Southeast NBA Teams Heating Up as Four Franchises Chase Playoff Spots

Four Southeast Division NBA teams are making strong playoff pushes after last season's historically poor performance. Atlanta leads with a 10-game win streak while Orlando, Miami, and Charlotte have all found success since the All-Star break.

MIAMI — The Atlanta Hawks are riding a 10-game victory streak, marking their longest winning run in over eleven years. Both Orlando and Miami recently completed seven-game winning streaks. Charlotte appears poised to reach the playoffs for the first time in ten years.

Could the Southeast Division actually be competitive this season?

It appears that way. This represents a dramatic turnaround from last year when Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Charlotte and Washington combined for the NBA’s worst divisional record ever. Now four teams from the division could potentially make the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

While divisional titles carry little significance in today’s NBA, the four Southeast clubs with postseason aspirations — everyone except Washington — appear to be motivating each other since the All-Star break.

“I would say that’s probably a factor,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Everybody also knows what time it is right now. You have to make moves. You have to do something. And we knew that coming out of All-Star break.”

Nearly every team received that memo.

Washington appears uninterested in victories currently, evidenced by their defensive effort — or lack thereof — during Miami’s Bam Adebayo’s 83-point performance last week. The Wizards plan to rebuild next season around Trae Young and Anthony Davis.

The remaining four franchises are thriving. These teams have compiled a collective 40-25 record since the break, leading all NBA divisions during that period. Atlanta stands at 11-1, Miami at 9-3, Orlando at 10-4, Charlotte at 8-5, and Washington at 2-12.

The Southeast’s recent excellence is remarkable: Atlanta occupied ninth place in the Eastern Conference following a February 20th loss to Miami. Despite going 9-0 after that defeat entering Monday, the Hawks remained in ninth position.

Monday’s victory moved Atlanta into an eighth-place tie with Philadelphia, with the Hawks holding the tiebreaker advantage for the play-in tournament’s eighth seed.

Consider this: a 10-game winning streak yielding just one position improvement.

“Everybody’s trying to be aggressive but also solid at the same time,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “I think that’s really important. We don’t want to be gambling. We just want to make people work.”

Charlotte provides entertaining basketball, unless you’re their opponent. Kon Knueppel seriously contends with former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg of Dallas for Rookie of the Year honors. The Hornets launch numerous three-pointers, play with pace, and display confidence.

Charlotte improved through the draft. Atlanta may have benefited by subtraction; trading Young eliminated speculation about his Atlanta future, and his former team has gone 20-10 since the deal — the East’s third-best record, just half a game behind Detroit and Cleveland. Miami continues their trademark approach of outworking opponents while discovering talent in Pelle Larsson and Kasparas Jakucionis alongside established stars like Adebayo.

Orlando apparently needed some internal tension.

Coach-player conflicts don’t typically benefit teams. Orlando may prove the exception. Earlier this season, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley and star Paolo Banchero clearly weren’t aligned. Banchero made comments, Mosley responded indirectly, creating an awkward atmosphere.

Surprisingly, Orlando’s struggles preceded their breakthrough.

“We’re both competitors,” Banchero said when asked about his relationship with Mosley. “There were times where I was frustrated and I wasn’t playing as well as I think I should be. But it never became me pointing the finger at him or being disrespectful. It was all constructive; he’s talking to me, I’m talking to him. And winning, it cures everything. … Something I feel I learned at Duke is when there’s a little bit of conflict, it makes you lock in a little more.”

Under a month remains in the regular season. The competition between Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, and Charlotte could continue until the final games. The Southeast may lack a clear championship contender among this quartet — but features four teams potentially peaking at the optimal moment.

“It’s just this time of year,” Mosley said. “Every game matters.”