
Washington Wizards – Bradley Bealīeal is an excellent NBA player, probably one of the top 30 or 35 in the league. I love the way he plays at his own pace and probes his way into the paint while also getting his teammates involved.Ĭunningham is going to be an All-Star in the very near future. He used his 6-foot-6, 220-pound frame to bully his way to the basket time after time. We saw Cunningham’s second-half surge firsthand when he poured in 27 points to lead the Pistons to a win over the Sixers back on March 31. Detroit Pistons – Cade CunninghamĬunningham wasn’t just the best rookie in the NBA after the All-Star break, he was one of the best 20-25 players, period.Ĭheck out his stats after the break: 21.1 PPG, 6.5 APG, 5.7 RPG, 1.25 SPG - those are basically Jimmy Butler numbers. There’s a ton to be excited about in Orlando. I also like Jalen Suggs to have a breakout season at the point guard spot if his sprained left knee proves to be a minor injury. will be a problem, both this season and in the future.Īt 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Banchero’s rare combination of physicality, skill and basketball IQ will make him one of the NBA’s most talented young players right away. The young frontcourt of Banchero, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. The Magic had a few guys I liked over the last couple of seasons, but now they have A GUY.įrom Day 1, Banchero will be the fulcrum of Orlando’s offense, allowing everyone else to move down a notch in the pecking order. But other than Haliburton, Mathurin and Timothy John McConnell stealing inbound passes, there won’t be many reasons to watch the Pacers. 28 would be must-see TV? I’ll definitely be watching to see how LeBron treats the rook. Who knew that a Pacers-Lakers game on Nov. He’s going to have to show me he’s better than me.” Check out what he told Ben Golliver of The Washington Post before the draft about facing LeBron James for the first time: The sixth overall pick from Arizona, Mathurin plays with a serious chip on his shoulder and isn’t lacking for confidence. The young backcourt of Tyrese Haliburton and Mathurin are about all that separates the Pacers from complete irrelevance entering the 2022-23 season. Let’s ride! Indiana Pacers – Bennedict Mathurin We’re going in reverse order of the teams I think are likeliest to contend for the Eastern Conference crown. Can the Celtics win championship No.This isn’t a ranking of the best players on each team, but rather a list of the players whose impact could drastically influence his team’s chances this season. An NBA title this season would be their first since 2008.
#Eastern conference full
Here’s the full list of the franchise’s ECF appearances since the 1970 merger: Yearīefore 1970, the Celtics reached 16 Eastern Division Finals and won 11 championships, including nine in a row from 1959-1966. Boston is currently on its worst losing streak in the ECF in team history, though, as they’ve failed to reach the NBA Finals in its last four appearances. Since 1970, the Celtics have reached the NBA Finals nine times and have won six titles.
#Eastern conference series
Boston has been involved in 39.6% of the ECF series over that span. The Celtics have now reached four Eastern Conference Finals in the last six years, and they’ve been to the ECF 21 times since the 1970 merger. It’s not much of a surprise when it happens anymore. Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Boston Celtics are headed back to the Eastern Conference Finals. So, how many times have the Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Finals, and what is their record in those series? How many Eastern Conference Finals appearances do the Celtics have? Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics high five during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks | Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images They’ve won a conference-best six titles since the 1970 merger, and they just punched their ticket to a fourth Eastern Conference Finals appearance in the last six years. There hasn’t been a more consistent team in the Eastern Conference than the Celtics over the last 50 years. Both franchises are tied for the most championships in NBA history with 17, while no other franchise has won more than six. When you think of sustained success in the history of the NBA, the first two teams that immediately come to mind are the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.
