4. New York Knicks
As their schedule has gotten a little tougher, the New York Knicks have certainly run into a rough patch of late, losing five of their last eight games. Nevertheless, I do believe their recent struggles are only going to help the team in the long run. We must remember, that the new-look Knicks have faced much adversity together and any that they face at any point during the regular season will only help give this team some character and fight heading into the NBA Playoffs. It's good for New York to struggle now if they can muster a recovery formula.
That said, the Knicks have consistently been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference this season, even despite some struggles here and there. They have an explosive offense and a top-5 net rating in the NBA. If there are any concerns for the Knicks, they certainly lie on the offensive end of the floor. The Knicks aren't going to be able to compete for a championship until they are playing at an elite level on that end of the floor. Over the course of this season, they've been just about average defensively.
3. Boston Celtics
It would be foolish to completely overlook the defending NBA Champions. However, the argument could be made that this team has left a bit to be desired through the first half of this season. At the very least, it's something to keep a close eye on as we prepare for the push toward the postseason. It's funny because, for any other team, the Celtics would be having an amazing season. They're only on pace to win between 55-60 games this year. Great season. However, because of previous expectations, that's probably going to be viewed as somewhat of an underwhelming total.
Because of how dominant the Celtics were last year, in which they won 64 regular season games en route to cruising their way to an NBA Championship, it is natural to question them at the moment. However, I do believe this team is pacing themselves and they do have another switch to flip that they haven't resorted to doing just yet. I'd imagine we're going to see this team play with much more urgency during the push toward the playoffs as they prepare to make a run to repeat as champions.