After an offseason full of movement, it seemed like there was finally going to be a power shift in the NBA, and the East would be the superior conference for the first time in a long time. The Eastern Conference was supposed to be deeper and have more Finals contenders than the West, which looked like it had two juggernauts in the Thunder and Spurs, and not much else.
But now that we’re almost a month into the season, it sure looks like that hype was completely overblown and there hasn’t been much of a shift at all. The East was supposed to have 12 teams in the mix for playoff spots and as many as seven or eight legitimate contenders, but that clearly hasn’t been the case.
Let’s run through the conference and where people got it wrong, where there was more wish-casting and hope than actual reasons for optimism.
Raptors, Pacers, Heat, and Cavaliers don't look like contenders
The Raptors were a dark-horse, trendy pick to make the Finals, and Kawhi or not, that looks crazy. They’re a frisky regular-season bunch, and they can play good defense, but they’re 5-6, and Leonard is already hurt. Betting on him to be healthy and actually elevate this team to the top of the East never made any sense given his recent history.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s tenure in Miami is off to a miserable start, and that roster makes no sense at all. They need a lot of changes and likely a couple of transaction cycles before they’re anywhere close to contention.
Indiana still looks lost without Tyrese Haliburton, and sadly, he’s still not healthy and may not be for a while. Their Finals run from two years ago feels like a long time ago, and they don’t look like they'll be heading back any time soon.
The Cavaliers and Hornets look like they’ve taken a step back; the Magic simply don’t look like a good team at all, and the Hawks and Wizards aren’t ready for prime time. At this point, things look like they really haven’t changed that much from last season. It’s the Celtics, the Knicks, the 76ers, and the Pistons, and then everyone else.
Celtics still look like the class of the East
It’s still extremely early, and obviously things can change, but anyone who thought the East had passed the Celtics by and that the team would struggle to avoid the play-in looks very foolish. If anything, Boston looks like the class of the East, and they have as few questions as any team in the conference. Health is always going to be a massive factor, but the Celtics have as much depth as anyone.
There’s a long road ahead, and this is going to be a war of attrition, but as the NBA season starts to settle in, it sure looks like the more things change, the more they stay the same, and rumors of a power shift in the league appear to have been greatly exaggerated.
Add us as a preferred source on Google