Who worries you the most in the East?

[fairweatherfan]

Removing injuries from the discussion sixers seem to be the biggest threat.

The Sixers big wild-card is outside shooting, from their backcourt in particular. Shooting is key with a perimeter guy who can't shoot from the perimeter, and they lost two of their 3 shooter role guys and got jilted by their main replacement of Bjelica.

Fultz is the guy everyone's looking to and rightfully so but I'm interested in what the rookie Shamet can provide - he was an excellent college shooter and looked pretty solid in preseason. If he can provide consistent floor spacing and isn't too incompetent in any other area he becomes a pretty valuable bench piece for them and they get a bit more dangerous. If he's completely not ready they're still limited there, especially if Fultz still can't contribute anything from range.

[Rondo9]

Getting close to that the regular season and I'm wondering - our realistic goal is seen as at least getting out of the East.  Which Eastern team worries you the most?

For me it's probably honestly Milwaukee. They played us so close in the playoffs and that's with pretty lousy coaching. Budenholzer, another year of improvement by Giannis, and the addition by subtraction of losing Parker makes them very dangerous even if their talent's not quite up to Toronto or Philly level.

I don't think losing Parker is addition by subtraction, especially when they didn't really replace him at all. 

I'd rank the teams:

Toronto
Milwaukee
Philadelphia
Washington
Indiana

Far too remote after that.  If the Heat get Butler for the rumored package, I'd slot them just behind Philadelphia.  I think Toronto is clearly the best team outside of Boston in the East (and frankly I think Toronto will end up as the 1 seed as I expect Boston to struggle for awhile figuring out all of the rotations and what not).  I think Milwaukee and Philadelphia are very close behind Toronto, and by the end of the year either one could clearly establish themselves as a legit threat to Boston.  I don't think anyone else realistically has a shot, but do think Washington and Indiana are pretty clear playoff teams, so I put them on the list.

They replaced Parker with Ilyasova , which is an upgrade imo.

I don't see how anyone can call that an upgrade.  Parker is a better shooter, better defender, better ball handler, better rebounder, better passer, etc.  I honestly can't think of a thing that Ersan is better at than Jabari (well maybe staying healthy - he is better than Jabari at that).

Have you seen Jabari defend? I much rather have Ersan as a defender than Jabari.

[GreenShooter]

Toronto this year. Philly moving forward. It'll be good to have them as a rival again. Not that Philly is trash this year. I just think Toronto is a better team right now. As long as Kawhi leaves next summer then it's Philly unless there's major upgrades from another team(s).

[liam]

I worry about were Jimmy Butler will land. Miami would be a very good team with Butler and Dragic...

[SparzWizard]

LeBron is gone, so I don't see the Raptors getting swept by him again this year.

Unless, of course, LeBron and the Raptors make it to the NBA Finals. They would get swept, again.

[fairweatherfan]

LeBron is gone, so I don't see the Raptors getting swept by him again this year.

Unless, of course, LeBron and the Raptors make it to the NBA Finals. They would get swept, again.

The Raptors get linked to getting rolled by LeBron, and with good reason, but let's not forget that before they ever met Playoff LeBron they got swept by the lower-seeded Wizards and taken out in a home Game 7 by a lower seeded Nets teams. They've sucked in the playoffs in non-LeBron situations too.

I think Lowry and Kawhi will both be disgruntled all year and that the team will have a pretty good record on talent but will lowkey underachieve in the regular season and implode in the playoffs.

[slamtheking]

I think the biggest worry is the Celtics themselves:
1. how long will it take this roster to gel now that Hayward is back?  they worked fine with Kyrie and there's no one missing that played a key role on the team but the preseason with Hayward looked horrid.
2. Injuries -- derailed us last year and could do so again.

as far as the other teams, I think Philly only because they could have Simmons improving his shot and Fultz may be of some use.  that and the national media love for this Philly roster could have them giving us a difficult time in the playoffs. 

[Moranis]

LeBron is gone, so I don't see the Raptors getting swept by him again this year.

Unless, of course, LeBron and the Raptors make it to the NBA Finals. They would get swept, again.

The Raptors get linked to getting rolled by LeBron, and with good reason, but let's not forget that before they ever met Playoff LeBron they got swept by the lower-seeded Wizards and taken out in a home Game 7 by a lower seeded Nets teams. They've sucked in the playoffs in non-LeBron situations too.

I think Lowry and Kawhi will both be disgruntled all year and that the team will have a pretty good record on talent but will lowkey underachieve in the regular season and implode in the playoffs.

That Nets team was the one with Pierce, Garnett, Williams, Lopez, and Johnson.  They  coasted through the regular season managing all of the old guys time, but they were all healthy in the playoffs.  In other words, that Nets team was a lot better than the Raptors were in the post season.  Wizards though was a pretty bad loss (DeRozan actually played alright, Lowry was atrocious though).  Since the Wizards loss though, they have only lost to the Cavs in the playoffs, beating Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, and Washington over the last 3 seasons. 

They also now have Kawhi Leonard and he is just on a different level then anyone they've had in Toronto (maybe ever).

[fairweatherfan]

LeBron is gone, so I don't see the Raptors getting swept by him again this year.

Unless, of course, LeBron and the Raptors make it to the NBA Finals. They would get swept, again.

The Raptors get linked to getting rolled by LeBron, and with good reason, but let's not forget that before they ever met Playoff LeBron they got swept by the lower-seeded Wizards and taken out in a home Game 7 by a lower seeded Nets teams. They've sucked in the playoffs in non-LeBron situations too.

I think Lowry and Kawhi will both be disgruntled all year and that the team will have a pretty good record on talent but will lowkey underachieve in the regular season and implode in the playoffs.

That Nets team was the one with Pierce, Garnett, Williams, Lopez, and Johnson.  They  coasted through the regular season managing all of the old guys time, but they were all healthy in the playoffs.  In other words, that Nets team was a lot better than the Raptors were in the post season.  Wizards though was a pretty bad loss (DeRozan actually played alright, Lowry was atrocious though).  Since the Wizards loss though, they have only lost to the Cavs in the playoffs, beating Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, and Washington over the last 3 seasons. 

I'm saying their playoff struggles go beyond "can't beat LeBron". He's been the guy that's gotten them lately but somebody's always gotten them. They blew the first round two years in a row, no LeBron needed. It's just an overly narrow framing to tie it all to LeBron. They've been a bad playoff team, probably historically bad for a team with their seeds over a 5 year period.

They also now have Kawhi Leonard and he is just on a different level then anyone they've had in Toronto (maybe ever).

For sure, and I would say ever - VC in his superhero years is the only real competition. But to build on that requires him to be both healthy and happy, and no one can really say for sure that he's either. Lowry's the other key piece, and he's already made his disgruntlement apparent a few times, and we haven't even tipped off yet. I just don't see it getting them much of a different result than the usual ones.

[celticsclay]

LeBron is gone, so I don't see the Raptors getting swept by him again this year.

Unless, of course, LeBron and the Raptors make it to the NBA Finals. They would get swept, again.

The Raptors get linked to getting rolled by LeBron, and with good reason, but let's not forget that before they ever met Playoff LeBron they got swept by the lower-seeded Wizards and taken out in a home Game 7 by a lower seeded Nets teams. They've sucked in the playoffs in non-LeBron situations too.

I think Lowry and Kawhi will both be disgruntled all year and that the team will have a pretty good record on talent but will lowkey underachieve in the regular season and implode in the playoffs.

That Nets team was the one with Pierce, Garnett, Williams, Lopez, and Johnson.  They  coasted through the regular season managing all of the old guys time, but they were all healthy in the playoffs.  In other words, that Nets team was a lot better than the Raptors were in the post season.  Wizards though was a pretty bad loss (DeRozan actually played alright, Lowry was atrocious though).  Since the Wizards loss though, they have only lost to the Cavs in the playoffs, beating Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, and Washington over the last 3 seasons. 

They also now have Kawhi Leonard and he is just on a different level then anyone they've had in Toronto (maybe ever).

I agree with this and also with the fact that the Raptors team that lost to the Nets really has nothing to do with this new team. The 8 guys that were in their playoff rotation that year were
Amir Johnson
Demar
Lowry
Landry Fields
Patterson
Grevis Vasquez
Terrance Ross
Jonas V

If you look at that roster it is rather incredible they made it a 7 game series against Johnson, Williams, KG, Pierce, Livingston, etc

[celticsclay]

LeBron is gone, so I don't see the Raptors getting swept by him again this year.

Unless, of course, LeBron and the Raptors make it to the NBA Finals. They would get swept, again.

The Raptors get linked to getting rolled by LeBron, and with good reason, but let's not forget that before they ever met Playoff LeBron they got swept by the lower-seeded Wizards and taken out in a home Game 7 by a lower seeded Nets teams. They've sucked in the playoffs in non-LeBron situations too.

I think Lowry and Kawhi will both be disgruntled all year and that the team will have a pretty good record on talent but will lowkey underachieve in the regular season and implode in the playoffs.

That Nets team was the one with Pierce, Garnett, Williams, Lopez, and Johnson.  They  coasted through the regular season managing all of the old guys time, but they were all healthy in the playoffs.  In other words, that Nets team was a lot better than the Raptors were in the post season.  Wizards though was a pretty bad loss (DeRozan actually played alright, Lowry was atrocious though).  Since the Wizards loss though, they have only lost to the Cavs in the playoffs, beating Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, and Washington over the last 3 seasons. 

I'm saying their playoff struggles go beyond "can't beat LeBron". He's been the guy that's gotten them lately but somebody's always gotten them. They blew the first round two years in a row, no LeBron needed. It's just an overly narrow framing to tie it all to LeBron. They've been a bad playoff team, probably historically bad for a team with their seeds over a 5 year period.

They also now have Kawhi Leonard and he is just on a different level then anyone they've had in Toronto (maybe ever).

For sure, and I would say ever - VC in his superhero years is the only real competition. But to build on that requires him to be both healthy and happy, and no one can really say for sure that he's either. Lowry's the other key piece, and he's already made his disgruntlement apparent a few times, and we haven't even tipped off yet. I just don't see it getting them much of a different result than the usual ones.

Those teams that lost to someone besides Lebron really have nothing to do with this current Raptors team though. Aside from Lowry and perhaps 15-20 minutes of Jonas V there is nobody still around from those teams...

[smokeablount]

Getting close to that the regular season and I'm wondering - our realistic goal is seen as at least getting out of the East.  Which Eastern team worries you the most?

For me it's probably honestly Milwaukee. They played us so close in the playoffs and that's with pretty lousy coaching. Budenholzer, another year of improvement by Giannis, and the addition by subtraction of losing Parker makes them very dangerous even if their talent's not quite up to Toronto or Philly level.

I don't think losing Parker is addition by subtraction, especially when they didn't really replace him at all. 

I'd rank the teams:

Toronto
Milwaukee
Philadelphia
Washington
Indiana

Far too remote after that. 

I'd agree with this list, although I reserve the right to swap Washington and Indy.  But I think Washington could be a sleeper, Wall, and Beal, and Porter is a good core and Morris, Howard, and Oubre give them a legit 'Little 3' (though Dwight isn't little, and he's a giant pain).

[hodgy03038]

I selected other. I feel our biggest worry is "ourselves". If we play like we did in the preseason like we are just anointed to the NBA finals we will have problems. We actually have to play hard and with heart and we need to play defense and make shots. With this group we can be special but only if we get over the hype and actually play to our potential. Let's GO!!

[Moranis]

LeBron is gone, so I don't see the Raptors getting swept by him again this year.

Unless, of course, LeBron and the Raptors make it to the NBA Finals. They would get swept, again.

The Raptors get linked to getting rolled by LeBron, and with good reason, but let's not forget that before they ever met Playoff LeBron they got swept by the lower-seeded Wizards and taken out in a home Game 7 by a lower seeded Nets teams. They've sucked in the playoffs in non-LeBron situations too.

I think Lowry and Kawhi will both be disgruntled all year and that the team will have a pretty good record on talent but will lowkey underachieve in the regular season and implode in the playoffs.

That Nets team was the one with Pierce, Garnett, Williams, Lopez, and Johnson.  They  coasted through the regular season managing all of the old guys time, but they were all healthy in the playoffs.  In other words, that Nets team was a lot better than the Raptors were in the post season.  Wizards though was a pretty bad loss (DeRozan actually played alright, Lowry was atrocious though).  Since the Wizards loss though, they have only lost to the Cavs in the playoffs, beating Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, and Washington over the last 3 seasons. 

I'm saying their playoff struggles go beyond "can't beat LeBron". He's been the guy that's gotten them lately but somebody's always gotten them. They blew the first round two years in a row, no LeBron needed. It's just an overly narrow framing to tie it all to LeBron. They've been a bad playoff team, probably historically bad for a team with their seeds over a 5 year period.

You know who else lost in the 1st Round 2 years in a row and then has lost the last 2 seasons to the Cavs, our very own Celtics.

Or maybe the Lakers who were losing in the 06 and 07 1st round are a better comparison.  They only went on to the next 3 NBA Finals winning 2. 

Teams lose in the 1st round all of the time.  The Spurs have as many 1st round losses as they do championships in the last 20 years (starting with the 1st title season).  The 4 seasons preceding the Mavericks title, they had 3 1st round losses and a 2nd round loss. 

This notion that a young team didn't perform great, is just who they are, is quite silly.  They were young, but they got better.  They just ran into a better team the last 3 years.  It happens.

They also now have Kawhi Leonard and he is just on a different level then anyone they've had in Toronto (maybe ever).

For sure, and I would say ever - VC in his superhero years is the only real competition. But to build on that requires him to be both healthy and happy, and no one can really say for sure that he's either. Lowry's the other key piece, and he's already made his disgruntlement apparent a few times, and we haven't even tipped off yet. I just don't see it getting them much of a different result than the usual ones.

I don't know that Kawhi has to be happy.  He never seemed all that happy to be in San Antonio yet was a MVP candidate and leading a great team.  He does appear healthy which is the more important thing.  Lowry is prickly, I think he is fine once the season starts.

[fairweatherfan]

LeBron is gone, so I don't see the Raptors getting swept by him again this year.

Unless, of course, LeBron and the Raptors make it to the NBA Finals. They would get swept, again.

The Raptors get linked to getting rolled by LeBron, and with good reason, but let's not forget that before they ever met Playoff LeBron they got swept by the lower-seeded Wizards and taken out in a home Game 7 by a lower seeded Nets teams. They've sucked in the playoffs in non-LeBron situations too.

I think Lowry and Kawhi will both be disgruntled all year and that the team will have a pretty good record on talent but will lowkey underachieve in the regular season and implode in the playoffs.

That Nets team was the one with Pierce, Garnett, Williams, Lopez, and Johnson.  They  coasted through the regular season managing all of the old guys time, but they were all healthy in the playoffs.  In other words, that Nets team was a lot better than the Raptors were in the post season.  Wizards though was a pretty bad loss (DeRozan actually played alright, Lowry was atrocious though).  Since the Wizards loss though, they have only lost to the Cavs in the playoffs, beating Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, and Washington over the last 3 seasons. 

I'm saying their playoff struggles go beyond "can't beat LeBron". He's been the guy that's gotten them lately but somebody's always gotten them. They blew the first round two years in a row, no LeBron needed. It's just an overly narrow framing to tie it all to LeBron. They've been a bad playoff team, probably historically bad for a team with their seeds over a 5 year period.

You know who else lost in the 1st Round 2 years in a row and then has lost the last 2 seasons to the Cavs, our very own Celtics.

Or maybe the Lakers who were losing in the 06 and 07 1st round are a better comparison.  They only went on to the next 3 NBA Finals winning 2. 

Teams lose in the 1st round all of the time.  The Spurs have as many 1st round losses as they do championships in the last 20 years (starting with the 1st title season).  The 4 seasons preceding the Mavericks title, they had 3 1st round losses and a 2nd round loss. 

This notion that a young team didn't perform great, is just who they are, is quite silly.  They were young, but they got better.  They just ran into a better team the last 3 years.  It happens.

None of these are very good comparisons, because they're conspicuously missing the key element of consistently losing to lower-seeded teams. Dallas is the best comparison, they blew first rounders as a 2 and a 1 but also won from the 6 spot and lost from a 7. They had a deserved reputation as playoff chokers until they actually got it done.  Spurs recent losses were as an 8, a 6 and one legit horrible loss as a 1. Celtics as a 7 and 5, Lakers as a 7 and a 7. With the exception of a couple of huge upsets, all of those teams performed about the way their seed said they should.

Toronto on the other hand has taken seeds of 3, 4, 2, 3, and 1, had homecourt in 7 of 9 series, and gone 15-15 in the 1st round, 4-11 in the 2nd, 2-4 in the conference finals, 21-30 overall. They're 1-6 in home Game 1s. They've never won a series in less than 6. They've been swept 3 times in 5 years, including twice with homecourt.

The reason why it's hard to find a good comparison because they're a historically bad playoff team. The reason why they keep running into better playoff teams is because they're a historically bad playoff team. They're just a historically bad playoff team.