The Akita Northern Happinets (18-4) have presided atop the Eastern Conference standings for the entire season. The Toyama Grouses have catapulted to championship-caliber status with 16 victories in their first 20 games.
And, not to be overlooked, the Shinshu Brave Warriors (13-5 overall, 7-1 at home) have achieved prominence in their third season, but first under bench boss Ryuji Kawai, winning nine of their last 10 games. The Nagano Prefecture-based team was a combined 35-69 in its first two seasons.
The Brave Warriors have the fourth-best winning percentage (72.2) in the league through Sunday, with the Ryukyu Golden Kings (16-2) holding the top spot at 88.9. Riding a five-game winning streak, Shinshu has demonstrated that it's early season success is no fluke. (The Niigata Albirex BB, who are 15-7 overall and 11-1 at home, and the 11-7 Iwate Big Bulls are also injecting hard-nosed competition for the East's top playoff seeds.)