LAST season, it took the best player in the Eastern Conference and his band of Cavaliers seven games to dispose of a gritty and undermanned squad of the Men in Green and then advance to the NBA Finals. LeBron James, before taking his talents to LA, bullied his way and frustrated the Celtics. But even if you’re the best, you need backup and with help missing, Cleveland fell, again, to an incomprehensively mighty Golden State.
Boston was without their star players Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving but the mostly young crew held up and gave the Cavs a series to remember.
The Celtics had been mostly quite this offseason and they will start the 2018-2019 hostilities parading an intact lineup with a healthy Irving and Gordon and more seasoned Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, Jason Tatum, plus contract-enriched Marcus Smart and Aaron Baynes. Old reliables Al Horford and Marcus Morris are still around and, we hope, bigs Semi Ojeleye and Daniel Theis will be valuable contributors.
With Cleveland relegated to the ranks of the also-rans, the Celtics could be in their third straight Eastern Conference Finals trip but these teams will be making things difficult for them.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS. In the not-so-distant past when basketball shorts were short and Converse dominated the league, there was a Boston-Philly rivalry. Back to the present, a revival is taking shape. They won over the Sixers in five games during the post season semis but there was a game or two that Philly could have won. The team is guard-heavy but the frontcourt of Joel Imbiid, Robert Covington and Dario Saric can give the Celtics major headaches. Markelle Fultz should be healthy and could give some valuable rest to Ben Simmons. JJ Redick continues to provide veteran leadership and could match the firepower of Brown and Smart.
INDIANA PACERS. They almost knocked out Cleveland in the second round of the playoffs. The backcourt combo of guard Victor Oladipo and Darren Collison plus new acquisition Tyreke Evans can be at par with Smart, Irving and Brown. An improved Domantas Sabonis, an athletic Myles Turner, Thaddeus Young, Bojan Bogdanovic, Doug McDermott, and TJ Leaf make a competitive frontcourt. Theis and Ojeleye will have ample minutes when they meet this crew.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS. Boston survived a seven-game first round playoff matchup with the Greek Freak Giannis, Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon doing most of the damage. They now got stronger in the middle with the addition of Brook Lopez. They do have the size and Boston’s big men have to contend with John Henson, Ersan Ilyasova and, of course, Thon Maker. Eric Bledsoe and Matthew Dellavedova are proven points guards.
TORONTO RAPTORS. They were swept by the Cavs in the playoff semis and as an overhaul, they fired Coach of the Year Dwayne Casey and shipped DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio in exchange for Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard. The East probably could have their best player in Leonard but their frontline lacks depth. Serge Ibaka is undersized at PF but looks could be deceiving. Let’s see what Pascal Siakam can do this season likewise OG Anunoby. Jonas Valanciunas and Greg Monroe alternate at the slot. Kyle Lowry, at 32, is the oldest on the Raptors roster so Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet should have quality time manning the point.
CHICAGO BULLS. Consider the frontcourt of Lauri Markkanen, Bobby Portis, Robin Lopez, Jabari Parker, and rookie Wendell Carter Jr. This team could be this season’s EC revelation but the backcourt duo of Chris Dunn and Zach Lavine, although productive, lacks defense.
ORLANDO MAGIC. Like the Bulls, they could have some surprises. They have a strong starting unit in Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, Jonathon Simmons, DJ Augustin, and Evan Fournier. And that’s about it as their bench is kinda shallow with probably only Jerian Grant, Mo Bamba, Terrence Ross, and Jarell Martin cracking the rotation.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS. The frontline of Ian Mahinmi, Otto Porter, Kelly Oubre Jr., Markieff Morris, and Jeff Green had improved with the coming of Dwight Howard. All his antics considered, Howard arguably is the most agile and productive center on this list. The pair of Bradley Beal and John Wall could give Irving and Brown a run for their money any time, any day. But egos could make or break the Wizards. Beal and Wall had their issues and now they have Howard and Austin Rivers adding flavor the brew.
Yes, a healthy Boston Celtics will go a long way but they have to go through these teams for them to advance to Conference Finals./PN
