NBA Playoffs - Eastern Conference Preview

3 Teams can win the East - here's the favorite Hey ,  After an 82-game slog we have made it to one of the best times of the year – the NBA Playoffs!  First up let’s get a preview of the Eastern Conference.  When you boil it down I think there are 3 legit contenders in the East – Milwaukee, Boston, and Philadelphia. The rest of the conference could make some noise, most notably Cleveland and New York but I don’t think they are quite as good as the 3 teams I mentioned.   So when you narrow it down to those top 3 teams who comes out of the East?  The first focus should be on Philadelphia and Boston.  Often times these two teams seasons are interlocked due to their rivalry, and for 76ers fans it usually ends in disappointment.  Since the 1980’s Boston has had Philadelphia’s number and I don't believe that changes this year.  When you look at Philly, they have been great in the second half of the year with Joel Embiid leading the way on route to the likely MVP award.  I don’t doubt that Embiid will be great in the playoffs, but to win series against big time teams you need other teammates to step up.  The two obvious candidates are James Harden and Tyrese Maxey.  Harden’s playoff history is less than stellar to say the least, he tends to put up ridiculous numbers in the regular season only to fade in the playoffs.  Where Harden benefits this year is that he does not have to be the star man for the 76ers, which eases his burden.  The question then becomes can Harden and Embiid continue their elite pick and roll game while also getting enough defense out of the former all star point guard?  In some ways the same question applies to Maxey – can he and Harden play enough defense to slow teams like the Celtics and Bucks?  I have my doubts because they simply are not good defenders. The 76ers can mask some of those issues by using Tobias Harris or PJ Tucker defensively but when 2 out of the 5 starters are a liability defensively, that is a problem.  On the other side you have Boston, who just last year made the NBA Finals and boasts potentially the best scoring duo in the NBA in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Unlike Philadelphia’s stars both Tatum and Brown have proven that they can win in the playoffs (and play good team defense), and I think that will ultimately be the difference in the likely meeting with Philadelphia….  Brown and Tatum will be more effective offensively than Harden, Maxey, and Embiid, which is why I like the Celtics to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.  On the other side the Milwaukee Bucks will likely be the team waiting for Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals.  I expect the Bucks to make it past their first and second round matchups (maybe the Cavs or Knicks take Milwaukee to 6 games but that should be the ceiling).  So assuming the Bucks and Celtics each make it back to the Conference Finals, that should set up for a fascinating rematch.  This time around the Bucks should be much healthier than they were last year (Kris Middleton was hurt and Milwaukee fell to Boston in 7 games).  Milwaukee would also get the added benefit of home court advantage, something they did not have last year against the Celtics.  Milwaukee has one of the best defenses in the league and Boston has one of the best offenses in the league which would add extra intrigue.  What would likely be the decider is Milwaukee’s effectiveness on offense.  The Bucks have a pretty average offense numbers wise (15th in offensive efficiency); however, post all star break (which was around the time the Bucks started playing really well), they have the 6th best offensive efficiency.  What that tells me is that the Bucks are playing well at the right time on both sides of the floor.  Now here is where things get problematic for Milwaukee – post all-star break the Celtics have the 5th best offensive rating and the 2nd best defensive rating.  The Celtics also went into Milwaukee two weeks ago and won by 41 points.  To be fair it was only a regular season game and the Bucks were on the second night of a back to back…. but still…. a 41 point beatdown is serious.  Adding on the Celtics went 2-1 against the Bucks in the regular season and their only loss was in overtime in Milwaukee with both Tatum and Brown out.  Overall what is interesting about this potential matchup is that the Celtics dominated the first half of the season and the Bucks dominated the second half of the season.  The Bucks domination helped them get home court advantage which should be useful against the Celtics in what will likely be a 6-7 game series.  However, I like the Celtics to ultimately make it back to the Finals.  It seems like Boston has the Bucks number and I expect that trend to continue this postseason. Best regards, Olin G. Head of Research at Juicy Wagers       JuicyWagers.com is a publisher and the information provided through its products and services are for informational purposes only. To the extent any such information is deemed to be advice, such information is impersonal and not tailored to the needs of any specific person. JuicyWagers.com and its affiliates are not responsible for any actions taken by a user of their published information. Headley Investment Analysis, Inc., 201 West Vine Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40507, United States You may [unsubscribe]( or [change your contact details]( at any time.