Playoff Preview: Eastern Conference

The NBA Playoffs are finally here after what was an interesting regular season. The Golden State Warriors set the NBA record for most wins in a regular season with 73. It was Kobe Bryant’s last season and his final game saw him drop an amazing 60 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers had some unwanted attention throughout the season between Kevin Love trade rumors and Kyrie Irving getting dumped. Nonetheless, the playoffs are here and while the Cavs are the team to beat in the East, some teams could make it interesting on them on their way to their second straight NBA Finals appearance and what would be LeBron James’ sixth straight Finals.

Here’s a preview of what the Eastern Conference Finals will look like.

(1)   Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons

On paper this might seem like a 4-0 sweep with as much firepower as the Cavaliers have. And having LeBron James doesn’t hurt, but don’t sleep on the Pistons possibly stealing a game. Pistons center Andre Drummond led the NBA with 66 double doubles and while the Cavs might not have an answer for big man, the rest of the Pistons lineup won’t be able to keep up with the Cavs offense. And they don’t have anyone who can guard LeBron. I see the Pistons stealing one at home and making the Cavs work a little harder than they’d like in the first round.

            Cavaliers win series 4-1

(2)   Toronto Raptors vs. (7) Indiana Pacers

This is an interesting matchup for a couple reasons; the Raptors haven’t made it past the first round since 2001, and the Pacers missed the playoffs last year after having made it to the East Finals the two previous seasons. Paul George is having a quiet season averaging 23 PPG and 7 RPG after having missed all but 6 games in 2014-15. The Raptors also had a quiet season having been behind the Cavaliers all season. They’re led by two All-Stars in Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan who will have to step up their game if they want to challenge the Cleveland.

            Raptors win series 4-2

(3)   Miami Heat vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets

If you look at the names on the Miami Heat roster you’d think that they have the best chance of beating the Cavaliers on their way to the Finals. Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, and Goran Dragic look to carry the Heat through the playoffs. On the other side, the Hornets are a team who the casual NBA fan might look at and say, “the Hornets?”, they haven’t been relevant since, well, never. Not since Baron Davis was in town. They’re a young team with talent at every position led by Kemba Walker. They might have the talent but they don’t have the experience and that’s what the Heat have and plenty of it.

            Heat win series 4-0

(4)   Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Boston Celtics

This will likely be the most entertaining series in the East playoffs. Two teams who are looking to prove that they can hang with the big boys. The Hawks were the top seed in the conference last season and slipped a little bit but still have a team who could contend for the conference championship. Paul Millsap leads the way for a team who looks to get back to the Conference Finals for a second straight season. The Boston Celtics are a team heading in the right direction and Brad Stevens is a coach who knows what he’s doing. Isaiah Thomas is one of the smaller players in the league but his 22 PPG will say otherwise. He’s one of the most underrated players in the league and these playoffs could be the coming out party for the 5^th year player.

            Celtics win series 4-3

Stephen Springer