After watching highlights of the Boston Celtics defeat the New York Knicks once again this season in relatively easy fashion, it’s making me wonder what in the world happened to the easter conference?

Right now it seems like every team in the east is a joke except for the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Those two teams sit at the top of the east and have shown that they can win close games against top team. As for the rest, most of these teams have not only serious weaknesses, but aren’t even exciting to watch.

For instance, throw in the fact that Jimmy Butler moved out west to play with the Warriors, the Heat look completely depleted each night and are near tanking mode. The Orlando Magic, a young and hungry team that ended on a high note last season has had guys battle injuries and take a step back. The Atlanta Hawks only have Trae Young and then some guys surrounding him who don’t seem to fit. All of the teams mentioned above are near the play-in area in the east. Going into this season, those teams were expected to be in the top eight seeds easily.

No question it’s time for the Sixers to pack it up — this season has been nasty work from them. Get rid of Joel Embiid, Paul George and start over. Bulls got rid of Zach LaVine who’s now out west. And the Hornets… It’s LaMelo Ball and the rest of them.

The Celtics just packed the Knicks up and though NYC came back on Sunday to make it competitive, the result has been the same — Boston wins. Knicks’ starters play nearly the entire game and look tired come the fourth quarter. They don’t seem to have enough to compete with the better and deeper squads in the NBA. The Indiana Pacers don’t have the same spark they had last year, partially because they aren’t surprising anyone anymore.

The Bucks have been okay, but the Celtics have shown this season that they’re not a real threat. They got rid of Khris Middleton and lack depth.

Right now it’s the Celtics and Cavs who rule the east. Part of this issue is the freedom of players being able to express their distaste for teams and are able to pick which city to play at. The power imbalance has always been a thing in the NBA, but right now it’s getting a bit stale to watch. For me, it’s been about watching the C’s in the east and not anyone else.