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NBA Playoff Picture: Eastern Conference

Date: April 5, 2022

By: Alejandro Lopez

Two Milwaukee Bucks players stand on the court during a game.

Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today

The NBA playoffs begin on April 16, and for the Eastern Conference, each game played will matter down the stretch for each team.

For the current playoff squads, seeds one through six are separated by four and a half games while the play-in teams (seeds seven through 10) are separated by just two games. With the conference being so competitive towards the end of the season there are serious question marks for most teams as to how far they can go into the playoffs.

While some teams are crawling towards the finish line, others have started to fire on all cylinders.   

The Favorites

Milwaukee Bucks

The “Greek Freak” continues to dominate the league and what is special about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s play as of late is that he seems to be getting better with time.

The Bucks saw themselves facing off in two marquee matchups at the end of March against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets, both of which Giannis dominated in. He had more than 40 points and 10 rebounds while executing in the clutch in both games.

All of this while playing against arguably the two other best players in the conference, Joel Embiid, and Kevin Durant, along with their co-stars, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. What makes the Bucks so dangerous is that they aren’t just some one man show.

The team has two other all-star caliber talents in Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday (who are both some of the best two-way players in the league) as well as size, mobility, and shooting at every position.

Even after what many people claimed to be a “lucky” run in last year’s playoffs the Milwaukee Bucks seem poised to make yet another deep run in the 2022 playoffs.

The Contenders

Boston Celtics                                                                                                 

The Boston Celtics are a perfect example of a team getting red hot at just the right time of year. After what was seemingly going to be yet another disappointing season for the Celtics after last year’s first round exit going into the All-Star break, the Boston Celtics came out running and have yet to slow down.

Anchored by their defense, the Celtics have had the best defensive rating in the NBA this season. Much of this has to do with a combination of head coach Ime Udoka’s defensive gameplan along with the Celtics personnel.

The five-man starting rotation of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Grant Williams, and Robert Williams III has allowed the Celtics to be able to switch one through five on defense while remaining mobile enough to be able to swarm on rotations. Which leads to the unfortunate events that have transpired recently for the ball club.

Williams III was recently diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee leaving him out for four to six weeks. This leaves a gaping hole in the Celtics gameplan as without their main center on defense, Boston will look to the bench for a replacement (likely Al Horford).

Until Williams III returns, the Celtics will likely have to rely on spectacular performances from their two-headed monster on the wing (Tatum and Brown) for their post season success.

Philadelphia 76ers                                                                                    

It would be hard for me to leave off a team with James Harden as its second-best player from a list of contending teams in the Eastern Conference.

The 76ers main strength is Joel Embiid’s dominance. Even before Harden’s arrival, Embiid’s level of play saw the 76ers remain relevant in a season where many expected them to dip due to them losing Ben Simmons for the entire season before he was inevitably traded.

He has been one of the league’s leading MVP candidates averaging 30 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for the season on 49% shooting from the field.

Another factor has been the play of Tyrese Maxey who has emerged as a key piece in not only Philadelphia’s present but also, its future. For most of the season, Maxey has filled in for Ben Simmons as the 76ers point guard, giving the team 17 points and four assists-per-game on the season with his increased minutes.

However, even with the arrival of Maxey and the dominance of Embiid the key to sunshine in Philadelphia will be their acquisition of Harden. If Harden can be the perennial MVP candidate he once was, then Philadelphia has a good chance of winning the Eastern Conference outright.

The problem is he has struggled to be that person since his hamstring injury last year. The 76ers season will hang on the back of the beard.

Alejandro Lopez can be reached at alejandro.lopez1@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports

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