The middle of October is upon us, and that means the National Basketball Association season is almost underway. The Eastern and Western Conference previews will be broken down into the top 8 teams in order of projected playoff seeding. This article will contain the Eastern Conference.
Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (57-25 2015-16, 1st East)
The Cavaliers pulled off an awesome run in the Finals and LeBron brought his first trophy to Cleveland. He returns to spearhead another balanced attack. Timofey Mozgov and Matt Dellavedova depart, replaced by ageless shooter Mike Dunleavy. The lineup of Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson is championship-level once again. (Prediction: 59-23)
2. Boston Celtics (48-34 2015-16, 5th East)
The days of the first Big 3 are long gone, but a wealth of young talent along with free agency success is shaping the Celtics to be a force for the years to come. Isaiah Thomas, all 5-foot-9 of him, scored 22.2 PPG last year. Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder man the wings with exceptional defense (as a team, the Celtics defensive rating was fourth in the NBA), The power forward spot is up for committee, but versatile center Al Horford comes over from Atlanta to anchor the front line. Add in guard Marcus Smart and big men Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk, along with rookies Jaylen Brown and Ben Bentil, and the C's have a promising future. Possibly the deepest team in the East. (Prediction: 53-29)
3. Indiana Pacers (45-37 2015-16, 7th East)
Remember the Conference Finals Pacers? Yeah, they're not here anymore. After a few dismal seasons of mediocrity, Paul George is ready to lead this team deep again. A top 10 player, George can do everything and play three positions. Jeff Teague arrives from Atlanta to run the point alongside surefire scorer Monta Ellis. Thaddeus Young and talented but green Myles Turner are in the frontcourt. An underrated aspect of the Pacers? Big Al Jefferson off the bench. Upwards of 30 years old, he can't defend top centers anymore, but is still one of the most efficient offensive posts. Watch him beat up on second-team big men and coast by on defense. Excellent strategy. (Prediction: 49-33)
4. Chicago Bulls (42-40 2015-16, 9th East)
I can't wait to see the NBA finally move into the 2-3 zone era against these new-look Bulls. Rajon Rondo (28.9 3PT FG percent), Dwyane Wade (28.4 percent), and Jimmy Butler (32.8 percent) sound cool together until you realize they can't throw a rock in the ocean on a consistent basis. But good players can still be good without shooting threes; their star power will get them somewhat far. Nikola Mirotic, Taj Gibson and Bobby Portis will all see time at power forward, and Robin Lopez showed up this offseason at the center position. Not too bad. They need a shooter though. (Prediction: 48-34)
5. Toronto Raptors (56-26 2015-16, 2nd East)
First of all, Toronto's best feature is definitely their home floor. The graphics on the court are next-level. Playoff hero Bismack Biyombo got paid and is now in Orlando, but the rest of the core is back, including point guard Kyle Lowry, stud leaper DeMar DeRozan and defensive crazyman DeMarre Carroll. Jonas Valanciunas is a very reliable guy at center, and the diverse rotation of Patrick Patterson, Luis Scola and James Johnson at the 4 spot is a point of intrigue. Don't sleep on Bruno Caboclo either; his jersey is already on AliExpress. (Prediction: 46-36)
6. New York Knicks (32-50 2015-16, 13th East)
I know everyone wants to see them higher, but the last time a superstar starting five was pieced together, the Los Angeles Lakers sucked. Yes, Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Joakim Noah look appealing on paper, but they won't win 50 games. They'll make the playoffs and maybe get to the second round, but the first year always has hurdles. Solid team. (Prediction: 46-36)
7. Detroit Pistons (44-38 2015-16, 8th East)
Reggie Jackson is a 100 miles-per-hour monster. He leads a group along with combo forward Tobias Harris, Andre Drummond, and the very large and unexpectedly prolific Boban Marjonovic. Detroit can score, let's hope Jackson gets them to play some defense. Another decent squad. (Prediction: 43-39)
8. Miami Heat (48-34 2015-16, 3rd East)
Having to replace Dwyane Wade hurts a lot. Justise Winslow and Goran Dragic try to lead the Heat to another playoff appearance, but the depth isn't there like it has been in the past. By default, they sit in the last playoff spot. (Prediction: 42-40)
