For the past 15 years or so, the Eastern Conference has always been looked down upon in the NBA, seeing as how many Western Conference teams, such as the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, have won multiple championships. However, the East is slowly improving and could possibly be just as good or better than the West.
Going into last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers had a sour taste in their mouths after losing the previous season’s NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors. The Cavs responded by finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference, and wound up facing the Warriors again in the Finals. Only this time, the Cavs won the series in perfect fashion, by coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win in seven games and take home the championship.
The Cavaliers come into the 2016-17 season with basically the same team that they had last year, besides Timofey Mozgov and Matthew Dellavedova leaving for free agency and signing big contracts elsewhere.
Many people like the Cavs to win the East again this year. This is a fair prediction, as not many teams can compete with a team led by LeBron James with Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith and Kevin Love behind him. It should be an easy season for the Cavs, barring any injuries to their star players.
One surprise team from the East last year was the Toronto Raptors, who finished the season with a 56-26 record, and wound up with the second seed going into the playoffs. They made it to the conference finals, but lost in six games to the Cavs. DeMar Derozan and Kyle Lowry led the team all of last season and should do the same this season.
Jonas Valanciunas is also a big piece for the Raptors, and they signed former-Celtic Jared Sullinger in the offseason. They were already a good defensive team and this should help them even more. Look for Toronto to be just as good as they were last year.
One of the most interesting teams going into this season is the Boston Celtics. They made it to the playoffs last year as the five seed, but lost in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks. Speaking of the Hawks, the Celtics made a big signing this off season, as they nabbed center Al Horford, who spent the first nine years of his career in Atlanta.
The Celtics also have a fine core of young players, such as Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley. Thomas had a great 2015-16 season, as he averaged 22 points per game and six assists per game. If these young players can play consistently all season and Horford stays healthy, the Celtics can be one of the best teams in the East.
A few other interesting teams in the East are the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls. The Pacers did a great job in free agency, as they signed players such as Jeff Teague, Al Jefferson and Thaddeus Young. They will also have Paul George for a full season, which should definitely help them.
The Knicks also had a good offseason, signing free agents such as Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Brandon Jennings. These three players may not have the same talent that they once had, but they can bring depth to the team that already has stars like Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis.
The Bulls had a disappointing 2015-16 season, as they missed the playoffs by only two games. They got rid of Rose, Noah and Pau Gasol, but made up for it by signing Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade, and also trading for Michael Carter-Williams. The Bulls already have a great player in Jimmy Butler, and Wade and Rondo should be key pieces for a team that looks to have playoff aspirations for this season.
So, the Eastern Conference should definitely be interesting to watch this season. We all know that the Cavs are most likely going to be the best team in the conference, but it will be fun to see how the rest of the conference plays during the season. There are many teams that can improve off of last season, even ones that were not mentioned in this article.
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