NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Preview

The Eastern Conference gets a lot of flack for not having the same kind of depth as its' West Coast counterpart. While eighth-seeded Chicago may have needed to win its last three games to finish with a .500 regular season record, at least the Eastern Conference can say that it has the clear-cut favorite to hold the trophy at season's end. The Cleveland Cavaliers are loaded. With four out of five starters being All-Stars at some point in their careers, there is always no shortage of talent on the floor. But this team has always had talent. It's about how the talent plays together. And in the past three years against San Antonio, Boston and Orlando, the Cavs have come up short when the pressure is highest. Is this finally gonna be the year they break through? Let's see how they stack up to the rest of the teams in the East:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavaliers limped into the playoffs, but that was without Lebron and Shaq. In their first game against Chicago, they showed that they mean business, leading by 15 at the half before cruising to the victory. Every part of this team is in good shape. They have three established front-court players in Shaq, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Anderson Varejao, not to mention solid backups in J.J. Hickson and Leon Powe. Oh, I forgot to mention #23. Mr. James can pretty much play whichever position he wants whenever he wants, and still control the game. And the backcourt and wing each have All-Stars in Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison. Anything less than a championship for this team is a disappointment.

2. Orlando Magic: If there's going to be one team that knocks off the Cavs, it's going to be the Orlando Magic. Mostly everyone has already penciled these two teams into the Eastern Conference Finals, and for good reason. They might not have the depth of the Cavs, but they have the starting five to challenge the Cavs. Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter give the Magic a formidable backcourt, and Rashard Lewis can play all over the court. And this team has Superman Dwight Howard, the best front-court player in the game. There are quality reserves too, with Mikael Pietrus, Ryan Anderson, and Martin Gortat.





I don't want this to be an essay, so rather than give a preview for the rest of the teams, I'll say why they won't end up winning the Eastern Conference:

3. Atlanta Hawks: They gave the Celtics a scare a couple of years ago in the first round, but they still don't have the experience to win it all.

4. Boston Celtics: There are a few people at the blog who are big Celtics fans. As much as I'd like to sing their praises, most Celtics fans know that their team reached its' peak two years ago. The three amigos are getting older, and Kevin Garnett has taken that as a cue to unleash his inner kid.



This team won't have the firepower to last until the Finals.

5. Miami: IF they beat Boston, which is still a very solid team, their reward is the Cavs, who just rolled over Chicago. No.

6. Milwaukee: Maybe they make some noise if Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd are playing, but Brandon Jennings is their only stud player without those two, and he's only a rookie.

7. Charlotte: This team has the best chance of making a little run. They play solid defense, and have some very athletic players in Gerald Wallace and Tyson Chandler. But Steven Jackson hyperextended his left knee, and he was the one player who stretched the defense out a little bit with his outside shooting. Don't have enough offense to hang with Orlando.

8. Chicago: I almost feel bad that they made the playoffs. Joakin Noah gives up 100 pounds to Shaq, and in their first game, there was never even a doubt as to who would win the game. Derrick Rose is better than Mo Williams, but even that could be a tossup. The other positions all go the Cavs way.