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The East doesn't have one le contender.
It is annoying how a declined Lebron's team is going to cakewalk again to the Finals while you wouldn't even be sure they are favorite against the second tier West teams (Clippers/Thunder) let alone GSW/SA..
So much for "Improved East"..it is basically an improvement in the middling/pretender tiers..And those teams wouldn't give Lebron's team as much fits as those 2012-2014 Pacers did..
Unless Durant signs with Wizards or Miami, I don't see this pathetic reality changing any time soon.
The East doesn't have one le contender.
From up-and-coming teams Boston/Orlando are best positioned to reach that level, but, as of now, that's no guarantee as they lack in star-power..
Yeah I find the "East is now just as good as the West!" rhetoric to be pretty hilarious. 4 of the top 5 teams in the league are in the West, including the two clear-cut best teams in the league. Even the 5-8 seeds in the West are as good (if not better) as their Eastern counterparts.
As for the question in the le...who knows. None of those teams (Atlanta/Toronto/Miami/Chicago/Indiana) really have a plethora of young talent that is likely to improve. It'll likely come down to one of them landing a big name FA, or maybe a team like Boston/Detroit getting a lot of internal improvement + getting lucky in the draft.
I feel like the Pacers and Bulls are probably the closest, they have a guy who can overpower other teams and play relatively decent defense in stretches. Boston could be there but they need a superstar.
It seems like they're not just one but two players away, plus a decent bench.
So, in short... no. Barring some kind of earth-shaking trade from a team looking to dump salary, the East is years away from a champion.
The current Leastern Conference reminds me of the 2006-07 season when the Pistons became pretender after Ben Wallace left town & it was a free for all to the point that I thought the Raptors could come out of the East.
Wouldn't be surprised if Jimmy Butler went beast-mode & carried the Bulls to the Finals as long as Rose/Pau can play their roles.
Pacers have no inside presence & are terrible in crunch-time (turnovers/isolation)
The Raptors are the most complete team but they have been playoff chokers so can't trust 'em.
Similarly, one team will need to pull a ballsy move like Celtics with Garnett-type trade..maybe the the very same Boston...the window to make the Finals is bigger than when the Heatles ruled because this Cavs team is evidently much worse..The current Leastern Conference reminds me of the 2006-07 season when the Pistons became pretender after Ben Wallace left town & it was a free for all to the point that I thought the Raptors could come out of the East.
Wouldn't be surprised if Jimmy Butler went beast-mode & carried the Bulls to the Finals as long as Rose/Pau can play their roles.
Well, I did say "no". So I agree with you. It would take a massive player acquisition to get the Bulls and Pacers to that point. Bulls need to blow it up while Pau has some value and rebuild 100% around Jimmy Butler. You might even get the Lakers to take Rose for a player + picks.Pacers have no inside presence & are terrible in crunch-time (turnovers/isolation)
The Raptors are the most complete team but they have been playoff chokers so can't trust 'em.
I don't see the Raptors ever getting it together. They're far too dependent upon isoball and don't have a lot of great passers OR defenders to build around. They would have probably been a great team in the 90s, though.
Butler could definitely do that but it wouldn't make the Bulls a contender, unless you count a best case scenario of pushing the Finals to 5 games while losing the other 4 by 15+ with a couple of 30 point blowouts "contending".The current Leastern Conference reminds me of the 2006-07 season when the Pistons became pretender after Ben Wallace left town & it was a free for all to the point that I thought the Raptors could come out of the East.
Wouldn't be surprised if Jimmy Butler went beast-mode & carried the Bulls to the Finals as long as Rose/Pau can play their roles.
+1
This isn't really anything new, OP
Cavs are one, even if flawed..I'm not going to see them only through one game blowout..But safe to admit, they are worse than all 4 Heatles that made finals consecutively.. .. you never know, maybe Curry shin/ankles or Tony hip acts up in June..+1
This isn't really anything new, OP
Absolutely- Heat were amazing and Bosh>>Love. Esp in "that role". Wade is amazing too (body betrayed him).
They are a contender, by default, of course..they could also beat OKC in a series, too, since Lebron teams always seem to match up well vs. the Thunder..I don't think they have any chance vs. the Warriors or Spurs, though..
I'd go:
Elite-
1. Warriors
2. Spurs
Great-
3. Thunder
4. healthy Clippers
5. Cavs
Above average(in whatever order): Raptors, Bulls, Hawks, Pacers, Celtics
Average(in whatever order): Jazz, Pistons, Hornets, Heat, Mavs, Magic, Rockets
I definitely think Cavs would best OKC & LAC. LAC is coming on but they have the same issues as last year.
Cavs bet defensive lineups means their best offensive players will sit ... and even their best defenders cannot contain SAS or GSW. Kiwi Green and even Duncan all being plus defenders is a huge advantage for Spurs. Bogut, barnes, green and Klay are not all plus but hold their own ...
Just dont see how Cavs can beat either team.It would take prime LeBron and i think those days are gone. he is not washed up or dead man walking. he is now just a great player still top 3 and probably top 2 like Harlem said.
It appeared that the east had finally caught up early in the season...but I don't think anybody still believes that anymore.
Cleveland has a pass to the finals. They're a contender by default.
The West has 2 contenders. All the West/East teams are for show.
Cavs remind me of the 2011 Heat. They are feast or famine. James has gotten into the mindset that he's the go-to every trip down the floor when he's in the game, and it seems the other players are willing to let him fall flat on his ing face. It's amazing they play that Samsung VR commercial as he's getting his pushed in while in the "land". Maybe if he puts those on he's on a team with great ball movement, spacing and energy on defense. Instead he's on a broken team with a ty coach who rely almost solely on individual talent over anything remotely resembling team basketball.
Honestly, other than that play out of the timeout, I doubt they ran a set all night. It was just pointless ball handoffs and Lebron backing up a couple steps and trying to take his man off the dribble, giving up on it and turning it over or shooting that long ass fade away that barely even catches iron.
They'd be wise to call Kyrie's number more often, to get some ball movement, to run some sets instead of that watery they took all over their own home court last night.
serial playoff chokers Raptors are emerging as the second best team in the East
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