Blakely's Eastern Conference preview

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BOSTON -- For teams looking to be best in the East, the path to the Finals will once again have to go through LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

While there’s plenty of signs that Father Time is gaining ground on James, he is still the most complete player in the league with the ability to take over a game at a moment’s notice.

Cleveland may take its lumps early in the season with James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and newly signed Tristan Thompson all working their way back into tip-top game shape. But it’s all about the finish -- not the beginning -- when it comes to how the Cavs define a successful season.

Here’s a look at how the Eastern Conference stacks up heading into the regular season, which begins on Tuesday.

BACK OF THE PACK

15. Philadelphia – This is Year 3 of their rebuilding process. Sadly, it looks as though this will be yet another bottom-of-the-barrel season for the Sixers.
14. Brooklyn – Joe Johnson has little left in the tank and, while Brook Lopez can score with the best of the league’s big men, they will need a slew of players having career seasons just to be competitive.
13. Charlotte – The potential season-ending injury to Michael Kidd- Gilchrist is a major blow to the Hornets' postseason aspirations. You have to love Big Al Jefferson, but he's missed 51 games in the last four years.
TRAILING THE PACK
12. New York Knicks – Kristaps Porzingis has talent, but isn’t ready to be an impact player just yet. Even though Carmelo Anthony has more weapons around him now, it won’t be enough to lift the Knicks back into being a legitimate playoff contender.
11. Detroit – Greg Monroe’s exodus will clear up the paint area for Andre Drummond to do more work. That should help the Pistons improve on an Effective Field-Goal Percentage (eFG%) of 48.2, which ranked 24th in the NBA.
10. Orlando – Teams better beat up on the Magic while they have the chance. New coach Scott Skiles wins an average of 17 more games between his first and second seasons on the job.

MIDDLE OF THE PACK
9. Indiana – A healthy Paul George, along with the addition of Monta Ellis, makes for a potential explosive 1-2 scoring punch for the Pacers.
8. Toronto – DeMarre Carroll adds two-way talent to the mix. But the loss of Amir Johnson (Boston) and Lou Williams (Los Angeles Lakers) will factor in their slide in the Eastern Conference standings.
7. Boston – The Celtics have lots of depth, but will it be enough to catapult them beyond being a playoff contender?


RUNNING WITH THE PACK
6. Miami – Justice Winslow was a huge draft night steal for Miami, but the fate of the Heat still lies in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh staying healthy.
5. Chicago – New coach Fred Hoiberg will look to open things offensively, with Doug McDermott likely to be the biggest benefactor.
4. Washington – Bradley Beal is a really good player, but he needs to become this season’s Klay Thompson if the Wizards are to get to the Conference finals or NBA Finals.

LEADERS OF THE PACK
3. Atlanta – They return four All-Stars and will be motivated to succeed following the departure of DeMarre Carroll and the sting of getting swept in the Conference finals.
2. Milwaukee – The addition of Greg Monroe, coupled with Jabari Parker’s return, makes an already deep team easily one of the league’s elite clubs.
1. Cleveland – Tristan Thompson re-signing all but sealed the Cavaliers as the odds-on favorite to repeat as Eastern Conference champs this year.

 

 

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