Who Will Be The 8 Playoff Teams In The Eastern Conference

8. Miami Heat

7. Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic snuck into the playoffs last year, losing to the Raptors in 5 games in the first round. I think they build off of that to finish 7th in the conference. They drafted Chuma Okeke out of Auburn, who won’t play this year due to injury. Outside of that they return with essentially the same roster as last year. One of the most underrated trades last year was the Magic adding former #1 pick Markelle Fultz. Fultz struggled with a nerve issue, but has shown strides in pre-season. They also return with first time all-star Nikola Vucevic, who is a near automatic double-double guy. Aaron Gordon, Jonathon Isaac and Terrence Ross all return as well to round out the rotation. Mo Bamba (best song in the league) will also return after some injury troubles of his own. He will help Orlando finish 7th in the East.

6. Boston Celtics

The Celtics locker room nearly imploded last year as the team struggled to meet lofty expectations. They addressed these issues by moving on from all-star point guard Kyrie Irving. The 17 time NBA champs brought in some young talent in the draft. Romeo Langford and Carsen Edwards will be role players for them. Boston also brought in all-star PG Kemba Walker and veteran Enes Kanter in free agency. Pair those two with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Gordon Hayward and this team has significant depth. The question is how will all these pieces will fit together. It will take them time to figure it out and they will struggle to win early on. Brad Stevens needs to finally prove that he is a top tier coach, not overrated like this writer feels he is. This is easily a playoff team, just not a top tier squad.

5. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers had a pretty solid campaign, despite losing franchise star Victor Oladipo to injury. The Pacers finished 5th in the East before being swept in the first round. They lost Tyreke Evans to a suspension and Darren Collison to retirement, but had a phenomenal off-season. After a quiet draft, the Pacers went to work adding quality talent. They traded for TJ Warren and Malcolm Brogdon and signed T.J. McConnell and Jeremy Lamb in free agency. They also kept big men Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, who will make them tough to stop down low. The Pacers season will hinge on how long Oladipo is out, and how he comes back from injury. Victor is projected to return in December and the Pacers should be able to stay afloat until then. Nate McMillan will compete for Coach of the Year and the Pacers will settle into a middle conference position.

4. Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets were one of the most surprising teams last year. They went from 12th seed to the six seed in one year. Young talent like D’Angelo Russell, Caris Lavert & Jarrett Allen all took the next step and it showed. They lost to the Sixers in the first round in a very physical series. This series showed that they needed more star power in order to compete for a championship. They signed Russell and then sent him to Golden State for Kevin Durant. Kyrie Irving and Deandre Jordan joined him as well. Even without Durant I see no reason why this team won’t win a ton of games. They are a deep team with players like Lavert, Allen, Joe Harris, Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince. The Nets have everything they need in order to win games and that is why they will finish fourth in the conference.

3. Toronto Raptors

The defending NBA champions had a very tough off-season. They knew the likelihood of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green staying was slim, and they both left for Los Angeles. That does not change the fact they brought Toronto a championship and that can never be taken away from them. The Raptors still retained star players Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam. They also kept key pieces of the championship team like Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Fred Van Vleet. They had a quiet draft, but added Rondae-Hollis Jefferson and Stanley Johnson into the rotation. I have the Raptors this high because they remind me a lot of the Atlanta Hawks team of a few years ago. Lots of good players, no great ones, well coached and battle tested. The Raptors will finish Top 3, but won’t go far in the playoffs, just like those Hawks teams.

2. Philadelphia 76ers

If there is one team that loaded up and said “we are going for it” it was Philadelphia. The Sixers grew a lot and narrowly lost a heart breaking 7 game series versus the champion Raptors. They made a move mid-season last year trading for Tobias Harris and they were able to retain him in free agency. They also added Al Horford for a lot of money, who is a savy veteran with a lot left. JJ Redick and Jimmy Butler left, but they did add Josh Richardson who is a solid shooting guard. Outside of Mike Scott this bench is sketchy at best. But the Sixers by far have the best starting lineup in the league and they will win a lot. This team will figure it out late in the season and make a run at winning the East. Simmons jump shot will determine how far they go.

1. Milwaukee Bucks

The team with the MVP and Coach of the Year will finish tops in the East once again. I predicted in my previous article that Giannis would win MVP and he will also win the East. The core of the Greek Freak, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe remain. Brook, and now his brother Robin, are also still in Wisconsin, as is George Hill. Malcolm Brogdon will be a tough loss, but they did find serviceable replacements. Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver will spread the floor even more for Giannis, which is huge. The combination star power and depth makes the Bucks the clear favourite to finish tops in the conference. The big question mark is whether Giannis will bounce back after imploding in the East final last year. Kawhi is gone, Durant is not playing, so this year is truly title or bust for Milwaukee.

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