NBA: 5 teams to watch as the post-All-Star break playoff push begins

Now that the NBA All-Star break is behind us, here are five teams that are worth keeping an eye on as the playoff push begins

Even though there is one very familiar, and not-so-surprising, team at the top of the NBA standings this season – the Golden State Warriors – there have certainly been more than a few surprises in the league so far in both conferences this year.

For example, the Milwaukee Bucks, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, are sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference. And the Denver Nuggets are sitting in second in the West, as the push for the playoffs quickly approaches. LeBron James is struggling in his first year with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Kawhi Leonard has powered the Toronto Raptors to become a true threat in the East once again.

And now that the NBA All-Star festivities are over with, the real push for the playoffs will officially begin later this week. How will the top of each of the conferences look when the playoffs officially start? Will LeBron make it back into the top 8? What real dark horses will emerge in the coming weeks?

As the push for the playoffs unfolds, here are five teams to keep an eye on in the final couple months of the season.