The pretenders
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers have made a solid surge up the Eastern Conference standings over the last month or so of the season but this is still a team that has pretty evident flaws. The Pacers have a bottom-third defensive rating and a net rating that still ranks in the bottom half of the league. Tyrese Haliburton seems to have shaken off the extremely slow start to the season but there are still questions about the overall supporting cast on the roster. The Pacers could be a sneaky dangerous team in the first round as an underdog but I'd be shocked if they made a similar run as last season.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are going to be an interesting team to watch heading into the final stretch of the season. Making the big move for Kyle Kuzma, it's almost impossible to predict how this team is going to close the season. As long as Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are healthy, the Bucks should have a shot in theory. However, there are still some huge questions about whether this team can flip a switch a make a run in a very competitive Eastern Conference. Because of their inconsistency this season, the Bucks haven't been great on either side of the ball.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets had a virtually strong first half of the season. They began to fall apart at the seams in the final couple of weeks before the NBA All-Star break, though. While there's hope that the week off will help this young team get back on track, I'm still very concerned about this inexperienced team down the stretch. The Rockets have had success this season in large part because of their excellent defense. However, with the lack of a clear star and elite offense, I'm not sure this team has much of a chance to go on a run in the postseason.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping that the move for Luka Doncic pays off both in the short and long term. That very much remains to be seen. Up to now, the Lakers have been pretty bad defensively and it's hard to imagine how a swap of Anthony Davis for Luka is going to help on that front. The Lakers are either going to have to be elite offensively or find another gear on the defensive end of the floor to make a deep playoff run in the Western Conference.
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