I’ve watched a lot of basketball these few opening weeks so now it’s time to take a look at the Eastern Conference and where each teams ranks as of right now.  

 1. Miami Heat (5-1) – The Heat started 5-0 before losing to the Atlanta Hawks and now Dwyane Wade is nursing a leg injury and will sit tonight’s matchup with the surprising Pacers.  They still are the team to beat in the East as the Big 3 looks to be hungry after last season disappointing end.

   2. Chicago Bulls (5-1) – The Bulls once again will be tough to beat and have looked very good early on.  Already have wins over the Lakers and Clippers on the road and have beaten the Grizzlies and Hawks

3. Atlanta Hawks (4-2) – The Hawks were the first team to take out the Heat so props to them, they couldn’t make it back to back big wins as they fell to the Bulls the next night.  Still they have taken care of the games they are expected to and still have a good core to make them competitive in the east especially for one of those coveted top 4 spots.

   4. Orlando Magic (4-2) – The Dwight Howard talks have died down a little bit but you can expect them to creep back up if they start to lose consecutive games.  Dwight Howard hasn’t let the talks affect his game as he is still going out there and putting up his numbers. They have 2 at home before a tough 4 game road trip out west.  If they struggle you can bet the Dwight trade talks will resurface.

5. Indiana Pacers (4-1) – The Pacers have really been one of the surprises of this young season.  They went out and got David West and he has proven to be a valuable asset to a young team.  Their wins are against weak competition but they have the Heat tonight and Celtics on Friday in Boston .  After this weekend we should know more about where this team stands.

6. Boston Celtics (3-3) – The Celtics are 0-3 without Paul Pierce and 3-0 with him, and although 2 of those wins are against the winless Wizards you still have to be encouraged by the way the Celtics have played during their 3 game win streak. With 4 straight homes games on the docket the Celtics will look to reestablish themselves as a contender in the East.

7. Cleveland Cavaliers (3-2) – The Cavs have gotten off to a better start than last year and a lot can be contributed towards their first round picks Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson.   Irving is averaging 15 points and 5 assists a game and Tristan Thompson is contributing close to 10 points and 5 rebounds a game.  Both of those players would only be sophomore this season so the future is bright in Cleveland .

8. Detroit Pistons (2-3) – After a 0-3 start the Pistons have taken two straight against the Pacers and Magic.  Greg Monroe has shown improvement in this his second season and Ben Gordon continues to score points for a team that is trying to rebuild into what they were in the early 2000’s.

9. Philadelphia 76ers (2-2) – The 76ers have yet to play a home game and will close out their 5 game road swing to start the season with a trip to New Orleans.  If they can win they would be 3-2 as they head home for 8 out of their next 10.  They have 5 players averaging double figures led by Lou Williams and Andre Igoudala

10. New York Knicks (2-3) - A lot is expected out of New York this season with their arrival of Tyson Chandler and after a big home opening win against the Celtics they have lost 3 of 4 and have played the last two without star forward Amare Stoudemire.  Melo is leading the team in rebounding and scoring but they need a healthy Stoudemire if they want to compete in the East.

11. Toronto Raptors (2-3) – The Raptors have been very inconsistent to start the season winning their opener followed by 3 straight loses and then a win against the Knicks without Amare.  I don’t think the Raptors have enough pieces to compete for a playoff spot as they only really have Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan who can score the ball in bulks.

12. Milwaukee Bucks (2-3) – The Bucks are in the middle of a 5 game west coast trip and haven’t fared well in their first two as they dropped games to the Nuggets and Jazz. Brandon Jennings is leading the team in scoring and assists but his turnovers are slightly up from his career average which is cause for concern.

13. Charlotte Hornets (1-4) – The Bobcats have dropped 4 straight after their opening night win against the Bucks.  To their defense 2 of those loses came against the Heat and one was in the closing seconds.  They have some talent on the team but need to do a better job of closing games and getting their younger players some time on the court.

14. New Jersey Nets (1-5) – The Nets have lost 5 straight after their opening win against the Wizards.  They really haven’t been close in any of their games either and have the Celtics, Heat, Hawks and Denver coming up.  Add to that Deron Williams and Kris Humphries are banged up and you have the makings of a disaster season for the Nets.

15. Washington Wizards (0-5) – The only winless team in the NBA the Wizards are struggling in all phases of the game.  They are the worst scoring team in the NBA and are at the end of the league in rebounds and points allowed.  All of those add up to a bad team.  John Wall is being asked to do an awful lot for a young team that needs leadership and discipline.  They do have some talent they just need to start forming team chemistry and go out and win games.