• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

April 17, 2015

The race for the eight and final spot in the eastern conference playoffs went down to the very last day of the regular season. The Brooklyn Nets secured their third straight trip to the playoffs with a win over the Orlando Magic and a loss by the Indiana Pacers. The playoff picture is now complete and will begin this Saturday April 18th 2015. The Eastern Conference Playoff Preview is as follows.

Atlanta Hawks (1) vs Brooklyn Nets (8)

The Hawks had one of their greatest regular seasons this year. They finished the season at 60-22. The Hawks were led by a handful of all-stars and played the style of basketball that most coaches dream of but often cannot achieve. Ball and player movement is the key to their success. Their defensive pressure is also one of their greatest attributes. Jeff Teague, Al Horford, Paul Milsap and Kyle Corver are the heart of this team and together these all stars easily led the Hawks throughout this magnificent season. They come into the playoffs with the best record in the east but without playoff success they seemed to be over looked. One of their best perimeter defenders, Thabo Sefolosha is out for the season due to injury, however they have enough talent and great coaching to win this series. The Nets have been one of the hottest teams after the all-star break however this group has underachieved for most of the season. They finished the season at 38-44. They come into the playoffs still searching for a clear identity. For the Nets to compete against the Hawks their stars, Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson will have to play their best games every game of this series, which will in itself be difficult as these three have had inconsistent play all year. Prediction Hawks in 5.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2) vs Boston Celtics (7)

We should first congratulate the Boston Celtics and their bright and young coach Brad Stevens. They made the payoffs after making a handful of changes to their roster during the season, utilizing role players with clever coaching. The Celtics are a scrappy bunch, they play with intensity every night and they play together and for one another. They finished the regular season with a 40-42 record. Being matched up against the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers is the reward for the Celtics. The Cavs have the greatest player on the planet, Mr Lebron James, all-star guard Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. The Cavs rookie coach David Blatt is no stranger to success. He has won several titles in the Israeli League, Italian league and the Euro League. This has been his first foray with the NBA and so far he has translated his success to the league. The Cavs started the season slowly and unsure about themselves however they really stepped on the gas after the all-star break. The mid season acquisitions of J.R. Smith, Timofey Mosgov and Iman Shumpert paid immediate dividends. The Cavs are poised for a long playoff run.  They finished the season with 53-29 second to the conference leading Hawks, however make no mistake the Cavs are the favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference. Prediction Cavs in 4.

Chicago Bulls (3) vs Milwaukee Bucks (6)

This is one the more interesting matchups in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The veteran and playoff tested Bulls versus the young and inexperienced Bucks. Derrick Rose has returned for the Bulls, it remains to be seen if he can re-acclimate himself to the line up without disrupting the flow of the offense. The Bulls have become accustomed to playing without him. Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol have had all-star seasons while Rose and Joakim Noah have both been dealing with nagging injuries. They finished the season 50-32, with Rose missing 31 games and Noah missing 15 games. The Bulls still managed to stay afloat in the eastern conference. Taj Gibson has also had injury troubles however with outstanding play from veterans Aaron Brooks and Mike Dunleavy and the emergence of rookie Nicola Mirotic the Bulls are in good shape. Coming into the season with a healthy Derrick Rose the Bulls were the favorite to come out of the eastern conference. The Bucks are the most improved team in the NBA. They were the worst team last season finishing 15-67 landing them the second overall pick in the 2014 draft  Jabari Parker. Parker started the season well but went down for the season with a knee injury. His teammates, continued to play well and the team finished the season at .500 with a 41-41 record. Jason Kidd has coached well in his first season and should be a nominee for coach of the year. Their other bright young star Giannis Antentokounmpo has shown flashes of brilliance in just his second season in the league. Khris Middleton has played well and the acquisition of Michael Carter -Williams brought size to the point guard position. The departure of Brandon Knight via trade has affected the Bucks on the offensive end of the court. The Bucks face a tough challenge, they average 98 points per game and the Bulls have been one of the top defensive teams for the past few seasons under coach Thibodeau. With the two cites separated by approximately 81 miles this should be a fun matchup for their respective fans. Prediction Bulls in 6.

Toronto Raptors (4) vs Washington Wizards (50)

This matchup features a showdown between two of the league’s better backcourt duos. The tandem of Kyle Lowry and Demar Derozan of the Raptors versus their counterparts John Wall and Bradley Beal of the Wizards. Both the Raptors and Wizards started the season strong however both teams had key injuries to their star players DeRozan missed 22 games due to a groin injury and Beal missed 19 games due to ankle issues. Both teams also struggled in the second half of the season and are looking to put that behind them. The key to this series will be the play of all star point guards John Wall and Kyle Lowry. Wall has had a wonderful season; he has matured and has taken a leadership role on the young Wizards squad. Lowry has also had some injury issues as of late but throughout the season he has proven to be one of the elite point guards in the league. Both teams rely on production from their bench. The Wizards have veteran leadership in Paul Pierce and the Raptors added Lou Williams during the off-season. Prediction Raptors in 7.

By Sherman Gomez

"Basketball is my favorite sport, I like the way they dribble up and down the court." "I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller." "Last week messed around and got a triple double." I write about basketball sometimes and then I try to go play....

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