The NBA season is now coming down the home stretch and the contenders are separating themselves from the pretenders.

What Makes a Team a Contender?

First. they need to be elite on either offense or defense while not being horrible on the opposite end. For example, if the team has a top 10 offense, they need to at least be a middle of the road on defense to be legit.

Secondly, true contenders have a go-to option. A player who can put the team on his back and win a game or two in a series with their brilliance.

Thirdly, a team has to have a secondary option that can play at the level of a primary option from time to time. If the primary option is having a bad game, can the team still win under those circumstances?

Last but not least, true championship contenders have real depth on their rosters. They have players who are not their top options who can play a big role in crucial moments. Let’s take a look at the top six teams in the eastern conference.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The first place, Cleveland Cavaliers, are more than just a good regular season team. They have proven themselves to be real championship contenders. Their go-to scorer is Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging 24.2 points per game while shooting 45% from the floor and 38% from three.

Mitchell is not alone when it comes to bringing offensive fire power for the Cavaliers. They have a second and third option that they can run the offense through. Darius Garland is an excellent second or third option. He is averaging 21 points and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 47% from the floor and 41% from three.

Evan Mobley is another option that the Cavaliers can run their offense through. Mobley is averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting 56% from the floor.

Mitchell, Garland, and Mobley have led the Cavs to the best offense in the league, averaging 123 points per game. Along with having the top offense in the league, Cleveland also has one of the best defenses in the league. They are sixth in defensive rating.

The Cavaliers are the epitome of championship contenders, they just have to prove it, in the playoffs.

Boston Celtics

We all know that the, Boston Celtics are true championship contenders. The defending champs are ranked in the top ten on both offense and defense. They have two legit go-to options in Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown along with incredible depth. No need for a deep dive on the Celtics. They are the favorites for a reason.

New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are pretenders. That may be a shocking statement because they have some contender like qualities. They have the six best offense in the NBA, averaging 117 points scored per game. They are not great on defense but their defense isn’t bad. The Knicks are 13th in opponents’ points per game.

The Knicks also have two bonified stars in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns that they can run the offense through. New York has an amazing starting five that is very well balanced but the depth after those five, leaves a lot to be desired.

The lack of depth, along with no wins over the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Oklahoma City Thunder is why I see the Knicks as pretenders. They just don’t have the numbers to defeat the upper echelon teams in the league.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks have the look of a contender. They have one of the top five players in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis is averaging 30.7 points, 12.1 rebounds, and six assists per game, while shooting 60% from the floor.

Antetokounmpo has already proven himself to be capable of putting the team on his back. He led the Bucks to the 2021 NBA Championship with a Superman like performance in the playoffs.

In the 2021 playoffs, Giannis averaged 30.2 points and 12.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 56% from the floor. The 2024-25 Milwaukee Bucks also have Damian Lillard to go along with Giannis. So, the Bucks are covered when it comes to having dynamic options to run their offense through.

The issue with Milwaukee is the supporting cast around Giannis and Lillard. The addition of Kyle Kuzma has worked out so far but the Bucks are still middle of the pack on both offense and defense. They are 13th in offense and 12th in defense. This isn’t good enough against the best of the best. The Bucks are pretenders.

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are pretenders. They have played much better the second half of the season. Their best player is Tyrese Haliburton, who can be incredible at times while also being very pedestrian at other times.

This season Haliburton is averaging 18.5 points and 8.9 assists per game while shooting 46% from the floor and 38% from three point range. Now, when the Pacers need a bucket, they put the ball in Pascal Siakam’s hands.

Siakam is averaging 21 points per game while shooting 52% from the floor and 40% from three point range. Haliburton and Siakam have led Indiana to the 10th best offense in the league. Their offense is good enough to win a championship on paper but they don’t have a player who scares a defense like the Cavaliers, Celtics, Knicks, and Bucks do.

Indiana also is just not good enough on defense to compete with the elite teams in the league. They are currently 20th in points allowed per game, giving up 115.4 points per game. The Pacers are a good team but not a championship contender.

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have been one of the best stories of this NBA season. They are on pace to have their first over .500 season since the 2015-16 season. The 2021 first overall pick, Cade Cunningham, is living up to and beyond the hype.

Cunningham is averaging 25.7 points, 9.3 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting 46% from the floor and 36% from three point range. He is looking the part of the player who can be the “put the team on my back” kind of guy in the playoffs. The young player just has not had the chance yet to prove it.

Detroit is lacking that go-to second option. That role is done by committee right now. Jaden Ivey was the second option but he has been out for a long time now with an injury. So, its been picked up by Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, and others.

The Pistons are not contenders but they may upset a team like Milwaukee, Indiana, or New York in the first round and make some noise.

The Real Contenders

The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers are clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the eastern conference. They should meet in the eastern conference finals barring major injuries.