Playoff Preview: East
Since you all have stuck with me through months of a job search, and I love everyone who has kept tuning into the blog regardless of what’s been going on (<3), I figured it’s only fair to you to have a somewhat steady stream of content at this point. Yesterday, we looked at the Western Conference in the NBA. We talked about potential injuries that could impact the end of this playoff race, some potential playoff matchups, and an outlook for the West going into the playoffs. Now, I want to do the same thing, but look at the East, which, by the eye test, is a lot less impressive than the West. The two top teams, Cleveland and Boston, are two of the most remarkable teams in the NBA currently, in my eyes, and that’s really where you start to lose me. I LOVE Jalen Brunson and KAT as a duo, but I don’t see them winning a title together without the right pieces around them, and I don’t see that currently, so in my eyes, that eliminates the third-seeded Knicks and... You know what? I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s run the whole thing down the way we’re supposed to!
Standings:
Cleveland Cavaliers (54-10) GB: 0
Boston Celtics (47-18) GB: 7.5
New York Knicks (41-23) GB: 13
Milwaukee Bucks (36-27) GB: 17.5
Indiana Pacers (35-28) GB: 18.5
Detroit Pistons (36-29) GB: 18.5
*7) Atlanta Hawks (31-34) GB: 23.5
*8) Orlando Magic (30-36) GB: 25
*9) Miami Heat (29-35) GB: 25
*10) Chicago Bulls (27-38) GB: 27.5Notes: Cleveland has clinched a playoff birth, 7-10 seeds will be a part of the play in tournament.
Injuries
As we did yesterday, I want to take a look at a few teams and their injury reports for the stretch run to see what injuries could potentially impact them. There are a few close races with the 4-6 seeds being separated by just a game, with about seventeen games left to play.
The Boston Celtics are a bit banged up, and it’s hard to ignore right now. Although they have a solid 6.5-game lead over the two seed in the East, Boston’s superstar forward Jayson Tatum, center Al Horford, and center Kristaps Porzingis are all considered "game to game," with Tatum and Horford both missing Monday’s game against Utah. The Celtics’ next five games don’t have much resistance, aside from their next game at home vs the Thunder, with trips to Miami, Brooklyn (plus a quick stop back to TD Garden as part of a back-to-back with the Nets), and Utah.
Jalen Brunson got hurt late in the New York Knicks game against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6th. Brunson appeared to have rolled his ankle, and it’s unclear how long he will be out as he deals with an ankle sprain. He will be reevaluated in about a week, although it’s likely he’ll miss a few games after the evaluation due to the nature of the injury. The Knicks’ next six games are against the Blazers, Warriors, Heat, Spurs, Hornets, and Wizards, where even without Jalen, they should be able to pick up three wins.
The Milwaukee Bucks are still listing Giannis Antetokounmpo on their injury report, although he has been playing in their last few games. They list Giannis, guard Damian Lillard, and guard Pat Connaughton as “day to day.” The Bucks are 3-2 in their last five games, with a brutal stretch coming up to finish their six-game homestand against the Lakers, Pacers, and Thunder, followed by a road trip consisting of Golden State, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento, Phoenix, and Denver.
The Detroit Pistons are still without and will be without Jaden Ivey for the rest of the season, which is a major blow to them as they push for the postseason. Ivey is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season with a broken tibia. Ivey was a revelation for the Pistons this year, averaging 17 points, four rebounds, and four assists per game before the injury. He is expected to be fully ready to go by training camp next year. The Pistons are 3-2 in their last five games with losses to the Clippers and Warriors, with the Wizards, Thunder, Pelicans, Heat, and Mavericks as their next five, where I expect them to at least pick up three of those games.
The Atlanta Hawks are dealing with a boatload of players on the injury report. While there are a few players listed as “day to day,” Larry Nance Jr. is OUT for them and will be for at least two more weeks with a bad hip. Players listed as “day to day” include Trae Young and Caris LeVert. The Hawks’ next five games are against the Hornets, Clippers, Nets, Hornets again, and Warriors.
Playoff Matchup Outlook
I’m not going to spend too much time on the play-in tournament winners today because, honestly, it doesn’t matter. None of Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, or Chicago has a chance of upsetting the Cavs or Celtics. These are two of the biggest monsters in the NBA, and while I might give Miami a small chance if they had Jimmy Butler, they don’t. None of those teams have an actual star who can take them over the edge to win even a couple of games in a series against a top seed (I LOVE Paolo, but he is not ready for that yet. Give him a year or two, Magic fans, and keep him happy), and the talent that both Cleveland and Boston have on their rosters would take over early in that series and not let go. I expect both play-in teams to lose in four or maybe five games at most. I don’t even think it’s worth talking about. That’s how lopsided those series will be.
Every other playoff series I see potential in. An example would be the 3 vs 6 matchup if the season ended today, which would be the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons. I think this could be one of the most fun series in all of round one for both conferences, honestly. The story of the Pistons coming out of nowhere to have their best season in 20 years will sell tickets on its own, and it has put the sleeping giant of a fanbase in Detroit into a frenzy since they are good, fun to watch, and in a way taking on the city’s identity of being a tough, hard-working, gritty, no-nonsense basketball team that can grind wins out when they need to and blow teams out when they need to. On the court, Cade Cunningham has blossomed into the point guard we all expected him to be coming out of Oklahoma State. He’s averaging 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists per game with a steal a game as well. He is proving he’s worthy of being the number one overall pick in his class, and the ascension of this young man has been beautiful to watch. The Pistons have a lot of fantastic pieces surrounding him as well, although one of their main pieces will be injured for the rest of the season. The point is, who is the best “villain” to come in and potentially wreck a story like that? New York or Los Angeles… and Detroit’s opponents would be the New York Knicks. We don’t know if they’ll be fully healthy, but if they are, with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, as well as the role players they have around them, the Knicks are going to be a very tough out. The winner of this series will be going on to play Boston in the second round (again, no real use in talking about Boston’s first-round series—they’ll win), and it could either be one of the biggest underdog stories in sports in the case of Boston vs Detroit or the renewal of one of the biggest city rivalries in the United States, Boston and New York.
The last first-round matchup is the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers. I kind of feel indifferent about this series. In retrospect, it could offer one of the biggest potential upsets in the second round. A rematch of the first round from last year, where the Pacers shocked the Bucks and won in six games. I don’t have a lot to say about this series, but I think if the Bucks win, it will make for a very interesting second-round series with the Cavaliers. I think Giannis can lead any team to wherever they need to go, but I don’t think the Pacers will be able to keep up with the amount of talent that the Cavaliers will be able to throw their way. I think Tyrese Haliburton is an amazing player, and I think the same of Myles Turner, but I don’t think they are a match at this point in their careers for what Cleveland has built right now. With Giannis and Damian Lillard, it feels a bit different because we’ve seen both of them dominate the league at one point or another. People forget that Lillard was leading the Trail Blazers to the West Finals against the dynasty Warriors back in the day, and Giannis already has two MVPs, a Finals MVP, and a championship. Together, they have the pedigree to get anywhere they need to.
Outlook
The East is a top-heavy conference. While the two top teams in the conference may be juggernauts, the rest of the conference, besides one former champion, has a lot to be desired. I believe that if teams like New York and Indiana were in the West, they would be play-in teams or worse. However, it is a “you play who’s in front of you” league, and you can’t blame the top dogs in the East for how they’ve done it. Cleveland rebuilt through the draft and trades, and Boston used the history they had to their advantage. I do think that eventually, the East Finals will be a matchup between the Celtics and the Cavaliers, with the Celtics coming out on top with a chance to defend their NBA title against the winner of the West.
