The Major League Soccer Eastern Conference final is set with Inter Miami set to host New York City FC. The MLS Cup Playoffs resumed this weekend following the November international break. Inter Miami dispatched FC Cincinnati on the road on the back of Lionel Messi’s historic showing.

Toronto’s early-season slide has worsened, leaving the Maple Leafs at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with mounting questions about their trajectory.

Philadelphia Union saw its historic season conclude on Sunday evening, falling in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to New York City FC by a 1-0 scoreline.

The Boston Celtics have won four of their last five games and are above .500 at 9-8. Head coach Joe Mazzulla’s group is still 10th in the clustered Eastern Conference standings entering action Monday though.

Donovan Mitchell shines as Eastern Conference Player of the Week, leading the Cavaliers with stellar performances and career-best stats.

A look at the records in the Eastern Conference shows that the first 15 teams are separated by seven points. Narrow it down even more and the first 11 squads are separated by five points. Is there an impact to this?

That might be a slight exaggeration. By most measures, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets are the two best teams in the league. The rest of the West’s top six — the Rockets, Lakers, Spurs and Timberwolves — clock in as potential spoilers, most of whom have long runways for success.