The East is the “Leastern Conference” once more
This off-season was one of the best in a long, long while. It has brought balance to the entire league and particularly it brought balance to the Eastern Conference. Each of the top teams from last season had some major changes.
The most impactful change in the conference happened just a couple of days ago. Kawhi Leonard has informed the world he is taking his talents to Los Angeles and with that, comes many implications. With Leonard leaving, the defending Eastern champions won’t be returning to the finals anytime soon and may perhaps fall to the fourth or fifth seed.
The team that could have won it all, the Philadelphia 76ers lost their best go-to scorer and their closer. Although they managed to retain Tobias Harris and traded for Jimmy Butler, they still lost JJ Reddick and that is a significant loss in their scoring department. However, even with that they still remain a top 2 team in the conference.
Another team that may have taken a step back is the Boston Celtics. They suffered two blows that despite what everyone thinks, it will definitely hurt them. The Celtics lost both Kyrie Irving and Al Horford but had found a way to add Kemba Walker. However, it wasn’t just those two losses, Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier, and Aron Baynes all decided to leave. They still remain as one of the top teams but they will join the rest of the pack in the conference.
Finally, we have two injury-riddled teams that may not be 100 percent for these playoffs. The Indiana Pacers have made some major additions but Victor Oladipo won’t be fully ready until January. The Brooklyn Nets have won the free agency when it comes to the East but they will be without Kevin Durant and will rely on the young players and Kyrie Irving.
So, where does this leave the Miami Heat?
- Star, check.
- Depth, check.
- Great coach, check.
- Good system, check.
- A mix of young and veteran players, check.
As you can see it leaves Miami in a perfect place to compete right now. As a team, they have improved significantly. Then you look at the competition and they have gotten worse. Currently, in my opinion, there are two definite teams that are better than the Heat and that is 76ers and Bucks. The rest of the pack is up for grabs and anything can happen.
Whatever team the Heat get matched up within the playoffs, it will be a close series and teams viewing the Heat as a non-threat will regret it.