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LeBron James’s reign and dominance over the Eastern Conference is finally over, bringing a new opportunity for new teams to rise to the top of the Eastern Conference and compete for a chance at the NBA Finals. With LeBron James’s recent move to the Lakers, the Eastern Conference is now weaker than ever, paving out the path for a new team to reach the finals.
#3 Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers has a promising young core of Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz, and Ben Simmons. The young core is all under 24 years of age and all 3 have the potential to make it to the First Team All NBA. All 3 of these players have been, or have the potential, to be All-stars in the NBA. In the 2017-18 Season, the 76ers made it to the second round of the NBA without Fultz, and there’s no doubt that if Embiid, Simmons, and Fultz play to their expectations, the 76ers has a high chance of making it to the NBA Finals.
#2 Toronto Raptors
The Raptors held the best record in the Eastern Conference in the 2017-18 season with 59 wins and 23 losses. This was their best season in franchise history as not only did DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry step their game up in the regular season, but a lot of role players such as Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby also showed up and played their best basketball of their careers. However, the Raptors traded away DeMar DeRozan for an injured Kawhi Leonard as DeMar DeRozan has always been inconsistent in the Playoffs. Kawhi Leonard is a top 3 player in the NBA when healthy, and is also arguably the best 2 way player in the NBA. If Leonard is healthy, both Leonard and Lowry can work together to bring the Raptors to the NBA Finals.
#1 Boston Celtics
The Celtics were one win away from reaching the NBA finals in the 2017-18 season even though their 2 best players, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, were injured and weren’t playing. Led by a 20 year old Rookie in Jayson Tatum and a promising young Point Guard in Terry Rozier, the Celtics were able to push LeBron James and the Cavaliers to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals. When both Irving and Hayward get back on the court in the 2018-19 season, the Celtics will become some what of a East Coast Golden State Warriors . Their roster will consist of 2 top 15 NBA players in Irving and Hayward, an All-star in Al Horford, 2 NBA All-star calibre players in Tatum and Rozier, and fantastic role players who were essential to the success of the Celtics in the 2017-18 Playoffs in Marcus Smart and Aaron Baynes. There is no doubt in my mind that if the Celtics players can stay healthy, they can and will make the NBA Finals in the upcoming 2018-19 NBA Season.
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