The 2019-2020 season finds the Eastern Conference about as close as it has been recently. There’s room in the 6-8 range, but there shouldn’t be a lot of surprises from 1-5.
Seeds
Is anybody, anywhere better than Giannis? (photo, The Sporting News)
1-Seed, Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks appear to be the favorite. The Bucks have the best player in the East, a solid group of role players, and a great coach. Coming off a season just two games shy of the NBA Finals, the Bucks will only get better. And with several NBA stars moving out West during the off-season, Milwaukee has room for a few more wins. Home court against the Sixers in the Conference Finals will be crucial.
2-Seed, Philadelphia 76ers: The Sixers kept their core together and added Al Horford from Boston. Also, look for Philly to have the top defense in the East. Josh Richardson and Tobias Harris to shoulder more of the load than they have in the past. But I don’t see Philadelphia overtaking the Bucks.
3-Seed, Boston Celtics: Kyrie out, Kemba in. Horford out, Kanter in. The Celtics rebuilt their depth with solid players and then added Langford, Williams, and Edwards in the draft. With a young core intact, the Celtics should be much like they were last year.
Can Lowry carry the Raptors? (photo, USAToday.com)
4-Seed, Raptors: The defending champs lost a lot this offseason, including Kawhi and Green. Lowry and Gasol are one year older, and no incoming first-round draft pick will show itself over the course of the season. This club needs Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Normal Powell to make jumps this year. Toronto will be competitive, but I don’t see this team making a run.
5-seed, Brooklyn Nets: The Nets are in a weird, middle ground between contending and waiting. Without Kevin Durant, they’ll rely on Kyrie Irving, Deandre Jordon, and Caris Levert. Levert hopes to bounce back to pre-injury form The Nets will be solid, waiting to get even better with Durant.
6-seed, Indiana Pacers: The Pacers finished with 48 wins in back-to-back years despite numerous injuries, roster turnover, and with more questions than answers about the future. If Victor Oladipo can stay healthy and Malcolm Brogden can fit into the lineup, this is a team that can make a push for the 5-seed.
7-seed, Miami Heat: With the addition of Jimmy Butler, the Heat have a playmaking scorer who’ll be the team’s centerpiece. Bam Adebayo looks to shine now that Hassan Whiteside has moved on to Portland. With Dragic, Waiters, and Olynyk spacing the floor for Jimmy, the Heat can make some noise going forward. But here’s the thing: my speculation is based on players meeting expectations. That’s never a safe bet.
Andre can still play (photo, Fansided.com)
8-Seed, Detroit Pistons: This is an iffy pick. Chicago or Orlando could take this spot, too. That being said, I do like what Detroit did this offseason. Derrick Rose will be coming off the bench and could find his way into the 6th-man discussion. Blake Griffin can carry a team to an above-.500 record. Andre Drummond is a suitable big man, even now. Dwane Casey is a good coach, too. They have all the pieces in place to be a low-level playoff team. But will the front office blow it up if the Pistons start 3-7?
Playoffs
Bucks over Pistons in 4
Sixers over Heat in 5
Celtics over Pacers in 5
Nets over Raptors in 6
The Bucks, Sixers, and Celtics shouldn’t have problems, and I like how the Nets match up with Toronto.
Bucks over Nets in 5
Sixers over Celtics in 6
The Bucks are better than the Nets. Period. Brooklyn doesn’t have the depth in the frontcourt to keep up. I also believe this is the year that the Sixers overcome their fear of the Celtics. For one thing, they basically signed all the big men that had killed them in the past.
Bucks over Sixers in 7
The Bucks are just better. Besides, there are still questions about Ben Simmons, and the Sixers were hurt by Butler leaving for Miami. The Bucks will move on in a quest to keep the Larry O’Brien Trophy right where it is now–in the East.
