Off./Def. Ratings By Month, East 5-8 Seeds

There's little room for error for the Bulls, Raptors, Cavs, and Nets. Each are involved in razor thin positioning races that will shuffle.

At the time of this publication, the Nets are currently locked in a tight battle with the Milwaukee Bucks that has important seeding implications. Brooklyn, if they lose, will fall to 40-37, resulting in a three way tie with the Hornets and Hawks in the standings. Charlotte owns the tiebreaker over Brooklyn, which would drop the Nets to 9th. The Hawks are currently blowing out the Cavaliers, who also are dealing with implications of their own, as this loss will make it incredibly difficult to escape the Play-In Tournament. The Bulls and Raptors are tied in the standings at 44-32, with Chicago owning the tiebreaker, thereby being in possession of the 5 seed with Toronto at 6th. That's a lot to unpack, and the deck will keep being shuffled as the season winds down.

For Chicago, their season has been a ride, starting off incredible, being plagued by injuries, and all the while not being able to beat the East's best teams. Here's their ratings on offense and defense:

The Bulls have seen a great decline in defensive production as the season has carrier on, and their offensive numbers have been up and down, falling to below average this month for the first time since November.

Toronto Raptors:

Toronto has gotten better on offense as time has passed, but their defense has also been good for most of the season. Getting to the 6 seed means avoiding the dreaded Play-In Tournament, but it also means they'll have to face the Sixers, Celtics, Bucks, or Heat.

Cleveland Cavaliers:

Cleveland has prided themselves on their effort on defense this season, but a lousy March has catapulted their points allowed, and their defensive rating crested 117. This is due in large part to the loss of Jarrett Allen, which will make their chances of escaping the first round extremely difficult.

Brooklyn Nets:

Inconsistency is a word that best describes Brooklyn's season, due in large part to COVID, injuries, and the James Harden trade. When Kyrie and KD play together, though, bad things tend to happen for their opponents. The duo is unmatched in terms of offensive prowess, and even the top teams in the East will want to avoid the Nets in a 7 game series.