Eastern Conference– Pick the 3 Most Likely to Make the Finals

[The Servant]

I went Celtics, Knicks, and Cavs. Playoff exp and pedigree are needed to make a run deep enough to make the Finals. I like the Pistons, but like the year OKC locked up the #1 seed for the first time, they weren't used to trading blows and grinding out victories yoff style.

[thelead]

The healthiest of the top 6 teams (NYK, Boston, Cavs, Pistons, Magic, Cavs)

[bisme37]

Just gonna stick this here

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[tiderulz]

Not the Pistons, their coach can't get past the 2nd round his entire career.

Not the Magic, their coach has had exactly 1 winning season in his career.

Not the Cavs, the entire core (and their coach) are stuck at the 2nd round.

================================

1a. Knicks. Mike Brown took the Cavs to the Finals a billion years ago but at least he knows what it takes. LeBron or not.

1b. Celtics. They just won a title with this coach a couple years ago. If/when Tatum rushes back, this team will be a tough out. They still have 8 players on their roster from that championship team.

1c. Heat. Spo factor. He has them playing the gimmicky 7 seconds or less offense but I'd never count him out, great coach.

to be fair, Orlando's coach was a 1st time coach brought into a complete rebuild. not his biggest fan, but he has imprinted a defensively philosophy on the team and they play everyone tough. Their biggest thing will be health more than the coach imo.

i think you are putting coach as too much factor. Coaches arent on the court playing

Coaches are what turn playoff series man. They're the ones coming up with the game plan, not the players. Sure it's up to the players to execute it but if you have a coach who consistently gets out coached, ya won't go far.

i get that a little bit. But it isnt like you are saying Mosley coached for 15 years and only had 1 winning season. His first 2 years were with a complete rebuild, there was no way he would have a winning record and he is only in his 5th year. so i would say in 2 completed seasons, he had 1 winning season, 1 .500 season

[WestbrookGOATed]

Cavs, Knicks, Pistons. In that order.

[JujitsuFlip]

to be fair, Orlando's coach was a 1st time coach brought into a complete rebuild. not his biggest fan, but he has imprinted a defensively philosophy on the team and they play everyone tough. Their biggest thing will be health more than the coach imo.

i think you are putting coach as too much factor. Coaches arent on the court playing

Coaches are what turn playoff series man. They're the ones coming up with the game plan, not the players. Sure it's up to the players to execute it but if you have a coach who consistently gets out coached, ya won't go far.

i get that a little bit. But it isnt like you are saying Mosley coached for 15 years and only had 1 winning season. His first 2 years were with a complete rebuild, there was no way he would have a winning record and he is only in his 5th year. so i would say in 2 completed seasons, he had 1 winning season, 1 .500 season

Okay? So what makes you believe he has the coaching acumen to win 3 playoff series and represent the East in the Finals when has never even won 1 playoff series to date?

[KokoKaizer]

Coaches are what turn playoff series man. They're the ones coming up with the game plan, not the players. Sure it's up to the players to execute it but if you have a coach who consistently gets out coached, ya won't go far.

i get that a little bit. But it isnt like you are saying Mosley coached for 15 years and only had 1 winning season. His first 2 years were with a complete rebuild, there was no way he would have a winning record and he is only in his 5th year. so i would say in 2 completed seasons, he had 1 winning season, 1 .500 season

Okay? So what makes you believe he has the coaching acumen to win 3 playoff series and represent the East in the Finals when has never even won 1 playoff series to date?

So if a coach never achieved it before, he can't ?

Or is it your long Magic hate that speak here ?

[bisme37]

I voted for Knicks, Celtics and Pistons

I was confident picking Knicks (even if their road record is not great), and although it wouldn't have been the case just a month or so ago, I was confident picking the Celtics. Tatum comes back and Brad finds a big at the trade deadline and I think they might be the faves. Please don't strike me down, basketball gods.

The 3rd one was tough. I considered the Cavs and Magic, but the Cavs have been weirdly underwhelming and the Magic just cant stay healthy.

I ended up voting for Detroit to give them respect for their great season and #1 record, but I do think they will likely take some lumps this postseason and come back more experienced and even stronger next year. OKC really impressed me last year by being so young and winning it all in their first deep run, but the Thunder are a juggernaut and that's not usually how it goes.

[JujitsuFlip]

i get that a little bit. But it isnt like you are saying Mosley coached for 15 years and only had 1 winning season. His first 2 years were with a complete rebuild, there was no way he would have a winning record and he is only in his 5th year. so i would say in 2 completed seasons, he had 1 winning season, 1 .500 season

Okay? So what makes you believe he has the coaching acumen to win 3 playoff series and represent the East in the Finals when has never even won 1 playoff series to date?

So if a coach never achieved it before, he can't ?

Or is it your long Magic hate that speak here ?

I said i do not believe the Cavs, Pistons, or Magic will be in the top 3 likeliest to represent the East.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Kerr won a title as a rookie head coach, Lue also won a title as a rookie head coach. It can obviously be done.

I think the key difference here is Kerr won 5 titles as a player and was the GM of a team that went to the conference final. He had been around winning at the NBA level for a long time, even played with MJ.

Lue won 2 titles as a player and was the associate head coach for a Finals team. Played with MJ and Kobe, again been around winning at the NBA level for a long period.

When we look at a guy like Mosley, he never played in the NBA. He went to the WCF once as a back of the bench assistant. What expierence is he drawing from when the times get tough and he can't just preach hustle anymore?

Similarly when we look at jb, he never played professional basketball. He went to the WCF once as an assistant coach. What expierence is he drawing from when the times get tough and he can't just preach hustle anymore?

I went with known commodities, that is why i picked Spo, Joe, and Mike Brown. I don't even think MB is a very good coach but at least he's made the Finals as a head coach and won 3 titles as an associate head coach and a 4th title as an assistant coach. He even lead the Nigeria men's national basketball team to an Olympic bid.

[wegotthabeet]

Just gonna stick this here

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If he comes back healthy this year then they should be the clear favourites. Big if though.

The East is so trash though they there's like a 25% chance they make it regardless. I'll say the Knicks are the most likely for now though. Don't buy Cleveland as a threat in the playoffs and I don't think Detroit or Orlando are ready yet. Miami is always a threat, Atlanta is a major move away and of course Boston has the pedigree.

[tiderulz]

Okay? So what makes you believe he has the coaching acumen to win 3 playoff series and represent the East in the Finals when has never even won 1 playoff series to date?

So if a coach never achieved it before, he can't ?

Or is it your long Magic hate that speak here ?

I said i do not believe the Cavs, Pistons, or Magic will be in the top 3 likeliest to represent the East.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Kerr won a title as a rookie head coach, Lue also won a title as a rookie head coach. It can obviously be done.

I think the key difference here is Kerr won 5 titles as a player and was the GM of a team that went to the conference final. He had been around winning at the NBA level for a long time, even played with MJ.

Lue won 2 titles as a player and was the associate head coach for a Finals team. Played with MJ and Kobe, again been around winning at the NBA level for a long period.

When we look at a guy like Mosley, he never played in the NBA. He went to the WCF once as a back of the bench assistant. What expierence is he drawing from when the times get tough and he can't just preach hustle anymore?

Similarly when we look at jb, he never played professional basketball. He went to the WCF once as an assistant coach. What expierence is he drawing from when the times get tough and he can't just preach hustle anymore?

I went with known commodities, that is why i picked Spo, Joe, and Mike Brown. I don't even think MB is a very good coach but at least he's made the Finals as a head coach and won 3 titles as an associate head coach and a 4th title as an assistant coach. He even lead the Nigeria men's national basketball team to an Olympic bid.

how many HOF'rs did Kerr have as a 1st time coach? winning titles as a player doesnt translate as a coach. How many titles did Larry Bird, Isaiah Thomas and Magic Johnson win as a coach? players win titles these days, coaches make very small impact.

[brackdan70]

Knicks when healthy and clicking are probably the best in the East by a hair. Detroit looks really good obviously. The Celtics have an outside shot….can the young guys keep performing at this level…is Tatum coming back this year?
Idk about the Cavs. On paper that’s a good team and were amazing in last years regular season. Can they get it together?
Magic, Hawks, Raptors all seem solid but I can’t see them getting to the finals.
Lots could still happen…who ends up with AD? Who ends up with Giannis?

I created the thread about Boston being the most dangerous team in the East. But it's contingent on the health of Tatum because they will struggle to score if they are not hitting their 3pt shots without Jason being able to create and go the the FT line IMO.

I agree…or if the refs call fouls for JB like they do for Austin Reeves. He needs to wo k on his fake whiplash lol.

[eyriq]

ESPN BPI provides finals probability. ~85-90% is held by five teams:

Knicks 34.8%
Magic 16.1%
Cavs 15.9%
Celtics 10.1%
Pistons 10.0%

In the West there are three teams, Thunder (68.4%), Rockets (16.4%), and Nuggets (8.7%).

I voted for the Knicks, Magic, Cavs

[JujitsuFlip]

So if a coach never achieved it before, he can't ?

Or is it your long Magic hate that speak here ?

I said i do not believe the Cavs, Pistons, or Magic will be in the top 3 likeliest to represent the East.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Kerr won a title as a rookie head coach, Lue also won a title as a rookie head coach. It can obviously be done.

I think the key difference here is Kerr won 5 titles as a player and was the GM of a team that went to the conference final. He had been around winning at the NBA level for a long time, even played with MJ.

Lue won 2 titles as a player and was the associate head coach for a Finals team. Played with MJ and Kobe, again been around winning at the NBA level for a long period.

When we look at a guy like Mosley, he never played in the NBA. He went to the WCF once as a back of the bench assistant. What expierence is he drawing from when the times get tough and he can't just preach hustle anymore?

Similarly when we look at jb, he never played professional basketball. He went to the WCF once as an assistant coach. What expierence is he drawing from when the times get tough and he can't just preach hustle anymore?

I went with known commodities, that is why i picked Spo, Joe, and Mike Brown. I don't even think MB is a very good coach but at least he's made the Finals as a head coach and won 3 titles as an associate head coach and a 4th title as an assistant coach. He even lead the Nigeria men's national basketball team to an Olympic bid.

how many HOF'rs did Kerr have as a 1st time coach? winning titles as a player doesnt translate as a coach. How many titles did Larry Bird, Isaiah Thomas and Magic Johnson win as a coach? players win titles these days, coaches make very small impact.

If you say so, the argument is still not favorable for the Magic to win 3 series and rep the East in the Finals.

How many players on the the current Magic have any playoff success to speak of?

Franz and Banchero have 12 games each of playoff expierence, never won a series. Suggs even less than that.

Bane is the most seasoned playoff performer on that squad with 22 playoff starts and 1 series victory.

[tiderulz]

I said i do not believe the Cavs, Pistons, or Magic will be in the top 3 likeliest to represent the East.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Kerr won a title as a rookie head coach, Lue also won a title as a rookie head coach. It can obviously be done.

I think the key difference here is Kerr won 5 titles as a player and was the GM of a team that went to the conference final. He had been around winning at the NBA level for a long time, even played with MJ.

Lue won 2 titles as a player and was the associate head coach for a Finals team. Played with MJ and Kobe, again been around winning at the NBA level for a long period.

When we look at a guy like Mosley, he never played in the NBA. He went to the WCF once as a back of the bench assistant. What expierence is he drawing from when the times get tough and he can't just preach hustle anymore?

Similarly when we look at jb, he never played professional basketball. He went to the WCF once as an assistant coach. What expierence is he drawing from when the times get tough and he can't just preach hustle anymore?

I went with known commodities, that is why i picked Spo, Joe, and Mike Brown. I don't even think MB is a very good coach but at least he's made the Finals as a head coach and won 3 titles as an associate head coach and a 4th title as an assistant coach. He even lead the Nigeria men's national basketball team to an Olympic bid.

how many HOF'rs did Kerr have as a 1st time coach? winning titles as a player doesnt translate as a coach. How many titles did Larry Bird, Isaiah Thomas and Magic Johnson win as a coach? players win titles these days, coaches make very small impact.

If you say so, the argument is still not favorable for the Magic to win 3 series and rep the East in the Finals.

How many players on the the current Magic have any playoff success to speak of?

Franz and Banchero have 12 games each of playoff expierence, never won a series. Suggs even less than that.

Bane is the most seasoned playoff performer on that squad with 22 playoff starts and 1 series victory.

again, you havent won a series until you do. guess we will see

[JujitsuFlip]

how many HOF'rs did Kerr have as a 1st time coach? winning titles as a player doesnt translate as a coach. How many titles did Larry Bird, Isaiah Thomas and Magic Johnson win as a coach? players win titles these days, coaches make very small impact.

If you say so, the argument is still not favorable for the Magic to win 3 series and rep the East in the Finals.

How many players on the the current Magic have any playoff success to speak of?

Franz and Banchero have 12 games each of playoff expierence, never won a series. Suggs even less than that.

Bane is the most seasoned playoff performer on that squad with 22 playoff starts and 1 series victory.

again, you havent won a series until you do. guess we will see

Yeah, ya gotta win one before you can even imagine winning 3 in the same season.

Again, going with the proven commodities here.

[Statlanta]

Boston, New York, Cleveland.

Even with homecourt I can't see Detroit going 3 rounds deep into the playoffs with battle-tested playoff teams waiting for them. They need a second star or a better supporting cast.

[VanWest82]

I like Magic as the darkhorse team that surprises Knicks/Cavs and loses to OKC in the Finals. They have too much talent and match up very well against a lot of the top teams.

Edit: if Tatum comes back and is still good then obv Boston would be right there too.

[CobraCommander]

This is the weakest east ever

[Triple M]

This is the weakest east ever

Ive seen weaker. From 99 to 03 and 18