With roughly two weeks left of the regular season, the top teams have really emerged.
By looking at the current landscape of the league standings, there are three elite teams that stand out over anybody else.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have enjoyed yet another productive year, winning 60+ games for the second straight season. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who has been the frontrunner for the MVP award, the Western Conference’s best tops the entire league thus far with 61 wins so far.
Although they have had a few bumps recently, this still doesn’t change the fact the Cleveland Cavaliers established a historic campaign which sets them up for a strong playoff run. Boasting a solid collection of talents led by their four main stars in Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, the Cavs are one of the undisputed favorites to claim the NBA title.
And of course, the Boston Celtics are strongly positioned to defend their crown and clinch a back-to-back title. Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics have a deep roster and have been in outstanding form since the All-Star break.
In terms of the record and overall team performance, the Thunder, Cavs, and the Celtics are in their own league and separated from other pretenders.
This notion was further highlighted by Charles Barkley in his recent appearance in the Dan Patrick Show, noting that these three teams cannot be matched.
“There are three teams who can win the Championship. The Thunder, the Celtics and the Cavs, that’s it,” Barkley said.
“Everybody is just playing. They just getting participation trophies.”
Barkley isn’t buying in on the hype that surrounds the Los Angeles Lakers following the stunning Luka Doncic deal from last month.
Asked about the Lakers: “They got zero chance. I told you that a month ago. People went crazy.”
“People went crazy when they had like, two good weeks.”
The Lakers have skyrocketed since acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks, elevating their odds to compete for a championship. They are in the mix as one of the top competitors in the West, standing at the No. 4 spot of the Conference (44-29).
Nevertheless, Barkley believes that Los Angeles aren’t as good as advertised by the majority despite the addition of Doncic. For him, that works as well to the Golden State Warriors after striking a deal for Jimmy Butler.
“Anytime you make a trade, you get a bump,” Barkley said. “They got a Luka bump. Now, they where they are, you know?
“No, the Lakers are not contenders. It drives me crazy.
“They won some games, and they were gonna get a bump. You get Luka, you gonna get a bump. Same thing with Jimmy Butler, got a bump when he went to the Warriors, but it’s OKC’s world. Probably Denver is the second best team in the West.”
Interestingly, despite the dominance that OKC, Cleveland, and Boston are showing, upsets are still a possibility considering the level of talent and competition amongst teams that are heading to the NBA Playoffs.
Doncic proved this with the Mavericks last season, taking them past OKC all the way to the Finals.
