Predicting the NBA Eastern Conference
Another NBA season is set to begin. Our Rob Ryan previews the league’s Eastern Conference.
After the offseason moves and with the NBA regular season about to start. Here are my Eastern conference predictions for how the teams will rank and who I think will represent the East in the NBA finals.
Beasts of the East
1. Brooklyn Nets
Even if Kyrie Irving doesn’t wind up suiting up, the Nets are still immensely talented and should end up as the first seed by the season’s end. They should be able to mask most of their struggles on defense by being nearly impossible to stop on offense. Kevin Durant will finish in the top three for NBA’s Most Valuable Player.
2. Milwaukee Bucks
I expect the defending champs to put together another strong season while relying on former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and team chemistry over having an abundance of stars. The loss of P.J. Tucker will be more obvious once this team gets back into the playoffs. But for the regular season, you can count them in on fighting for the top seed.
3. Miami Heat
After a disappointing first-round elimination coming off the heels of an NBA finals loss, the Heat re-tooled its roster, adding more defensive-minded players with a gritty reputation as competitors. Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker should instantly impact the starting lineup while Markieff Morris and a hopefully healthy Victor Oladipo upgrade the bench unit.
*4. Philadelphia 76ers
Last year I had Philly coming out of the East, but my oh my, things can change quickly. Until the Ben Simmons situation is finally resolved, I can’t predict them to be any higher than fourth. Joel Embiid should have another stellar season and the rest of the team is solid enough to keep them just below contender status but above the rest.
This prediction has an asterisk due to what the roster will look like at the end of the season. One thing I’m pretty certain of is Ben Simmons won’t be on it.