The East is WIDE OPEN next season

[bluerap23]

The Eastern Conference is the worst i have ever seen it....I don't remember a time where there are no teams that even have a chance to compete against the Western Conference team that makes it out to finals. Like it really won't even be fun to watch because of how much of a mismatch it will be....Thunder/Nuggets/Rockets/Lakers/Spurs would all dog walk any team that makes it out of the East....

Giannis needs to be traded to the Knicks or something to make it at least a fair matchup.

There is always a chance. You could argue that the Raptors have a pretty good chance of winning this year. Maybe better chance this year than the next few. The East is so weak that the team that makes it to the finals will have gotten their way easier than the team from the west that has to go through a gauntlet to make it. Then an injury happens and the door is open...

[Potential]

There's going to be that 1 team who makes a big trade that will put them as favorites to win the east

[mustardtiger]

There's going to be that 1 team who makes a big trade that will put them as favorites to win the east

Yeah I think this will happen. And it will be one of the Knicks, Cavs, or Pistons who do it. That’s the real top 3 in the East for me. I’d be shocked if a team that wasn’t either of them made the finals at this point regardless of trades.

Going into the season, I think most had Raps in the 6-10 range unless things really went off the rails injury wise. Given early returns I think we have upgraded our status to a ceiling of 4-5 seed. Home advantage in a playoff series would be incredible for a first run for this group. This is what I’m personally hoping for. If the right deal comes along for us, sure take it, but I think it’s too early to do anything massive. We need to see this group in the playoffs to fully assess what adjustments would make the most sense.

[MoneyBall]

It really feels like we've entered a new era of NBA basketball. There's more talent in the league than ever, but it's spread out much more evenly. Who would have thought a year ago that the Pacers had what it takes to make it in the Finals, and come within half a game from winning it all? Conventional wisdom says you need a top-five superstar to get that far, but that doesn’t appear to be the rule anymore.

[TheGeneral99]

It really feels like we've entered a new era of NBA basketball. There's more talent in the league than ever, but it's spread out much more evenly. Who would have thought a year ago that the Pacers had what it takes to make it in the Finals, and come within half a game from winning it all? Conventional wisdom says you need a top-five superstar to get that far, but that doesn’t appear to be the rule anymore.

I personally love this parity era. Was a bit annoying from 2011-2018 watching Lebron super teams and then the Warriors super team win every year, and there was really no doubt as to who going to make the finals.

The East is completely wide open and even in the West, while the Thunder are the favorites, there are 3-4 other teams in the West that could upset them.

[JB7]

It really wasn’t that long ago that Boston was expected to go on a multi-title run.

Now it looks like OKC might do that, but they didn’t exactly cruise through the playoffs last year.

Things change quickly in this era.

This is the impact of the collective agreement, specifically the penalties for teams above the 2nd apron. Even the rich owners are bringing their teams under the 2nd apron. So it was effective, in terms of saving the owners from themselves and the outside pressure to spend.

I think OKC has one more run in them before the 2nd apron destroys their team. Unless players are willing to take a lot less than they are worth, building super teams is impossible in the 2nd apron era.

[JB7]

The Eastern Conference is the worst i have ever seen it....I don't remember a time where there are no teams that even have a chance to compete against the Western Conference team that makes it out to finals. Like it really won't even be fun to watch because of how much of a mismatch it will be....Thunder/Nuggets/Rockets/Lakers/Spurs would all dog walk any team that makes it out of the East....

Giannis needs to be traded to the Knicks or something to make it at least a fair matchup.

There is always a chance. You could argue that the Raptors have a pretty good chance of winning this year. Maybe better chance this year than the next few. The East is so weak that the team that makes it to the finals will have gotten their way easier than the team from the west that has to go through a gauntlet to make it. Then an injury happens and the door is open...

This is it about the East. The trip to the finals is not as difficult as in the West, so for the Western team, if healthy they would probably be the more dominant team (depending on matchups), but if they are not healthy after 3 grueling rounds, it opens the door for the East team.

[TheGeneral99]

The Eastern Conference is the worst i have ever seen it....I don't remember a time where there are no teams that even have a chance to compete against the Western Conference team that makes it out to finals. Like it really won't even be fun to watch because of how much of a mismatch it will be....Thunder/Nuggets/Rockets/Lakers/Spurs would all dog walk any team that makes it out of the East....

Giannis needs to be traded to the Knicks or something to make it at least a fair matchup.

There is always a chance. You could argue that the Raptors have a pretty good chance of winning this year. Maybe better chance this year than the next few. The East is so weak that the team that makes it to the finals will have gotten their way easier than the team from the west that has to go through a gauntlet to make it. Then an injury happens and the door is open...

Yes, even last year, you had the Celtics losing Tatum, Philly missing Embiid, and the Bucks missing Lillard...those were the 3 best teams on paper that got killed by injuries.

Opened it up to the Knicks and Pacers, who are very good teams, but not true contenders in my opinion.

This year it's all so close - Knicks are a very good team but they don't scare you. Cleveland is very well rounded, but also don't have a true superstar closer. Pistons are up and coming but inexperienced. Atlanta is solid, but not a great team. And then you have the Heat, the Magic, the Celtics and the Bucks, which are good, not great teams.

Philly is a dark horse if healthy but the chances of Embiid and George healthy come playoff time is slim.

[bluerap23]

The Eastern Conference is the worst i have ever seen it....I don't remember a time where there are no teams that even have a chance to compete against the Western Conference team that makes it out to finals. Like it really won't even be fun to watch because of how much of a mismatch it will be....Thunder/Nuggets/Rockets/Lakers/Spurs would all dog walk any team that makes it out of the East....

Giannis needs to be traded to the Knicks or something to make it at least a fair matchup.

There is always a chance. You could argue that the Raptors have a pretty good chance of winning this year. Maybe better chance this year than the next few. The East is so weak that the team that makes it to the finals will have gotten their way easier than the team from the west that has to go through a gauntlet to make it. Then an injury happens and the door is open...

Yes, even last year, you had the Celtics losing Tatum, Philly missing Embiid, and the Bucks missing Lillard...those were the 3 best teams on paper that got killed by injuries.

Opened it up to the Knicks and Pacers, who are very good teams, but not true contenders in my opinion.

This year it's all so close - Knicks are a very good team but they don't scare you. Cleveland is very well rounded, but also don't have a true superstar closer. Pistons are up and coming but inexperienced. Atlanta is solid, but not a great team. And then you have the Heat, the Magic, the Celtics and the Bucks, which are good, not great teams.

Philly is a dark horse if healthy but the chances of Embiid and George healthy come playoff time is slim.

Yup and Indy almost taking down the supposedly way more dominant OKC team, which they might have done if Hali doesn't get injured. You just never know when you get there.

[DreamTeam09]

The Raptors are better than Detroit, I'm laying my stake in that for sure

[CPT]

It really wasn’t that long ago that Boston was expected to go on a multi-title run.

Now it looks like OKC might do that, but they didn’t exactly cruise through the playoffs last year.

Things change quickly in this era.

This is the impact of the collective agreement, specifically the penalties for teams above the 2nd apron. Even the rich owners are bringing their teams under the 2nd apron. So it was effective, in terms of saving the owners from themselves and the outside pressure to spend.

I think OKC has one more run in them before the 2nd apron destroys their team. Unless players are willing to take a lot less than they are worth, building super teams is impossible in the 2nd apron era.

My take right now is that OKC gets one of the next two, and then we enter the Wemby era.

A lot can change though.

Maybe younger teams will become a trend. When you have max-talent players on rookie contracts, it’s such a huge advantage.

[JB7]

It really wasn’t that long ago that Boston was expected to go on a multi-title run.

Now it looks like OKC might do that, but they didn’t exactly cruise through the playoffs last year.

Things change quickly in this era.

This is the impact of the collective agreement, specifically the penalties for teams above the 2nd apron. Even the rich owners are bringing their teams under the 2nd apron. So it was effective, in terms of saving the owners from themselves and the outside pressure to spend.

I think OKC has one more run in them before the 2nd apron destroys their team. Unless players are willing to take a lot less than they are worth, building super teams is impossible in the 2nd apron era.

My take right now is that OKC gets one of the next two, and then we enter the Wemby era.

A lot can change though.

Maybe younger teams will become a trend. When you have max-talent players on rookie contracts, it’s such a huge advantage.

That is the problem for OKC. After this season, their two rookie contract players become max contract players, and the sheading of salaries will begin.

It seems like the trend now is teams cycling through 2-3 years of competitiveness before contract commitments come into play.

[filsor]

It really wasn’t that long ago that Boston was expected to go on a multi-title run.

Now it looks like OKC might do that, but they didn’t exactly cruise through the playoffs last year.

Things change quickly in this era.

This is the impact of the collective agreement, specifically the penalties for teams above the 2nd apron. Even the rich owners are bringing their teams under the 2nd apron. So it was effective, in terms of saving the owners from themselves and the outside pressure to spend.

I think OKC has one more run in them before the 2nd apron destroys their team. Unless players are willing to take a lot less than they are worth, building super teams is impossible in the 2nd apron era.

My take right now is that OKC gets one of the next two, and then we enter the Wemby era.

A lot can change though.

Maybe younger teams will become a trend. When you have max-talent players on rookie contracts, it’s such a huge advantage.

While I agree, Wendy could end up injury prone. I could see a year he is not injured And San Antonio goes to th3 finals or wins it then another year they are mid with a injured wemby