Who is the best team in the Eastern Conference?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Athletic NBA Daily

Episode: Who is the Best Team in the Eastern Conference?
Date: January 5, 2026
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Cata, Esfandiar Baraheni (“Es”)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into an in-depth discussion of the current Eastern Conference landscape as the NBA nears its midseason. The hosts debate which team truly deserves the “best in the East” title, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the frontrunners (Knicks, Celtics, Pistons), and break down the middle and lower tiers with an eye on the potential for playoff success or disappointment. The conversation highlights key players, coaching philosophies, looming trade deadline questions, and the ever-present uncertainty of health.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Is There a True Best Team?

• Initial framing (02:00-03:45): The hosts emphasize how the Western Conference’s star power and storylines have overshadowed a “sneaky competitive” Eastern race.
• Dave expresses skepticism about recent talk of the Knicks as the best team. “I just don’t think I believe that right now.” (03:36)

2. The Knicks: Still the Team to Beat?

• Es feels the Knicks remain the standard despite setbacks:
  • “After the two losses that they had, it opens up some room for skepticism...but I still think they're the best team in the East, man.” (03:45)
• Zena disagrees, advocating for the rising Celtics.

3. The Celtics: “Just Boring Enough to Trust”

• Zena’s case for Boston (04:06):
  • “I've been saying that they are the team that they're just boring enough to trust. And what I mean by boring is that they're consistent...they have an identity on both ends.” (04:54)
• The Celtics’ style and consistency with Joe Mazzulla’s coaching get praise.
• Jalen Brown’s Rise:
  • Dave highlights Brown’s career season: “He's averaging more points per game this season so far than Jason Tatum ever has in his career...it’s more of a 1A/1B.” (05:42)
  • Zena: “Give Jaylen Brown the credit that he deserves, knowing that he's always been capable of this...he arose to the occasion.” (06:01)
  • Es: “I'll go a step further. I think he should be on the MVP ballot at this point just because of how good he's been.” (07:39)
• Coaching edge:
  • Dave: "I think Joe Mazzulla should be the front runner right now for coach of the year." (07:49)
  • Es: “They've Moneyballed this thing...they still play the math game that Missoula likes to play on every single game.” (08:14)

4. The Pistons: Defense, Depth, and Doubt

• Dave admits the show sometimes “blows past” the Pistons, who have been excellent but remain unproven in marquee games (09:18).
• Pistons’ defensive identity:
  • Es: “They wall off the paint. Isaiah Stewart has been phenomenal...what they provide defensively will give them that margin to be able to win on the offensive end.” (10:24)
• Playoff doubts:
  • Zena: “Even though defense wins championships, you do need to score a lot of points in the playoffs...I don't know if Cade Cunningham has quite the gravity of some of these big stars.” (11:16)
• Three-way matchup intrigue:
  • Es: “It’s kind of a love triangle at the top...the Celtics can beat the Pistons, Pistons can handle the Knicks, but the Knicks have beaten Celtics before.” (12:00)

5. Contenders or Pretenders? Raptors, Sixers, and Middle-of-the-Pack

• Raptors’ offensive woes and lack of depth:
  • Es: They might swing a trade for “maybe an Anthony Davis, maybe a Lamelo Ball, maybe a Trae Young, who knows?” (17:07)
  • Zena laments the “no depth. And I think that's the biggest thing that's going to take them out of the playoffs very early.” (18:52)
  • Funny aside: Inside joke about “you got guys” (19:01)
• Sixers: Surprising strength and dual stars
  • Dave: Tyrese Maxey “has taken a leap,” while Embiid has been “pretty good. Pretty good.”
  • Es: “Maxey...probably along with Jaylen Brown should be thrust into the MVP conversation. That has allowed them to alleviate some pressure off of Joel Embiid.” (20:33)
  • Zena: Rookie BJ Edgecombe “has been one of the best clutch players in the league as a rookie, which is absurd…” (23:23)
  • The hosts agree: Sixers aren’t true title favorites but have enough to be “in a second round playoff series with a couple of games to go to potentially make it to the conference finals.” (23:41)

6. Cavs and Magic: Disappointing or Unlucky?

• Both teams struck by injury, but the Magic’s issues go deeper.
• Es: “They need to be inventive offensively. They need to set up their guys to be guys...” (24:32)
• Zena: “Somehow this team isn't better when Paolo and Franz are together...that is the weird thing.” (26:29)

7. Making Picks: Who Comes Out of the East?

(Timestamps 27:17-28:56)

• The hosts hedge based on potential future trades/health, but for now:
  • Dave: “The team I trust the most come out of the east right now would be the Knicks.” (27:36)
  • Zena: “I think we're on the same page there. But I also think...it's Boston they're meeting up with to make that decision.” (27:44)
  • Es: Predicts Pistons, Knicks, Celtics, Cavs as the top four (28:33)
  • Zena: Predicts Pistons, Knicks, Celtics, Sixers (28:44)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Zena Cata (04:06): “I've been saying that they are the team that they're just boring enough to trust…they know what they're trying to do in and out, night in, night out…there's something to the Missoula magic.”
• Dave DuFour (05:09): “The Celtics have been—they are so far outside of their expectation that we had coming into this season. I mean, they're going to blow past…Vegas had them at like 41 and a half wins before the season.”
• Esfandiar Baraheni (07:39): “I'll go a step further. I think [Jaylen Brown] should be on the MVP ballot at this point…
• Dave DuFour (09:18): “I blew right past the Pistons…we talked about the Celtics knowing how to win…but with the Pistons, it's just…That's it. We haven't seen them do it yet.”
• Zena Cata (11:16): “There's something to be said, though, about defense wins championships. And they've got dogs. They've got dogs in the perimeter…that second layer of defense is huge.”
• Esfandiar Baraheni (12:00): “It's kind of a love triangle at the top of the Eastern Conference…which will make for some really good playoff games.”
• Dave DuFour (20:21): “We don’t see the Sixers as contenders, do we? Right. Like, they don’t have that kind of ceiling.”
• Esfandiar Baraheni (23:23): “Like you said, a lot of guys, and they have a lot of guys. And by the way, Edgecomb has been one of the best clutch players in the league as a rookie, which is absurd…”

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 02:00 — Main theme introduction: Eastern Conference playoff race, trade deadline looming
• 03:45 — Knicks’ recent struggles & debates over best team
• 04:06 — Zena’s case for the Celtics, “boring enough to trust”
• 05:40-07:45 — Jalen Brown’s emergence, coaching, Celtics’ system
• 09:18 — Shifting focus to Pistons; their defensive identity
• 11:16 — Debate on Pistons’ playoff scoring limitations
• 12:00 — Three-way hierarchy (Celtics/Pistons/Knicks matchup dynamics)
• 16:14 — Middle-tier outlook: Raptors, Sixers
• 17:07 — Raptors’ trade speculation; roster/bench depth issues
• 20:21 — Sixers’ surprising leap; Maxey’s rise, Edgecombe’s clutch play
• 24:32 — Cavs and Magic: injuries, underwhelm, chemistry issues
• 27:17-28:56 — Hosts’ picks for East champion and predicted top four seeds

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Summary Table: Predicted Eastern Conference Top 4

| Host | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |--------------|-------------|---------|--------|------------| | Es | Pistons | Knicks | Celtics| Cavs | | Zena | Pistons | Knicks | Celtics| Sixers | | Dave | “As is”—trusts Knicks most, with Celtics a possible challenger if healthy/trade

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Tone and Takeaways

The discussion is conversational, slightly playful, with knowledgeable banter, frequent quick pivots between teams, and occasional in-jokes. There is genuine uncertainty and excitement over how wide open the East is, with “identity” and “consistency” as recurring themes about teams that inspire more trust. The Celtics’ surprise rise, Jalen Brown’s development, the Pistons’ defense, and the Sixers’ high ceiling are all viewed as key X-factors. Ultimately, while the Knicks get the nod for “most trusted” at this moment, nobody feels confident in a single clear favorite, guaranteeing a chaotic and entertaining playoff run in the East.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily presented by Amazon prime for January 5th, 2026. I'm Dave DeFore here with Zena Cata and Esperahenney. Coming up we're going to talk about the Eastern Conferen Conference playoff race which is very interesting right now and some teams that need to make some trades before the deadline. Good morning everybody. Happy New Year.

[Esperahenney]

That's right. I had the little thing.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, got me for once.

[Sponsor Announcer]

That's.

[Dave DeFore]

I like that. Happy New Year, guys.

[Esperahenney]

Happy New Year.

[Dave DeFore]

Welcome back.

[Zena Cata]

What's up guys? Not as if we haven't been talking to each other.

[Esperahenney]

I was waiting until the right pause to be able to pull that off. So I'm glad it worked out perfectly executed.

[Dave DeFore]

That was pretty amazing. Yeah. Good job. Did you guys have a fun little break? I know Xena, you definitely didn't have any days off.

[Zena Cata]

Yeah, not. Not a break. But it was nice to, like, chill for a little bit, just to be able to watch.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah. In sports, it's like a break in quot quotation marks.

[Commercial Announcer]

That's right.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean.

[Zena Cata]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, the nice thing is some of these. Some of these days, you know, we had games all day long. I mean, early games. I mean, I love it when a game starts at 11am out here on the West Coast. I got a chance to really, like, sit and watch so much basketball without having to do shows and to think about what was happening every single night. And the Eastern Conference is pretty competitive right now. And, you know, it's sneaky competitive because spent all this time and it feels like our focus has been very much on the West. Obviously, the Thunder, they have this great start. Shay Gibus Alexander is the MVP. You've got Jokic, you've got Wemby, you've got LeBron and Luca and the. The Rockets. It's. They have all this star power. And it feels like the east sort of battle that's happening right now has been going under the radar. We have been talking about the Knicks like, they're the best team in the east, guys. And I just don't think. I believe that right now.

[Esperahenney]

I mean, after the two losses that they had, it opens up some room for skepticism. I think that's fair. The Hawks getting blown out at MSG and then losing in the way that they did. I don't know. I agree with you that it's a bad stretch for the Knicks, but I still think they're the best team in the east, man. I still think they're the best. I disagree with you.

[Zena Cata]

I disagree with you. S. Okay, I've been. I've been disagreeing with this, like, for a while now, and even though they're not number one, they're third in the East. I have been talking about Boston for a while. I've been saying that they are the team that they're just boring enough to trust. And what I mean by boring is that they're consistent. They know what they're trying to do. In and out, night in, night out. They don't even have a solid big in that. You know, someone that is dominant in the way that they've had in the year that they won the championships. Right. Um. And they're still winning games exactly as you expect them to do. There's something to the Missoula Magic.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Zena Cata]

And I trust that long term. I trust that long term, they have.

[Dave DeFore]

A style of play. And, and on both ends, by the.

[Zena Cata]

Way, they have an identity. On both ends. Exactly.

[Esperahenney]

And very good regular season identity.

[Zena Cata]

I'll just.

[Esperahenney]

Absolutely.

[Dave DeFore]

But that's what we're talking about right now. I'm not talking about the playoffs yet. Although drinking the Jayson Tatum Kool Aid, as everybody knows. If they've been listening in the last couple weeks.

[Esperahenney]

Of course.

[Dave DeFore]

And I think if he comes back and if this team makes some move, it gets a big which, you know, there are some on the market. Zena. All of a sudden we're talking about the Celtics maybe coming out of the east. But right now they have the third best point differential in the NBA. They're a half a game behind the Knicks. The Celtics have been. They're, they're, they are so far outside of their expectation that we had coming into this season. I mean they're going to blow past, I think Vegas had them at like 41 and a half wins before the season. They're going to blow past that. Jalen Brown's 50 point game the other night, just incredibly efficient game. Like talks about how much he's grown as a scorer. He's averaging more points per game this season so far than Jason Tatum ever has in his career. And we have always talked about him as this lesser player. It's more of A1A1B.

[Zena Cata]

1B, exactly.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Zena Cata]

I think he's getting the opportunity to be that one A and he is. And it's perfect timing because when Jason comes back, he doesn't need that pressure to be 1A again. And it's really nice to have luxury of a guy that's been the 1B and that has really. Let's just be real. Give Jaylen Brown the credit that he deserves, knowing that he's always been capable of this and having the confidence. We know he is very confident having the confidence to be that one A guy and just being okay with, you know what, let them say what they want to say. Let them say and put me in this category of being the 1B guy. And I don't, I'm not saying he waited for this moment. No one wanted the injury to Jason Tatum, of course, but in the as the moment came about, he arose to the occasion. Yeah. And I, I, I appreciate the fact that he's been showing up, but particularly this to me sets up a really good playoff situation for Boston Celtics where Jason can cruise a little bit into health before he has to try and take over.

[Esperahenney]

By the way, like, Jaylen Brown has done this in the playoffs before. We're talking about the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Finals mvp. Like he has taken the Celtics and sort of led them in a major way. Of course, Tatum had great performances during that championship run too. But Brown was the leading scorer. Brown was the guy who, when they needed a bucket, they would go to him. And you're seeing him now with the, being at the top of the scouting report being that guy, I mean, averaging 30 points per game and how efficiently he's doing it, getting to the mid range bag. These are just stuff that I just didn't expect Jaylen Brown to ever get to. But he looks so comfortable right now. And I'll, I'll go a step further. I think he should be on the MVP ballot at this point just because of how good he's been.

[Zena Cata]

Sounds very familiar.

[Dave DeFore]

Let me add another name. Look, I think Joe Missoula should be the front runner right now for coach of the year. Yeah. Again, the job that they've done, the development that they've been able to do to, as you put this eloquently, I thought they approximated for Jason Tatum.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah, they are. Look, if you have watched Moneyball, they are trying to get Jason Tatum in the aggregate, which is, we need some elite rebounding. Okay. We've got the Hugo Gonzalez's and Jordan Walshes of the world. Those guys are also very good defenders who can defend at the position Jason Tatum does. They also have three really talented scorers on the perimeter between Jaylen Brown, Peyton Pritchard and Derek White. So you don't feel the, the drop off of missing a guy like Jason Tatum as you would before. And to your point about Missoula ball, I think they've Moneyballed this thing because they're still near the top of the league in three point attempts. Near the top of the league in three point percentage. They still play the math game that Missoula likes to play on every single game. And even though they're not that great of a defensive team this year, they're kind of middle of the pack. They are going to score on you no matter the defense. It just doesn't matter. And I think that's the to your, to your guys point earlier. That's the identity that they were talking about.

[Dave DeFore]

What if Derrick White didn't get a slow start to the season? Yeah, you know, maybe we're having a whole different conversation.

[Esperahenney]

Can I just say, look, we, we said the Knicks and rightfully, you know, very talented team and we just talked about the Celtics.

[Dave DeFore]

I blew right past the Pistons. Okay. Coming Back to the Pistons. Don't worry. Because part of it with the Pistons is, you know, we talked about the Celtics knowing how to win, like, won a title and. Yeah. And with the Pistons, it's just. That's. That's it. We haven't seen them do it yet. This is early. It's not that we don't doubt their talent, cuz, man, I watched them just totally handle the Cavs without Jaylen Duran on. On Sunday, and they are going to.

[Zena Cata]

Come back in that game. That's big. That's big.

[Dave DeFore]

Their interior defense is. Is going to be. I mean, I think when we get playoff time, it's serious. Everyone's going to have a hard time with that. So I don't want to just overlook the Pistons, but we've spent a lot of time talking about the Pistons all season, and I think that what we need to see now is, like, when they get into the big games, like the game against the Cavs, I want to see them win those games too. And we saw them. I mean, I. I think, you know, again, the Cavs have had a weird season this year. The Pistons have been so good. I thought this was a statement game for the Cavs to make. It was. It was a time where, especially down Jaylen Duran. I thought the Cavs really needed to win that game and they just didn't have enough credit to the Pistons. They're real good.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah, they're. They're also like. To your point, I think it's the defense for the Pistons that always keeps them in games. And we saw it with the. With the Thunder last year. How much your defense can kind of help you, I guess, cream at the top, whatever you want to get to that higher level, if you will. That's what the Pistons are able to do because they wall off the paint. Isaiah Stewart has been phenomenal. He just won Eastern Conference defensive player of the month. Like he. He's getting rewarded for that, too. I think what they provide defensively will give them that margin to be able to win on the offensive end. There are valid questions with the Pistons when you think about playoff time, like, who is going to score the ball outside of Cade Cunningham? Do they have enough offensive firepower outside of him? I think that's a valid question.

[Dave DeFore]

But they had that identity, though, which is so crucial to regular season. And I think, like, we're. That's what we're seeing a lot of.

[Zena Cata]

Yeah, I agree. You know, there's something to be said, though, about defense wins championships. And they've got dogs. They've got dogs in the perimeter and they and as you laid out, that second layer of defense is huge. I struggle with even though defense wins championships, you do need to score a lot of points in the playoffs when someone has a chance to scout you for seven games if it gets to that. But at least you know those games in a row. At some point, K. Cunningham's gonna have to find some other way to impact the game, and I don't know if he has quite the gravity of some of these big stars that it can open so much else for other folks. Like, I don't know if he's he warrants that level of attention from a defensive perspective, but it's kind of a.

[Esperahenney]

It'S kind of a love triangle at the top of the Eastern Conference because I would say the pit the Celtics are a favorable like the Celtics can beat the Detroit Pistons. They with their offensive firepower can beat what they provide. The Pistons are a really good matchup for the New York Knicks, and the Pistons can handle the Knicks with what they provide. But the Knicks are also a team that in the past has beat the Celtics. And so there's sort of this like a greater than B greater than C type of thing going on, which will make for some really good playoff games.

[Dave DeFore]

All right, we're going to take a quick break and we'll be back with more Eastern Conference playoff talk.

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[Dave DeFore]

Well, let's let's swing to the middle of the pack. The Raptors, the Sixers. I I'll get to the to the magic last in that group just because they've had to me like it's an up and down season because of injuries but also it's disappointing. Like you got to win. Yeah, but the Raptors and the Sixers. I don't think anyone takes either of these teams seriously considering they're the 4.

[Esperahenney]

And 5 for a championship contention.

[Dave DeFore]

Right. They are not contenders in any way. The the Raptors. S I mean I'll let you just, you know, tee off here. I mean this is a team that they should be able to win regular season games. It's all about the offense though.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah, for sure. It's about keeping themselves afloat offensively. And I think the health of Jakob Poeltl is a big part of that. Of course he provides so much defensively, but if he can stay healthy for the second half of the season, that'll shift so much of what Emmanuel Quickley can do and RJ Barrett can do off of those screen assists. Jakob is near the top of the league when it comes to screen assists, so his health is a major part here. To me, I think the Raptors are in play to maybe make a trade here. Like, maybe they feel confident that they can get into that next tier. So they're going to try to take a swing on maybe an Anthony Davis, maybe a Lamelo ball, maybe a Trey Young, who knows?

[Dave DeFore]

Wait, Lamelo Ball? I hadn't heard that name. Wow. Okay, that would be.

[Esperahenney]

It would be six.

[Dave DeFore]

Six now. Is that. Is that what's going to happen?

[Esperahenney]

Yeah, why not?

[Dave DeFore]

Look, we, we. We talk about the Raptors a lot because obviously S. But also like Scotty Barnes and Brandon Ingram, like they have guys that, yeah, you know, you can put you. They can take the team on their back. At least Brandon can offensively.

[Zena Cata]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

It's just. Can they score enough to win and get home court advantage?

[Esperahenney]

Right.

[Dave DeFore]

Can they be the 4 seed in the east is really what I think that they're playing for?

[Zena Cata]

My thing is, you're absolutely right. They got guys. Can they score enough? We've seen the last five games they've dropped. I mean, they were top 10. And then with absences, Jacob Polo, we've seen, you know, RJ Barrett come back in, but even with his absence, their offense dropped significantly to the bottom third. I'm more so concerned their bench, like, they got no backup. If you're not playing Brandon ingram, Scotty Barnes, R.J. barrett when he's, you know, back healthy fully. If you're not playing those guys 40 or more minutes a night, you're not getting much out of their backup options on the bench. And I don't know if there was something to that. When you said making a move, Dave, I thought you meant like getting a move to just get some.

[Esperahenney]

Get some more depth.

[Dave DeFore]

Get some guys.

[Zena Cata]

Yeah, yeah, they need some guys. Like I wouldn't even say, you know, their starting lineup. I love how they've clicked this year. I love how quickly they've taken to everyone's role out on offense and Brandon Ingram has so quickly.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah. Except for iq that's position is something.

[Zena Cata]

The point guard position is absolutely something for the Raptors to figure out, but they have no depth. And I Think that's the biggest thing that's going to take them out of the playoffs very early.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Esperahenney]

I love that you brought that up, by the way. You guys keep saying guys. You guys don't know this, but it's a major thing in Toronto. There's like a Drake, he was on a show and he was like, you got guys, but I got guys, you know, and that's. Sorry. Anyways, I just have to mention that because every time you guys said it, I'm thinking of that clip. So.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, that's funny. How about the Sixers?

[Esperahenney]

We gotta find that clip now, that one.

[Dave DeFore]

The Sixers are another team, kind of like the Celtics, that are surprising. I mean, some of this is. They just, they had a great start to the year. Yeah. Tyrese Maxi is taking a leap. VJ Edgum comes in as a rookie, has been great, but Joel Embiid, the last month's been pretty good. Pretty good. And what he and Maxi were able to do in the pick and roll to the Knicks the other day, Eye opening, eye opening because I didn't know Embiid was like, look, he's still not moving like he was his MVP year. Right. I mean, we, every single game it feels like there's a couple plays where we're texting each other saying, oh, yeah, I, I, I'm old now. I move like that. And, but he looks, he looks very healthy. Obviously, the, the jumper looks good. Like he's scoring pretty efficiently. We don't see the Sixers as contenders, do we? Right. Like, they don't have that kind of ceiling. Look, I'm just saying.

[Zena Cata]

Look, hold on now. I feel like.

[Dave DeFore]

Listen.

[Esperahenney]

Exactly.

[Dave DeFore]

And the health.

[Esperahenney]

I also think the fact that Tyrese Maxey has become a 30 point per game scorer.

[Dave DeFore]

Sure.

[Esperahenney]

And probably along with Jaylen Brown should be thrust into the MVP conversation. That has allowed them to alleviate some pressure off of Joel Embiid. So while embiid is averaging 28, 10 and 5 over the last five games. And by the way, the big number for Embiid is the fact that he's averaging 33 minutes over the last five games that he's played. The fact that he's available is a huge part here. But there's less pressure on Embiid to be Embiid because they have Maxi, because they have BJ Edgecombe, because Paul George has been more healthy. So overall, they have the talent. And in a playoff series. All right, let's talk about it right now. If, if it's Raptors Sixers in a playoff series, wow. Who are you taking? I would probably.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Oh, man.

[Dave DeFore]

I'm taking the Sixers. Yes.

[Esperahenney]

I'm taking the Sixers as well. Just because of sheer talent and offensive talent, specifically when it comes to Maxi, who, by the way, Raptors fans will know this is a Raptor killer. Like, he averages probably 30 against those guys consistently.

[Zena Cata]

That.

[Esperahenney]

That's just a matchup. That's very favorable. You go down the list here. How many series could Tyrese Maxey potentially be the best player in a series? Can he be a. Can he be that against the Celtics? I would say he can, theoretically.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, I would say he can.

[Esperahenney]

Can he be that against the Pistons? I would say he can. I think he could. Maybe not against the Knicks. I think that's where Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony Towns have something to say about that. But there's a chance. There's a chance for the Six.

[Zena Cata]

But the fact. The fact of the matter is, I think that Knicks game told us a lot. BJ Edgecombe dropping 26 in that game. I'm not. Nothing that BJ Edgecombe has done this season for me has really been surprising, especially after we saw that first game of the season. But that is significant that you can get that much out of your rookie Against New York Knicks, who have really, like, they've worked on their defense, right? It's really. The offense has been so magical this year, but they've been working on their defense. They've been a defensive team, and there was no stopping BJ Edgecombe getting into the teeth of defense, getting to his spots, being able to pull up, using his speed, just getting. Blowing by folks. I am looking at that. Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George, like, threesome, specifically. They haven't played more than 200 minutes this year, right? Like, they're. They've just gotten together and you're already seeing Paul George putting up triple double role player numbers.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah, yeah, right.

[Zena Cata]

Like, they don't.

[Esperahenney]

They don't need him to be Paul George Starr. Exactly, exactly.

[Zena Cata]

So triple double role player numbers. Imagine that gets into 400 minutes together, right? Like, by the time you get to the time of the season where this matters, you've got folks that have been in these positions that knows what it takes to win in Joel Embiid and Paul George leading the way alongside a Tyrese Maxey who's just been like this prince for them.

[Esperahenney]

Like you said, a lot of guys, and they have a lot of guys. And by the way, Edgecomb has been one of the best clutch players in the league as a rookie, which is absurd to think of that he delivers in those moments.

[Zena Cata]

What do you have in that fourth quarter that. Let me see.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah, he was absurd in that fourth quarter.

[Zena Cata]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

And overall game winner last week. I mean, it's just.

[Esperahenney]

I will just say this right. If you're the Sixers or if you're a Sixers fan, would you be shocked for them to be in a second round playoff series with a couple of games to go to potentially make it to the conference finals?

[Dave DeFore]

Would that shock you at this point? No, because the rest of the east here's. And I'm going to get to the. Let's get to the bottom part of the. The playoff race here. The 6 7. Cavs. Cavs and Magic 2. Two teams that have just been disappointing this year. I mean, we talked about the Cavs a lot with the Magic. It's been a lot of injury stuff. Yeah, but there's more to it than that. I mean, even just the way that they've played when they've been fully healthy, the very small amounts of time or mostly healthy, I should say, it's not very inspiring. They're not. Looks like it's ascending. They look like they're kind of stuck in the middle. I'm.

[Esperahenney]

I'm very curious to see how they look when both Paulo and Franz are playing together again. And who knows how long Jalen Suggs is going to be out for. That's. That's a huge question. Moving forward. We've talked about how important he is as sort of like the heartbeat of this Magic team, but all we've talked about with the Magic overall this season is being more inventive offensively because I think they have the defensive talent that can keep them in games. Overall, they have a relative amount of depth. Anthony Black has blossomed in a major way this season, which is a really big sign for them. But overall, they need to be inventive offensively. They need to set up their guys to be guys as being the major thing here in this episode, but they need to set up their guys to. To thrive offensively for Paulo Ben Caro not to be handed grenades in shot clock situations where there's five seconds left.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, we compared it to Willie Green the other day and it's very similar. Right. Like, you have the talent and yes, you're dealing with injuries, but also there. Where's the system?

[Zena Cata]

There's just too much inconsistency to build a system, though. Like, if you don't know the tools and the cogs of the system that you're trying to set up night in, night out. It's been so unfair for Jamal Mosley because he's now had to do this two seasons in a row. And I think that what we're. Well, I mean, six, seven. That where they're ranking in the Eastern Conference is what it is. But I think when we say the words of, like, why this feels disappointing is because they were able to withstand this last season. Right. They were still able to be in the top parts of the Eastern Conference despite. At parts of the season, despite the fact that they had these injuries. And so it feels as if, like, why can't you do it again? Why can't you be. Find that resilience again? And you should find it even easier because you have Desmond Bane. But it's just been. What's been the weirdest thing, and we gotta put it out there. We've talked about it before, is that somehow this team isn't better when Paolo and Franz are together.

[Esperahenney]

Yeah.

[Zena Cata]

And that is. That is the weird thing. It was supposed to be those two cook. And we saw them cook last season. Even though. Yes, they got swept. They put up some serious numbers in that first round of the playoffs. And you saw the potential there, and it was like they just need someone to kick out to. And the person that came in to be kicked out to has now become this slasher, has now become this, like, microwave scorer in that he creates his own shot in Desmond Bane. We knew he could do that, but that wasn't what he was supposed to come to do. And so now it's like you've got all these tools of a system, but people are having to play in different roles. And then you anticipate because of the inconsistencies of lineup, and that's tough. I don't. I don't know what to make of the Orlando Magic. I struggle to say disappointed. I just feel like it's been underwhelming.

[Esperahenney]

Can we make a pick here right now? January, whatever it is, can we make a pick who's coming out of the East?

[Zena Cata]

I think I made my pick.

[Dave DeFore]

I don't.

[Esperahenney]

I don't know if you're picking the Celtics.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, okay. I don't have enough info on the future to pick the Celtics because for me, it's about Tatum coming back. It's about them making the move.

[Esperahenney]

Okay.

[Dave DeFore]

As is right now coming out the east. The team I trust the most come out of the east right now would be the Knicks.

[Zena Cata]

New. Yeah, New York.

[Esperahenney]

Right. We're all on the same page.

[Zena Cata]

I think we're on the same page there.

[Dave DeFore]

But that's, But I also think, I.

[Zena Cata]

Think, I think it's Boston they're meeting up with to make that decision.

[Dave DeFore]

I listen again, the best story right now happening in basketball is that the Boston Celtics, we all thought they were going to be bad and they are. They're still good somehow. And Jalen Brown looks like a mvp. I think it's a lot of fun. If you were going to predict the top four seeds. Okay, how do you think it shakes out? Is it, is it as it stands, Detroit, New York, Boston, Toronto, or does someone else sneak into that top four?

[Esperahenney]

Toronto, Second half schedule is tough.

[Zena Cata]

I will say, yeah, I don't think Toronto's going to be able to withstand.

[Dave DeFore]

Maybe Orlando gets healthy.

[Esperahenney]

I was going to say the Cavs. I think the Cavs will figure it out. I think the Cavs will get back to the top four.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah.

[Esperahenney]

And I would probably say the Pistons stay number one. The Knicks and Celtics battle it out for two and the Cavs end up fourth. That's fine. That's my pick.

[Dave DeFore]

I don't, I don't. I'm not against.

[Zena Cata]

I'm putting, I'm, I'm going to choose Pistons, Knicks, Celtics. Sixers.

[Esperahenney]

Sixers. I like it. I actually like it.

[Dave DeFore]

The belief is there.

[Esperahenney]

The belief is there.

[Dave DeFore]

I see it.

[Esperahenney]

We believe Sixers.

[Dave DeFore]

All right, guys, that's going to do it for our show. Thank you for listening. If you want to join our discord, it's. The link is in the show description. Go and follow our YouTube channel. We do our live stream, shoot around every Wednesday morning there that we put out on the podcast feed. And if you, wherever you listen to this podcast, you know, kick off the new year with a nice five star review for your friends here at the NBA Daily. For Zena Kada and Esperaheni, I'm Dave Defor and this has been the NBA Daily. Thank you for listening.

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