2008-09 NBA Eastern Conference Preview: Celtics again?

Photo credit: Game Face

Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics have a title to defend, and a team that can do it. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Erick Blasco

Special to amNewYork

With the championship ring-bearing Boston Celtics, the ever-steady Detroit Pistons, the always dangerous Cleveland Cavaliers and the up-and-coming Philadelphia 76ers, the Eastern Conference is no longer the NBA’s minor league. While the conference as a whole can’t boast the Western Conference’s superior depth, there is finally an array of talented teams atop the East that can battle on equal terms with the best the West has to offer.

Title Contenders

In Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, the Boston Celtics have the necessary ingredients needed to win championships — superstars who excel both on offense and defense. Rajon Rondo is blooming into an All-Star caliber point guard and the rest of the role players are both mentally and physically tough. Because Pierce is 31, Garnett is 32, and Allen is 33, age — with the decline in talent and the increased risk of injury that accompanies it — is a prime concern. Still, barring serious injury, the Celtics are the clear class of the East.

Do the Detroit Pistons have a last hurrah in them? Their defense is still top notch, and their offense is still efficient, but something is missing. Can new head coach Michael Curry convince Wallace to bully opponents in the post like he did during Detroit’s 2004 title run, or is Wallace content to be an oversized three-point shooter on offense? The answer will determine Detroit’s success this season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers hope that Maurice Williams, a valuable scorer in Milwaukee last year, can take over some of LeBron James’ playmaking duties so that Cleveland’s offense isn’t totally one-dimensional. Besides King James and Mo Williams, though, the team is devoid of athleticism. Sasha Pavlovic may be the slowest guard in the league, Wally Szczerbiak may be the slowest wing in the league and Zydrunas Ilgauskas may be the slowest player in the league. [I laughed out loud here. Nice] The team responds to coach Mike Brown, who preaches defense, but as constituted going into James’ sixth season, the Cavs lack the athleticism needed to overtake the Celtics and the Pistons.

Dark horses

The off-season acquisition of Elton Brand gives the Philadelphia 76ers a legitimate post player who will be especially useful in cases when the Sixers’ exciting transition offense stalls. Andre Miller is a talented, if underappreciated, point guard, while Andre Iguodala (19.9 ppg and 2.1 spg last season) is one of the best two-way wings in the league. Philadelphia’s supporting cast is probably too inexperienced to make a serious run at an Eastern Conference championship, but the team is knocking on the door.

While Orlando Magic franchise player Dwight Howard (14.2 rpg) is the best rebounder in the game, and is ferocious when carving space down low and dunking, his post moves are crude and his defensive awareness is poor. If Howard can improve his recognition, the fifth-year center will be the defensive anchor and post threat Orlando needs to be truly magical. If he can‘t — and with either Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis playing power forward — the Magic won’t have a powerful defensive force in the middle to keep good teams from scoring effectively in the paint.

Playoff Hopefuls

With the talented big-man tandem of Chris Bosh and the newly acquired Jermaine O’Neal on board, the Toronto Raptors should be a lock to make the postseason. However, the Raptors will be hard-pressed to do damage because of a team-wide aversion to physicality. Jermaine O’Neal is supposed to bring the muscle, but the 29-year-old, entering his 13th NBA season, is too brittle to battle down low. Everyone else is essentially a jump shooter who relies on point guard Jose Calderon (11.2 ppg, 8.3 apg) to set up their looks. When tough defensive teams are able to push and shove in the playoffs, will the Raptors have what it takes to push back?

Dwayne Wade is finally recovered from a shoulder injury suffered two seasons ago, so the Miami Heat will almost certainly improve upon their dismal 15-67 record last year. With stud rookie Michael Beasley joining Wade and the ultraathletic Shawn Marion, the Heat will have three players able to drop 25 points on a given night. Still, beyond the trio and the workmanlike Udnois Haslem, there isn’t a lot of NBA talent.

Was last season’s playoff berth a mirage or are the Atlanta Hawks ready to soar? Their transition offense is lethal, led by the high-flying Josh Smith and Joe Johnson, but Atlanta still lacks the toughness and maturity to excel in the halfcourt. Plus, the team lacks a defensive presence in the middle to prevent opponents from attacking the paint. They’ll scrap for a playoff berth again, but the Hawks still need size to contend.

New coach Scott Skiles will either get his way and transform the Milwaukee Bucks into a hustling, scrapping, defending, up-tempo team, or the Bucks will mutiny and overthrow him. Longtime Nets star Richard Jefferson will continue to score, pass and defend for his new team, but the Bucks are loaded with scorers and low on role players and defenders. If Michael Redd and Charlie Villanueva become more versatile, there is hope of a trip to the playoffs.

Everyone on the Washington Wizards can score, but, besides Caron Butler, nobody will defend. What’s worse, the team has different personas with or without Gilbert Arenas. With him, they have a spectacular scorer who breaks off the offense to look for his own shot. Without Arenas, whom the Wizards will again be missing until at least December, the offense is more precise and generates better looks but lacks superstar to take over games against good teams. With Brendan Haywood out for the year, there’s no interior defense, and little interior scoring. Expect the Wizards to drop off.

The Chicago Bulls have too many guards and not enough centers and power forwards. Is Ben Gordon going to give his full effort, or tank the season like he did last year after a contract dispute? Will Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden be consistent? Will Luol Deng get the touches he needs to develop his blossoming mid-range game? Can Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah, and Aaron Gray supply any post game? Can new coach Vinny Del Negro make a winner out of this perennially flawed roster? Too many questions, not enough answers.

A Year Away

With Jermaine O’Neal gone, and Jamaal Tinsley banished, the Indiana Pacers can finally start the rebuilding process. Mike Dunleavy, T.J. Ford and Danny Granger are a nice core, while Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush will be developed for the future. In a year, they’ll be fighting for a playoff spot.

Worst Of The Worst

Mike D’Antoni’s uptempo offense will certainly be entertaining. But, the Knicks are a collection of players who are inefficient offensively and fundamentally unwilling to defend. They now play for a coach, D’Antoni, who preaches quick shot attempts and practically ignores the defensive side of the game. Does that sound like a recipe for success?

For the Nets, it’s all about shedding contracts, developing youngsters and making a play for LeBron James to come to Brooklyn in 2011. Head Coach Lawrence Frank and his high-energy veterans will teach the kids to play hard and smart every night, but that doesn’t translate directly into victories.

After coach Larry Brown’s last go-around with a young, mistake-filled team led by a questionable point guard ended in disaster, it’s hard to expect he’ll stay the course with the sad-sack Charlotte Bobcats.

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