Have Cavaliers, Knicks passed Bucks, 76ers as Celtics' main threats?

Let's back up a bit. 

On New Year's Day, Cleveland and New York were 18-15. That's a fine enough record, but both fan bases craved more from their teams, who they felt were underperforming. Apparently they were right. 

Since then, Cleveland has won 15 of 16 games while New York has won 15 of 18. Both teams are winning by dominating on defense, posting the two best defensive ratings in the league by a long shot since the beginning of 2024.

In Cleveland, Jarrett Allen (10.5 RPG) has been leading the charge down low, with surprise contributors Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade frustrating offenses on the wings. 

As for New York — which already had a good defense — the addition of wing-stopper extraordinaire OG Anunoby (1.8 STL, 1.1 BLK with Knicks) from Toronto has paid dividends. Now New York is trying to go from good to great on the other end, too, as trade-deadline day additions Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks will provide excellent spacing in a new-look Knicks offense.

While Cleveland and New York are starting to dream big, Milwaukee and Philadelphia appear to be headed in the opposite direction, tumbling down the standings for two very different reasons. The Sixers are struggling because Embiid has been battling injuries, the most recent one a meniscus injury that will keep him out for at least a month.

It's not rocket science: Philly's best player is hurt, and the team is worse because of it. After a scorching start, Philadelphia is 30-20, has fallen to fifth in the East and might continue to fall while it's without Embiid. Plus, at Thursday trade deadline, it sent defensive whiz Patrick Beverley to the Bucks.

Milwaukee is struggling because it just might not be that good. That doesn't seem possible for a team with a bonafide superstar (Giannis Antetokounmpo) and a borderline superstar (Damian Lillard) by his side, but something has been off with Milwaukee since the season started. Getting outscored 40-13 by Utah in the fourth quarter Sunday felt like a culmination of a lot of failing parts.

Counting out Milwaukee or Philadelphia would be silly given their talent. But having more questions than answers about a team heading into the All-Star break is never a good sign, and New York and Cleveland are answering questions on the court while the Bucks and Sixers are just creating more.