This might finally be the NBA season when the top of the Eastern Conference looks as formidable as the talent-laden West of recent years.
The league-leading Milwaukee Bucks have a shot at 70 wins, the defending-champion Toronto Raptors have won 15 straight and other playoff-caliber teams like the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers have winning percentages comparable to the best teams in the West.
The rest of the East, though, is another story.
At the All-Star break, the 19-33 Washington Wizards, who’ve acknowledged all along they’re in rebuilding mode, sit in ninth place in the conference.