[WSJ] NBA’s Eastern Conference Is Swiftly Upended

here's the whole piece

https://www.wsj.com/articles/nbas-eastern-conference-is-swiftly-upended-1487099404

NBA’s Eastern Conference Is Swiftly Upended
Cleveland loses All-Star Kevin Love for six weeks while Toronto acquires power forward Serge Ibaka from Orlando

By Ben Cohen
Feb. 14, 2017 2:10 p.m. ET

The NBA season was sleepwalking to the All-Star break on Tuesday morning when it was suddenly awakened with a jolt. In less than one hour, the entire Eastern Conference was upended.

Since the season began—and really since the return of LeBron James three years ago—the Cleveland Cavaliers have been the heavy favorite to win the East. And they still are. But their shot at the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage took a hit when the team announced that All-Star forward Kevin Love’s left knee required arthroscopic surgery that will keep him sidelined for at least six weeks.

It was only the latest twist in what has been a typically chaotic season for the Cavs. And it only increased the burden on James—which was significant to begin with. The most fearsome player in the league is still averaging 37.6 minutes per game, more than all but one NBA player, which is an inexplicably heavy load for a 32-year-old star whose team’s championship defense relies on him being at his best in the playoffs.

That one player is Toronto guard Kyle Lowry. But less than an hour after the news of Love’s injury, Yahoo Sports reported the Raptors had traded for Orlando Magic forward Serge Ibaka, securing Lowry and DeMar Derozan the help they need to knock off Cleveland. The Magic receive swingman Terrence Ross and a first-round pick in return.

The Raptors, who lost to Cleveland in the conference finals last season, needed some kind of shakeup. They had fallen to fifth place in the East and ceded their claim as the team most likely to upset the Cavs to the Boston Celtics, whose surge into second place had Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle calling them a legitimate threat to get to the Finals.

Toronto was overtaken in part because Boston, the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks have been playing well—and in part because the Raptors have been completely mediocre. Before the new year, they trailed only the Golden State Warriors in terms of net rating, which measures a team’s point differential per 100 possessions. But since then, they have been 9 points worse. That’s by far the steepest downward swing in the league.

Write to Ben Cohen at [email protected]​