Contrary to popular belief, the Eastern Conference is not as “weak” as most NBA fans tend to believe. The NBA has never been more loaded with talent from top to bottom. Virtually every team in the league has their “guy” they would like to build around to make a future championship run. There is one overwhelming reason why this conference is seen as inferior: LeBron James, who tends to make massive runs in the NBA Playoffs.
With that being said, let’s get to it. Here is my basic first round breakdown of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
(1) Boston Celtics vs (8) Chicago Bulls
This Boston Celtics team is very interesting for a few reasons. The first being that their main guy they would want to build around is not their best player right now and may not even be on the roster. No disrespect to Isiah Thomas. He has taken a remarkable step forward and has had an incredible season but they are actually still rebuilding. Which is crazy and awesome considering they are the 1 seed in the LeBron James dominated Eastern Conference and will most likely have the number one pick in the draft this year. Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is a well run organization. They got here by making incredibly smart trades, doing well acquiring very productive players via free agency and trades, and hiring one of the smartest coaches in the world who should run for president in 2020, Brad Stevens. He would have my vote, he is that good.
The Chicago Bulls, well they are a completely different story. Their roster is weird for 2017 NBA basketball. In a league now where the three point shot is a premium their three best players, Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, and Rajon Rondo are average to below average three point shooters. That would not be too much of a problem if they were getting enough three point shooting production from their role players, but they have not. In fact, as a team during the regular season they are shooting 34 percent this season from three point range. That is below league average. Unless Fred Hoiberg is keeping the best kept secret in the NBA and has developed a master plan for Denzel Valentine, Paul Zipser, Nikola Mirotic and Anthony Morrow all ready to drain threes in his back pocket, it is not going to happen. The Bulls do have one thing going for them though, they will have the best player on the court throughout this series in Jimmy Butler.
From top to bottom the Celtics have a better roster, multiple match up advantages on both ends of the floor, and a deeper bench than the Bulls. Most of their offense comes from Isiah Thomas making plays and shots created by great ball movement engineered by basketball genius Brad Stevens. The Bulls have been up and down all season. Right up until the last game of the season they were on the brink of missing out on the playoffs with a team led by proven champions in older Dwyane Wade, head case Rajon Rondo, and rising star Jimmy Butler. I also got a feeling from watching them throughout the year that key guys on the roster are not huge fans of Head Coach Fred Hoiberg. So when things get tense during this series, I question how they are going to react.
The Bulls will put up a good fight, mainly because of who their three best players are, but also because Hoiberg is not as bad as advertised Xs and Os wise. He just does not have the complete respect from key guys in that locker room. Having that respect is huge for head coaches across the entire sports landscape. Getting players to buy into you as a coach and as a man is more than half the battle. Remember, these guys are all multi-millionaire basketball players. Most have very big egos. You have to win them over in order to get the most out of them. In the end, the Celtic’s team chemistry, depth, and inbound plays out of timeouts are going to prove to be too much for the inconsistent Bulls to overcome.
Series Prediction: Celtics in 6
(2) Cleveland Cavaliers (7) Indiana Pacers
A few years ago, in 2013 during the Eastern Conference Finals, this Cleveland Cavaliers-Indiana Pacers series went seven games. LeBron James was pushed to the brink as Paul George had his post season breakout party, solidifying himself as a household name and one of the top players in the league. Lance Stephenson became famous for blowing into James’ ear and Roy Hibbert was out there looking like the Great Wall of China in front of the rim. Not to mention the gang of very solid role players they had at the time.
This time around, it is not going seven games. The Pacers are not the same team they were in 2013 and James is on a better team than he was then. What? Yeah, I said it. These Cavaliers teams he has been on since he came back to Cleveland are better than the teams during his Miami Heat days. Deeper and younger. When healthy, Kyrie Irving is better right now than Dwyane Wade was while James was in Miami. When healthy, Kevin Love is the same caliber rebounder as Chris Bosh was. On top of that, he is a better knock down shooter from beyond the arc. The number one thing for the Cavaliers is exactly that: staying healthy. Rumor has it Cavaliers fans in Cleveland will not even say the word. I am serious, I heard they call it the “H-word”. Staying injury free throughout the playoffs is the number one concern for the Cavaliers.
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Paul George has done an incredibly great job leading the way for this franchise for the past few years despite the carousel of moving parts around him. With that being said, Indiana’s front office has done a good job putting viable pros around him. Unfortunately, this Pacers team is just not on the same level as the Cavaliers. And that is what it comes down to.
Can Paul George with this team beat James and the Cavaliers four times in a week in a half? Can any one of these teams in the East? Let me tell you, the answer is no. They will probably win a game or two. Jeff Teague and Lance Stephenson will have flashes in games where they go back to looking like the 2013 versions of themselves while Myles Turner steps up his game protecting the rim while Monta Ellis hits tough shots. But even under that circumstance it will not be near enough to take this series. Despite their impressive improvement as a team throughout the season under first year Head Coach Nate McMillan, they are going to fall short to the King of the East: LeBron James.
Series Prediction: Cavaliers in 5
(3) Toronto Raptors (6) Milwaukee Bucks
This is the series I am most excited to watch during the first round of the Eastern Conference. Why, you ask? Well because of someone you might have or might not have heard of: Giannis Antetokounmpo. He has arrived, people. I know, I am making him sound like a super hero from another planet. But that is only because he kind of is. He is 6’11 with a wingspan of 7’3 and is a freakishly athletic who can play the point guard position. Hence the nickname “Greek Freak”. He is still very young (22 years old) and somewhat raw as a basketball talent. But after every season, he has been getting closer and closer to reaching his potential of becoming a well oiled basketball machine.
This year’s playoff experience is going to be huge, not only for his development moving forward, but also for promising young players: Malcolm Brogdon, Thon Maker, and up and coming three point shooting maestro Khris Middleton. The Milwaukee Bucks are facing off against perennial Eastern Conference playoff team the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors are led by Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry coming in with an improved roster from last year ready to make another Eastern Conference Finals run.
The Raptors the past couple years have been good at protecting the paint. They are even better now since acquiring Serge Ibaka, aka Serge I-blocka flacka flame aka Serge I-block you. And that is exactly Atetokounmpo’s number one strength: attacking the paint. As freaky athletic as he is, he still struggles to hit jumpers from 16 to 24 feet out consistently at the NBA level. The Raptors are going to respect his athleticism. I expect them to give him some space from a distance he does not statistically do well from and dare him to shoot. He will be able to get to the rim but without his side-kick Jabari Parker (out due to injury), it is not going to be easy against a Raptors team with tough rim protectors.
On the other side, the Raptors’ best player DeMar DeRozen has the same weakness. DeRozen is money from mid-range but he has had serious trouble this season from three point range. He is shooting a surprisingly low 26.6 percent considering the fact he is scoring 27.3 points per game (NBA average from three is about 35 percent). Lucky for DeRozen, he has prolific scoring point guard Kyle Lowry beside him who is a significantly better three point shooter than he is (about 41 percent on close to 8 three point attempts per game) and is also all around much better than the Bucks’ second best player. While the Bucks have a nice young up and coming roster with promising talent, they will not be able to keep up with the grizzled playoff experienced dynamic scoring duo of Derozen and Lowry. A healthy Jabari Parker would have really helped the Buck’s chances but even then I still would have had the Raptors taking this series rather convincingly. If it were not for the King of the East: Lebron James, the Raptors would have probably already made it to the NBA Finals.
Series Prediction: Raptors in 6
(4) Washington Wizards (5) Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks’ Head Coach Mike Budenholzer deserves a lot of credit. He has done a great job keeping this Hawks franchise competing at a very high level throughout the past four years in Atlanta since he was named Head Coach. Yes, they do have solid role players in Thabo Sefolosha, Kent Bazemore, Tim Hardaway Jr, Ersan Ilyasova and a young prospect I really like Deandre Bembry. But when a team’s best players are Dwight Howard and Paul Millsap along side those role players in 2017, it just will not be enough to get out of the first round against a surging Washington Wizards team. Unless Dwight Howard found Manu Ginobili’s time machine, hops in it from time to time throughout this series and all of a sudden is averaging 20 points and 20 rebounds while Paul Millsap is a beast on the offensive glass and is hitting uncommon three pointers consistently, I do not see them beating the Wizards.
The Wizards also have one of the biggest mismatches in the first round of the playoffs: John Wall vs Dennis Schroder. As good as the Hawks’ Head Coach is, he will not be able to hide Schroder on the defensive end of the court. He is going to get exposed. The Wizards are going to try to get Schroder on Wall as much as they can and go after him constantly. If the Wizards are able to do this successfully Wall is going to have his way with Schroder. Wall will be able drive past Schroder for a layup attempt that will most likely end up as a made basket or a trip to the free throw line at will. If Wall gets double teamed as he attacks the basket, he will be able to kick it out to a teammate on the perimeter for an open shot. If more often than not that teammate is in fact Bradley Beal, you can say buenas noches to the Atlanta Hawks. That is Spanish for goodnight.
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The Wizards also have a guy who I believe is going to have somewhat of a “hey look at me” breakout party this post season in Kelly Oubre. Despite not playing much his rookie season, he has emerged as an important contributor on this team who is to be taken seriously. When the Wizards decide to go small he is incredibly important. Although he has not been shooting a great percentage from three (28 percent on about 3 attempts per game), he has the potential to hit those shots.
Atlanta does not have as many dynamic players as Washington does. For Atlanta, the key is Dwight Howard and Paul Millsap dominating the glass so much so that Washington’s coach Scott Brooks is hesitant to go to their smaller lineup. Much like the Memphis Grizzlies, the Atlanta Hawks are going to look to slow down the pace of the game attempting to keep Washington’s explosive players somewhat under control. I do not see that happening enough for Atlanta to take the series but in classic Washington Wizards’ fashion, they will find a way to blow a game giving the Hawks a chance to make some noise during this series.