Who Will Win The NBA Eastern Conference Championship
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Who Is The Beast In The East
The NBA Playoffs are less than a month away. With everything that has transpired over this past season, one has to wonder who will make it to the NBA Finals. There are loaded teams in the East and the West.
Which team will come out the Eastern Conference this year? We're focusing only on the Eastern Conference contenders.
The question that comes to mind with this team is can they overcome the odds? Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh have made a splash this year with their new trio. If you see I put D Wade first over Lebron James.
I think so many people are amazed by Lebron James' talents and abilities that we tend to think he's the best player in the league. He's not even the best player on his team, in my opinion. That's Dwayne Wade's team. And if the Heat are planning on winning a Championship this year, the game is going to have to be decided in Dwayne Wade's hands.
Once the Miami Heat realize Dwayne Wade is the answer then the Heat may go very far in the playoffs. They have what it takes to go all the way. Having the right rotation in the playoffs is very important for the Heat. That may decide how far they go in the playoffs. Mario Chalmers will also have to be on the floor when the game is on the line. He's proven to be clutch. He has a NCAA Championship to back that up.
This season will show how strong young Head Coach Erik Spoelstra is because he's the man that has to coach three all-stars and a supporting cast of former all-stars into a well-equipped team. Pat Riley believes in Spoelstra because Spoelstra reminds Pat Riley of himself during his younger championship days over in Laker nation.
The Miami Heat will go as far as the Head Coach and the Big Three evolve together going into the postseason. They have what it takes to represent the Eastern Conference. Their destiny is in their hands.
The team that probably has the best chance to head to the NBA Finals out of the East. They have a dynamic front duo of Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, if they can stay healthy together. They have a great six great man in Luol Deng. Then, they have the potential MVP of this season, Derrick Rose.
Head Coach Tom Thibodeau must be smiling over there, especially after last night's rout over Atlanta Hawks. 114-81 - Bulls are defeating playoff teams like that. They are currently the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Derrick Rose has sold me on him being the MVP as well.
Derrick Rose has improved his game each of his three seasons. He's even more deadlier this year with that three point shot that's been killing teams this season. He's so driven to be the best that he's in his third year towards his first MVP award. Much deserved as well because he's the driving force that will lead the Chicago Bulls back to the NBA Finals.
That's a 13-year hiatus from the Jordan years. Looks like they have a new version of Michael Jordan coming in a point guard form. I don't see anyone in the East stopping Derrick Rose and that team. All except one team over in Massachusetts.
The Bulls front duo of Noah and Boozer will be a lot for any front in the East to deal with. And that bench must stay progressing as well for the Bulls to escaped that jungle East. At the end of the game though, that kid with the #1 jersey. He knows he's #1. The windy city knows that as well.
Not a team that anyone is taking too serious. In reality, who can't blame them. At the same time, don't count these guys out. The team from Central Florida have all the pieces to become a championship team. Do they have the right pieces to make it work?
They have the modern day superman, Dwight Howard who is having his best season of his young career. With his athletic abilities, great body control and new offensive game he picked up, he can be a much better than the original superman, Shaquille O'Neal. Will that happen remain's in Superman 2.0's hands.
Another key factor to Orlando making it best to the NBA Finals is Hedo Turkoglu, J.J. Reddick, Brandon Bass, Jameer Nelson and that supporting cast of the Magic. It will also take two unsung heroes to help them make it back to the finals. Ryan Anderson and Gilbert Arenas are the key factors.
Gilbert Arenas was one of the top ten players of the league at one point. Now at 29 years old and a bum knee, it's been hard for former Agent Zero to get back to his old self. His lowest shooting percentage in years hasn't helped him either. He doesn't seem in sync with the team all the time. There's a solution for that. Put Gilbert Arenas in the starting lineup.
I know they have a chemistry with Jameer Nelson as the starter but Arenas is still a beat better and more clutch than Jameer Nelson. Arenas/Howard off the pick and roll as well as Head Coach, Stan Van Gundy will determine how far the Magic will go into the playoffs. Maybe Gilbert Arenas career is coming to an end soon. At the end of the day, the Magic will not be going to the NBA Finals.
New York Knicks
It's a crazy feeling to put the New York Knicks as a possible title Contender. They just perhaps the biggest mid-season trade in franchise history, landing Carmelo Anthony. That leaves two of the top five leading scorers on the same team. That should lead to some exciting basketball right? Not at this point it hasn't for the Knickerbockers.
Starting off 6-3 in the beginning of the Knicks/Nuggets trade, the Knicks has lost four of their last ten, including three straight losses. One can wonder what went wrong with the team for them to be falling apart so fast in such short time. This is exactly what the Knicks knew were going to happen.
You don't bring over a top five player of any franchise to a team that has another top 15 caliber player and expect them to have instant chemistry. Amar'e Stoudamire works well with the Mike D'Antoni system. A player like Carmelo Anthony needs his own time to adjust to a system like D'Antoni's run n gun, pick n roll offense. Knicks nearly lost half of their team in that trade. They have a lot of catching up to do.
Long term, this trade will work out for the Knicks. They will develop players around Stoudamire and Anthony. They will also put pieces together from free agency and drafting. Give them a young point guard - Raymond Felton, who was deal in trade from NYK - who can take the load off the two leading scorers.
If the Knicks can get Carmelo to develop into the system while allowing him to work isolation at key moments of the game that will help the Knicks come playoff time. Carmelo and Amar'e need to decide who will make the big play at the end. This is Stoudamire's team but Carmelo has been more clutch than Stoudamire. Either way, they better hope they even make it to the second round of the playoffs.
The team to beat. Even though this late stretch will be tough for them. They're in a three-way race for the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They are currently at the #2 seed as they have the same amount of loses as the Bulls. Boston's fate depends on this next week of games.
The Celtics are a veteran and experienced team full off current and former all-star players. The Big Four (Allen, Garnett, Pierce, Rondo) are heading to their fourth year together. This time without Kendrick Perkins as the starting center. Acquire two new acquisitions in Jeff Green/Nenad Krstic.
Those two new mid-season pick ups should help Boston more than hurt going into the post-season. Jeff Green has been a matchup problems with his versatility. Nenad Krstic is delivering better than he was with the Thunder. He's showing his finesse and his toughness in the paint. Which will do Boston great when the O'Neal brothers return.
Head Coach, Doc Rivers has to be exciting yet nervous about this year's playoff run. This is his seventh year as the head coach and his reign at coach has been an emotional one. Low point, almost being fired as the head coach. Highest point, winning the NBA championship in 2008 against the rival Lakers.
The coaching of Rivers and the play of Rajon Rondo are the two key pieces for Boston to make it back to the finals. Rondo will have to be more aggressive against Derrick Rose because Rose will bring it back in return. If Rondo can remain healthy throughout the post-season the Celtics will be back in the NBA Finals.
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It won't be the Knicks.
Appreciate the comments fellas. Hey vitin8223, the Heat could get hot at the right time. That's what it's about. Which team is going to be hot at the right moment. That's why I believe Celtics will get hot at the right time. The Magic could go on a roll too. It all depends on the coaching.
Miami.
vitin8223 14 months ago
As much as it pains me to say I think that Miami will get "hot" at the right time. Pun intended :)
They have what it takes to go deep in the NBA playoffs. Big shot makers, the ability to get to the free throw line, and most importantly, they play defense. I don't think they are an overwhelming favorite, but I think they'll be good enough to get past those other teams.