have rebounded slightly this year to remain in 10th place in the Eastern Conference and in the play-off zone, keeping them on the verge of rebuilding. The biggest disappointment of all was the Philadelphia 76ers, who despite a big three of James Harden, Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris, But they are 4-14, the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers aren’t about to blow up, but with injuries to their Big Three and locker room issues, the team is struggling, and it seems hard to turn things around.
At present, if the 76ers want to reverse the plight, I am afraid to face a deeper adjustment. Other bad teams, like the Nets and Pistons, are still trying to figure out where to go in the future, trying to get a higher draft pick and accumulating more potential for rebuilding.