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West | East -------------------- April 22, 2005 Little brother no more. by Tyson Wirth1 2 For the last five years the Eastern Conference playoffs have been an afterthought. The East was that wide-eyed little kid who wanted to play sandlot baseball with his older brother and friends, but only got to tag along because there were uneven numbers. Young and inferior, their representatives in the Finals were routinely kicked around by the Lakers and Spurs, and probably could have been taken by a couple of Kings, Mavs, and T-Wolves versions as well. Only now, things are different. Only now, little brother’s all grown up. The Detroit Pistons, undisputed reigning champs of the NBA, are rolling into the playoffs on the heels of an eleven-game win streak, and are back to playing that kind of scary-good defense that wins championships. They’re not even the one-seed in the conference; the exponential growth of Dwayne Wade and the acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal has the Heat close to 60 wins, and a host of still-better-than-you-think teams follow up the big two. The Celtics are quietly playing great basketball, years of lottery picks have loaded the Bulls with talent, and the Wizards have their own pair of All-Stars. Does that mean folks in Washington should be preparing a championship parade? Absolutely not. But one through eight, little brother is… well… not so little anymore. Here’s the breakdown of the Eastern Eight: • MIAMI HEAT Pros: It never hurts to have a three-time Finals MVP and league champion, who just happens to be leading the league in field goal percentage (60.1%) again. It really doesn’t hurt if that dominant force, known as Shaquille O’Neal to us mortals, is the second option on his team. Besides the amazing Dwayne Wade (24.1 ppg, 6.8 apg, 5.2 rpg, 1.57 spg) and the inimitable O’Neal (22.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 2.34 bpg), Damon Jones has quietly been great, shooting 43.2%... from three point land. Miami outscores everybody in the East, and is 35-6 at home, where they’ll host every series they make until the Finals. Udonis Haslem is a nice piece at power forward, and the addition of Alonzo Mourning makes the Heat dangerous even if *knock on wood* something should happen to The Daddy at exactly the wrong moment. Cons: The Diesel has deferred to Wade all season long. If Miami is in a jam, can Shaq afford not to take over the game? And if he does take over, will Wade be able to adjust not having the ball in his hands at crunch time? O’Neal’s also nursing a bruised thigh, and even the short time off could affect his conditioning against a running team. Shaq’s free throws have been even more horrifying than usual this year (46.1%), and frankly the whole team suffers from charity-line frigidity at times. It’s been no secret that Eddie Jones and his career low scoring average have been a big disappointment. • DETROIT PISTONS Pros: These guys are tied with San Antonio as the best defensive team in the league, and we all know it’s not offense that wins in the postseason (just ask the Yankees). They’re on a double digit win streak, and all of their key components will be healthy come opening tip of the playoffs. Perennial Coach of the Year candidate Larry Brown hasn’t jumped ship yet, and obviously almost the entire roster has championship experience. Antonio McDyess is a physical presence off the bench, and the five starters are all capable of being game-changers, in different enough ways that they don’t step on each others’ feet. Until anyone proves otherwise, they’re the champs and I fully expect them to play with the swagger they’ve earned. Cons: Of the 16 playoff teams, only the Pacers and Nets score less than Detroit. While it’s true that defense wins in the playoffs, you’d rather have offense + defense (Heat) than just defense (Pistons). Backup point guard Carlos Arroyo has been a bust, and the backup backcourt in general is inferior, a detail which will get magnified if Billups or Hamilton goes down. Not a great road team, and not as consistent as last year, although they have the same talent. • BOSTON CELTICS Pros: I was as skeptical of Danny Ainge’s sanity as anyone when the Antoine Walker trade was announced, but minus a little four game skid at the end of March, the Celtics are 17 and 5 since ‘Toine came aboard. They’re averaging over 103 points during that stretch, and have had an excellent year from Paul Pierce (21.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.62 spg, played every contest). Center Raef Lafrentz can be a difference maker and tough matchup when his outside shot is falling, and Gary Payton is still a plus despite approaching his 73rd birthday. Doc Rivers has done a fine job of keeping a plethora of egos in line, and because of it the Celtics won the Atlantic. Cons: As hot as they’ve been on offense, they still give up over a 100 a game, and are weak up front where they get out-rebounded. Boston takes care of the ball about as carefully as George Bush takes care of Alaskan wildlife, averaging almost 16 turnovers a game (second worst to Chicago among playoff teams). No defense + weak rebounding + carelessness with the ball might = first round upset. • CHICAGO BULLS Pros: The Bulls are a poor man’s Pistons, playing scrappy team defense, not relying on one superstar to carry them, and contending for championships. Alright, the last part is still a stretch, but Chicago is rightfully excited about their team that wins more often than Detroit, Miami, or even Phoenix when scoring 100+ points. The Bulls lead the league in field goal percentage against (42.2), and have played well through various stretches of injuries to Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, and leading scorer Eddy Curry (16.1 ppg). Deng and Curry have been done for the season for a while, but Chicago still managed to close out a race for home-court advantage in the first round series between themselves and a talented Washington team. After an 0 and 9 start, that’s saying something. Cons: What’s also saying something is that the young Bulls lead the league in turnovers… by a lot. In fact, they’re the only team to average more than 16 turnovers a night. In addition, their scariest offensive weapon, fourth-quarter specialist Ben Gordon, is a rookie, and I don’t have to tell you rookies and the NBA playoffs mix about as well as zits and your high school prom photo. Depth upfront is a big enough concern that shrewd GM John Paxson had to resort to signing the likes of Lawrence Funderburke last week. 1 2 West | East -------------------- Next: Days of their lives Previous: The jump Back to articles Back to top © 2001-2005 H o o p s C o r n e r . c o m, All rights reserved Terms of service Privacy policy Contact |