The Eastern Conference playoffs are going to be a slug fest, a bunch of teams can make the claim they can win the Conference. The Bulls have broken out, the Heat are back, the Celtics are the hottest team in basketball, and the other contenders are still there as well. Today I want to look into a few teams and see what their ceiling is.
Let’s start with the best story in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are a good team with a lot of talent. Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland were All-Stars, Evan Mobley is the front-runner for Rookie of the Year, and they have good role players in Issac Okoro, Caris LeVert, Kevin Love, and Lauri Markkanen. Coached well and playing really good basketball I am unsure of how far Cleveland can go. Making the playoffs without LeBron James on the team for the first time since 1998 is a huge step in the right direction but I also do not think this is a team that is good enough to go to the Eastern Conference Finals, there are too many teams in the chase in my opinion.
The Chicago Bulls are so good. DeMar DeRozan is having an unbelievable season 28.3 points per game on shooting splits of .52/.35/.86. He is incredible in the mid-range and has been the signing of the offseason to this point. Zach LaVine has also put together an All-Star season averaging 24.5 ppg himself and has fallen into the number 2 role nicely as DeRozan has stolen the show. The backcourt (when healthy) of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso is one of the best defensive backcourts in the league. Nikola Vucevic is an elite scorer at the center position and if they can get Patrick Williams back to improve the wing depth this team can absolutely win the East.
The Philadelphia 76ers are interesting. James Harden and Joel Embiid are an elite duo that will be really interesting to see the fit on the court. The pick and roll will be elite on offense and with some shooting of Tobais Harris, Danny Green, and Tyrese Maxey surrounding them, they will be awesome. Seth Curry is a massive loss, the 2-man game he had with Joel Embiid was lethal and he is an elite 3 point shooter. Andre Drummond is also a loss, they have guys to replace him with Paul Reed was already on the team, Paul Milsap was acquired in the Harden trade, and Willie Cauley-Stein was signed this week but none of those players are as good as Drummond. Everything the Sixers do revolves around Harden and Embiid, a duo that has a lot to prove both individually and as a duo. I think they can absolutely win the East and a championship but I am not picking them.
The Boston Celtics have the best defense in the NBA. They are the hottest team in basketball and they are for real. Winners of 18 of 23 games, the Celtics have been crushing teams. The starting 5 of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Robert Williams has a net rating of 33.8 over the last 13 games they have played together and Boston is 12-1 in said games. The bench has improved with the acquisition of Derrick White, with him and Smart in the backcourt, Boston has one of the best defensive backcourts in the league. New Celtics coach Ime Udoka has also made a key change, having Al Horford guard centers and allowing Robert Williams to roam the paint, which allows him to block or affect shots at the rim. The key is the offense, how much help can Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown help. Boston’s defense is good enough to win the East, the offense is the question.
The Miami Heat are good. Jimmy Butler has proven he is good enough to lead a team to the NBA Finals and Kyle Lowry has hit a bunch of big shots in the playoffs and is a champion. The other guys have proven it in the playoffs too, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, and P.J. Tucker have all played in the NBA Finals. They are hoping to get Victor Oladipo and Markieff Morris back by the playoffs as well to provide more depth. The defense is elite, ranking 5th in the NBA. The half court offense is the big question, does Miami have enough offense, the same question we are asking about the Celtics, to win the Eastern Conference? That remains to be seen.
The Brooklyn Nets are spiraling. Losers of 13 of 15 games, the Nets have played without Kevin Durant since January 15th, Kyrie Irving has not played in a home game all season, and James Harden got traded. They are a mess but they still have Kevin Durant on their team and he is, in my opinion, the best player in the NBA. They have solid depth, Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, Patty Mills, and Joe Harris (if healthy) will all play a big role on the team. Ben Simmons is a key as well, he has not played all season, due to personal reasons (is that what we are calling it?) and is really important to what the Nets do after being acquired for James Harden from the 76ers. He will guard the best player on the opposing team, no matter the position, will push the ball in transition, and is an extremely underrated rebounder. Shooting is the problem, but they have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to do that, so if Simmons is not asked to be a key scorer, Brooklyn should be dangerous. Sitting at 8th in the conference, I don't feel good about Brooklyn’s chances to win the East. They have the talent to do so but I think starting in the play-in tournament is too far of a climb to win the East.
The Milwaukee Bucks are the reigning champs and they have Giannis Antetokounmpo on their team. That is enough for me to say they can win the East. Jrue Holiday is an elite defensive guard who can really pass and score the ball on offense. Khris Middleton is an elite scorer and though he has had a down year, I am putting money on him in the playoffs. They have good wings, Grayson Allen has been good since being acquired in an offseason trade, Pat Connaughton is a good player (who they need to be healthy), and DeAndre Bembry is a really good pick up in the buyout market. Brook Lopez being healthy would be a huge add for the Bucks but even if they don’t get Lopez back, the Bucks are still primed to get out of the East and go to the NBA Finals.
The 2 best teams in the Eastern Conference to me are the 76ers and Bucks, with my pick, as of now, being the Bucks to win the conference. The East playoffs should be awesome, there are legit 6 or 7 teams with an actual claim to win the conference. It should be fun to watch and I can’t wait!
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