SI's Marty Burns ranks the east

[Test of Wills]

Marty Burns of SI thinks this is how the east stacks up after the major trades...

1. Boston
2. Cleveland
3. Orlando
4. Philly
5. Washington
6. Detroit
7. Toronto
8. Pacers

Those 3 teams I bolded are either too low or too high IMO...
I think Detroit is still up there with the big dogs being 2nd in the conference after Boston...
I think Toronto should be somewhere in the 5-6 range before Washington...
And Indiana is too high IMO, I see as many as three teams ahead of them I think Atlanta,Miami or Milwaukee have a better chance grabbing that 8th spot before Indy...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/w ... ngs/1.html

[Flash3]

Not sure how he has the Pacers as the 8th best team in the East.....

[MaryvalesFinest]

Pistons probally should be higher other than that the rankings seem about right, it's all about the wessssst sideeeeeeeee though.

[pacers33granger]

hes gotta have a lotta faith in hibbert, rasho, foster, and murphy up front for us to make the playoffs.

[10scott10]

i will be the first to say it.

crack is whack

[Cybulski37]

I think if you bumped Detroit up to third it looks fine. Cleveland might not finish that high in the reg. season but they are still the second best team in the East. JO very well might miss a lot of time, or not be too effective.

[BMF Jet Jaguar]

SI hates atlanta. I remember last year whoever was the 'scout' that writes the season preview article for each team just ripped the hawks. Didnt have one good thing to say about them.

[DMannOC]

The way Wade is looking right now makes me think they will be a play off team, also i think Cleveland is too high and Detroit is too low

Boston
Orlando
Detroit
Phili
Washington
Cleveland
Toronto
Miami


Atlanta
Indiana
Nets
Chicago
Bobcats
Knicks
Bucks

[HarlemHeat37]

LOL..Detroit @ 6? every year the media predicts their demise..

[theTHIEF]

Pistons probally should be higher other than that the rankings seem about right, it's all about the wessssst sideeeeeeeee though.

Celtics said whatttup...

[GreenWithEnvy]

there is no possibly way Orlando, Washington or Cleveland is better than Philadelphia. Detroit and Boston are for sure, no arguments here. But Orlando is a team that lives and dies with the 3, Washington plays ZERO D and did nothing to make themselves better and Cleveland got better on O and a whole lot worse on D with Mo Williams. Plus, hes not the difference maker Brand is. Philadelphia was a post presence away from the ECF and they got one of the leagues best.

[DMannOC]

there is no possibly way Orlando, Washington or Cleveland is better than Philadelphia. Detroit and Boston are for sure, no arguments here. But Orlando is a team that lives and dies with the 3, Washington plays ZERO D and did nothing to make themselves better and Cleveland got better on O and a whole lot worse on D with Mo Williams. Plus, hes not the difference maker Brand is. Philadelphia was a post presence away from the ECF and they got one of the leagues best.

and your team would kill for someone who could make a 3

Not to mention the Magic had over 50 wins last year... we must have gotten really lucky from beyond the 3 point line a lot last season. Youre right, last year must have been a fluke. Good luck next season.

[Duiz]

Woah.. pundit craziness here... Cleveland is not No 2 in the East. Orlando, Philly, and Detroit have/will make sure of that.

[dockingsched]

elton brand's post offense is severely overrated by sixers fans that just see a 20ppg pf.

06/07 - 70% jump shots
http://www.82games.com/0607/06LAC16A.HTM

05/06 - 70% jump shots
http://www.82games.com/0506/05LAC13A.HTM


he's become heavily reliant on his midrange jumpshot since improving it a couple of yrs ago.

[ilikecb4]

marty burns is an idiot

[celticfan42487]

ORL should continue their 50 win pace. DET should continue there.. 55+ win pace. BOS should go down to 55+ win pace.

PHIL, WAS, CLE fight out the other two spots.

TOR, I think they will be have this spot and they will be just a couple of games out of the Phil,Was,Cle race.

And then idk MIA or something.

That's my prediction.

[joe.linnen]

marty burns is an idiot

I'm incline to agree.

Celtics
Pistons
Cavaliers
76ers
Magic
Washington
Raptors
Heat

Before you go off on me I'm going off of how they look on paper.

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

Everytime I see the Cleveland Cavaliers ranked higher then us. I cry. Cleveland will be a good offensive team. But not a consistent one. Philadelphia's offense is much more consistent, and it's defense that much more lethal. It's a 3 way battle with Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia. With a Bos/PHI ECF that SHOULD get the best ratings. No one was alive for the Lakers/Celtics rivalry. The Sixers/Celtics rivalry is one of the historic greats. Up there with Bird VS Magic, Jordan VS Pistons.

[INKtastic]

Everytime I see the Cleveland Cavaliers ranked higher then us. I cry. Cleveland will be a good offensive team. But not a consistent one. Philadelphia's offense is much more consistent, and it's defense that much more lethal. It's a 3 way battle with Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia. With a Bos/PHI ECF that SHOULD get the best ratings. No one was alive for the Lakers/Celtics rivalry. The Sixers/Celtics rivalry is one of the historic greats. Up there with Bird VS Magic, Jordan VS Pistons.

You realize that Bird vs Magic was a major part of the Celtics/Lakers rivalry, right? And that at the time, Celtics fans preferred Philly winning over LA (the chants of "Beat LA" when philly was closing out boston in the ECF).

As for Cleveland, keep right on underestimating us after our injury/holdout plagued season where we missed an average of over 2 players per game yet with a starting lineup of players who hadn't started together until game 1 of the playoffs, were just a play or two away from knocking of boston despite our best shooter being out that game.

[Cowology]

People have been saying Detroit couldn't make it back to the ECF for about 5 years now. Whatever.