Eastern Conference Power Rankings

[Hoopvortex]

Where do you rank the C's among their Eastern Conference rivals?

Are we legit contenders or are we pretenders?

Imo, the Nets are the team to beat assuming the big 3 stay healthy.

I believe the Bucks are a close second. Obviously, they are the reigning champs. They re-signed Portis on a bargain contract. Their most notable additions were Grayson Allen and George Hill. They lost Tucker and Forbes.

Talent-wise, the Sixers are an elite team. Really don't like the fit of Embiid and Simmons playing next to each other.

The Heat are a force to be reckoned with. They signed 2 battle-hardened vets in Lowry and Tucker. Well coached team as well. Spo is one of the best coaches in the NBA.

I'm relatively low on the Hawks, but maybe that's just me cause I'm low on Trae. I reckon he's a great shot creator in fast-paced games (=regular season). Not so much in slow-paced games. He ain't tall/long enough to consistently create his own shot in the clutch. Don't rate his BBIQ either.

The Bulls seem like a completely overhauled team. Love the fit of Lonzo next to LaVine. I believe they overpaid for DeRozan, but that's another story. Basketbal-wise, he's a nice player. Not sure what to expect from them tbh. Too many changes. They'll definitely be a playoff team.

Not sure what to expect from the Knicks either. At the end of the day, they are still the Knicks.

Charlotte has a super deep roster at the (s)wing positions. I believe they'll make the postseason.

Indy's biggest move was hiring Carlisle. They are a tough team to beat, that's for sure.

I'm low on the Wizards. Don't think they'll make the playoffs. If they have an underperforming season, it's possible that Beal will become available at the trade deadline.

As for the Celtics, I like most of our moves. I'd probably rank us somewhere in the 4-6 range. Worst case scenario, I guess we could end up in the 7th seed, just like we did last season. Best case scenario, I could see us being a top 3 team. Imo, this is a bridge year unless we make a big move at the deadline. We are well-positioned to go after a 3rd star either via trade or via the 2022 free agency.

Interested in reading your thoughts.

No mention of Toronto here, and no surprise since Lowry is gone and Siakam's stock went down last season. But the Raptors are going to be very good, especially in the second half of the season.

Agreed that they are in the conversation, but imo they'll be a lotto team. The way I see it, they got plenty of valuable role players, but they need a legit go-to scorer. I mean, who's their #1 option in the half court? Probably 6'1'' Fred VanVleet? Siakam is more of an open-court player rather than a half-court player.

If they underperform during the early months of the regular season, I bet Siakam will become available at the trade deadline (especially since they drafted Scottie Barnes).

Good point about go-to scorers. And Siakam might not even start the season because of his surgery. Toronto will certainly be the most open-court team in the league, to follow on your point. By the same token, they'll be one of the best defensive teams - in fact, I'm predicting that they'll lead the league with a gap. Barnes is ready to play defense now, just as he is not ready to be a go-to scorer.

As much as Boston, Toronto's last season was snakebit with Covid and injuries; and they even lost their home court. No one in consequence is more undervalued than Siakam and the Raptors as a whole.

I think that Siakam stays.

I like them better than the Bulls and Wiz and Knicks. I think that the Sixers have a real chance of imploding. I share your doubts about Trae and the Hawks.

Open-court teams usualy concede plenty of points. It's not rocket science. Up-tempo game = more possessions for both teams = more shot attempts for both teams = more points conceded for both teams.

Your math makes sense but that's not who the Raptors are.

They've been an early-offense team for several years now that is nevertheless not up-tempo - as in, lots of possessions per game - though we usually put those two things together. If anything, they'll be even more so this season.

Scottie Barnes is in and Lowry is out - Barnes will play starter's minutes. They passed on Suggs in order to get a super version of what they already had: a bunch of quick 6'8"/6'9" guys with 7'2" wingspans. In other words, they'll be MORE dependent on causing turnovers and getting early offense, and LESS able to run an effective half-court offense. They've been a top defensive team - they'll be even better this year.

Imo, the Raps will suck. If you ask me, they should want to suck too. They need to find a legit go-to scorer with a view to surrounding him with their promising role players. No point in trying to compete till they get that player. They clearly aren't ready yet.

You make a good point about them lacking scorers; Barnes will do dazzling things on defense and creating offense for others, but he's not that, not yet anyway.

I bet they're a playoff team. We shall see!

[PhoSita]

Nets
....
Bucks
....
Hawks, Heat
....
Sixers, Knicks, Pacers, Celtics, Bulls
....
Wizards, Hornets, Raptors
....
Cavs, Magic, Pistons


I have Celtics falling anywhere between 5-9, assuming relative health.

[Celtics4ever]

The more I think about our team, the more I am liking our depth compared to last year.   Kemba was way offensively better than the replacements but he only played every other games.  We have a better defender in Richardson and Schroder, a better passer in Schroder.     I think Kanter, Al, Rob and Bruno is better than  Rob, Tristan and Kornett. 

Brown and Tatum will be back strong.   Contract year for Marcus.    Hopefully, more good from Payton, Nesmith and Romeo.  I am pretty optimistic that we can make some noise, the more I think about it.

[Csfan1984]

Idc where they end up. I want hustle and energy each game. If they play hard I can live with top 8, 9 or 10. Play together and show love for the game and each other.