During the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Kevin Pelton briefly discussed the Eastern Conference pecking order, noting that there doesn’t appear to be a clear-cut favorite to represent the East in the NBA Finals in 2024.
Pelton says he would pick the Celtics at this point, while Lowe agrees that he’d probably lean toward Boston by “default,” despite the fact that he’s unsure how losing Marcus Smart and Grant Williams and adding Kristaps Porzingis will impact the team. The Celtics’ new identity without a longtime leader like Smart is certainly something to monitor heading into the season, but several of the East’s other would-be contenders will have significant questions of their own to answer.
The Bucks, for instance, are coming off a first-round playoff exit and may feel added pressure following Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s comments about his long-term future; the Heat lost two key rotation players in Max Strus and Gabe Vincent, and they’ve been unable to complete a trade for Damian Lillard; the Sixers have yet to resolve James Harden‘s trade request.
Milwaukee, Boston, and Philadelphia were the East’s best teams during the regular season in 2022/23, while Miami had an incredible playoff run to win the conference. On paper, those four teams might be the frontrunners in the East again, but that hierarchy could easily be upended, Lowe notes.
“Maybe in two months this will just be nonsense,” Lowe said. “(Maybe) James Harden will be back and playing well, and the Celtics will look awesome. (Maybe) Milwaukee will be totally fine and who cares what Giannis said two months ago, they’ll be 23-4. It just feels a little more unstable than it did last year.
“… Like, if we woke up in the conference finals and New York or Cleveland or Team X was one of the two teams in it… I’m not sure I’m going to pick that, but right now I wouldn’t be surprised.”
The oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag currently list the Celtics, Bucks, Heat, and Sixers, in that order, as the best bets to come out of the East. Those four teams are followed by the Cavaliers (+1100) and the Knicks (+1800), with the rest of the East’s clubs, including the Hawks (+3300), Raptors (+4000), and Nets (+5000) viewed as extreme long shots.
We want to know what you think. If you had to make your pick today, which team would you choose to come out of the East? Which of the potential concerns for the conference’s top teams do you view as legitimate and which ones are overblown?
Make your pick in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
26 votes to “another team”. I wonder which team those 26 guys are thinking about. Nets? Hawks? Raptors? Can’t figure out
Definitely Nets homers
In thinking of a tradefor Dame…how much better is Dame than Jrue?
Good question. Jrue has trouble scoring some nights and is an average 3pt shooter, but is still elite defensively. Jrue and Pat Connaughton for Dame could work. Dame’s scoring and shooting would open up things for Giannis. Teams often shrink the floor when Jrue is in the game because of his reluctancy to shoot. I don’t think the Bucks would lose too much on the defensive side with Dame, and the offensive upside is tremendous.
Cleveland laughable
I’ll go with the Celtics. I think the Cavs and Pacers shouldn’t be overlooked. Miami will fade with an aging Butler. Philly: Embiid misses 20 games, Harden never misses a Strip Club.
Amazing that the Knicks have the least drama out of all the Eastern Conf teams…
Give it time. Randles is about to stir stuff up
The Bucks are the favorites. A healthy Bucks team is a contender. And imo is favorite to come out of East. Dame on the Heat makes them a contender. The Celtics are better. And should also be a contender. Sixers are all mixed up. I’ll take the Cavs next. Then I take the Knicks. Knicks can still make a move. And could also be a contender. Not without a trade. They are a solid playoff team getting better.
Bucks and Heat (with Dame). Are top dogs In the East.
100% agree. I’ll add, the Bucks are most likely to be operating at high level from the very beginning of the season with few adjustments throughout the season. Plus, Giannis’ work ethic combined with a strong desire to be MVP will keep him in the line-up for more games and for longer in those games. Simce this poll is about regular season success, I give MIL the edge.
Cavs are in a similar situation but not quite proven, so they will hopefully see success in regular season with Spida pulling off lots of clutch wins throughout season.
if we’re betting, i got the money on cle and ny.