NBA Power Rankings: Cavs, Knicks primed to ruin Celtics dynasty before it even begins

The Boston Celtics may have two great threats in the East.

Oklahoma City Thunder v Cleveland Cavaliers
Oklahoma City Thunder v Cleveland Cavaliers | Jason Miller/GettyImages
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18. San Antonio Spurs

After a pretty surprising start to the season, it does feel as if reality is beginning to hit the San Antonio Spurs hard. Over the last couple of weeks, this is a team that has begun to struggle with consistency and is beginning to take a tumble down the Western Conference standings. I wouldn't completely discount this team's chances of making a late-season run into the Play-In Tournament, but there's no question this team is going to have a tall task in having to outpace teams like the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns.

But no matter how this season ends for the Spurs, it's pretty safe to assume that this team has taken another small step forward. Victor Wembanyama has looked as dominant as ever and appears to still be improving as a player. If San Antonio can find the right supporting star to place next to him during the offseason, this is a team that can truly take off and emerge as a dangerous threat next year. The Spurs have the look of a team that is ready to make a big leap next season. Finding the right next piece next to Wemby will go a long way in helping make that a reality.

17. Miami Heat

It feels like it's been one step forward, two steps back for the Miami Heat. As they continue to figure out the Jimmy Butler situation, this is a team that remains amongst the depths of mediocrity in the Eastern Conference. It's hard to predict what the second half of the season will hold for the Heat without knowing how the Jimmy situation is going to end. And if the Heat isn't able to figure that out, there's a good chance this dark cloud is going to continue to hover around this team heading into the offseason. Quite frankly, that should be the last thing the Heat wants.

No matter what ends up happening on the Jimmy front, this team is still probably going to back their way into the Play-In Tournament and what happens after that is anyone's guess. But even though there's still a fair chance that the Heat makes the postseason doesn't mean there still aren't big questions yet to be answered about their future. Miami is not in a good spot and it's hard to feel excited about this team's future as long as the Jimmy saga continues to drag on.