The Beasts in the East

The more the season progresses the clearer things become in the East, except for the elites. The conference is drowned in mediocrity and has many BAD teams. It’s becoming more evident that teams like the Pacers, Nets, and Pistons need to regroup and put together teams that actually have a chance to win on more than half the nights they play. Meanwhile, there are four great teams in the East, but only two are serious contenders.

The Magic, last year’s Eastern champions, are without their playmaker from last year. Hedo Turkoglu is clearly missed and no one on that squad has stepped up to take on his responsibilities. Jameer Nelson should have been the guy but he’s still struggling with injuries and can’t find his rhythm as the ball handler. Orlando has clearly digressed while the Cavaliers have upgraded. The younger players have gotten better and developed a better chemistry. And of course LeBron James is still growing at a ridiculous pace. They have gotten too physical even for the aging Boston Celtics. I picked the Celtics to come out of the East this year but I don’t anymore. The sole reason is health. The Celtics are mired yet again in injury and I would not bet on that whole roster being healthy in May and June. Therefore, the season will come down to the Magic and Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Championship. So in a repeat of last year’s ECF, the two teams come in very different from the last time they met in the playoffs. Though not a complete revamping for either side, both have gone in different directions. With the acquisition of Shaq and the ever-improving LeBron, the Cavaliers are headed up while the Magic have lost their main exploit from last year and are headed downwards. It looks like those same matchups the Magic utilized so well last season, they will not be able to get away with this time. Turkoglu provided them with a big man who can handle and create open opportunities for Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard. No longer will that be the case and the Cavaliers will just physically beat up the Magic and take the crown. Of course this is all contingent on Boston being without one of their core players.