This is it. The final part of the Eastern Conference Standing Predictions series. In this installment, we’re going to take a look at the top 2 teams in the East. These two teams have met countless times over the past few seasons, and just last season did it get interesting again. These two teams feature former MVPs, dynamic point guards, dominating big men, and should once again remain at the top of the East. Let’s dive right in.
2. Chicago Bulls: 52-30
Last Season: 50-32
Wizards v/s Bulls 02/28/11 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Chicago Bulls are a great regular season team. They have a great starting 5 of Rose-Butler-Dunleavy-Gasol-Noah, and a great bench with Gibson, Mirotic, McDermott, Snell and Hinrich. But this team just can’t seem to make the next step. They drafted Bobby Portis, who should contribute nicely. He’s looked promising. The biggest puzzle to me is Joakim Noah, who isn’t too far removed from being an MVP contender. Now last season he averaged 7.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists on 44.5% field goals. Not exactly stats that jump off the page at you. But being the 4th option on offense, you’re not going to get a lot of looks. He only averaged 6.4 attempts last season. He’s also not the same player defensively. He allowed nearly 52% at the rim last season. Compare that to the season before, when he allowed just over 47%. He needs to get back to the defensive presence he used to be. Pau Gasol joins him in the front court, and we all know what he’s capable of. Derrick Rose can return to his MVP form and he should insert himself in the top 5 point guard discussion again. Dunleavy provides good floor spacing and three point shooting.
However, arguably the best player for the Bulls is Jimmy Butler. Jimmy Butler has evolved into one of the best two way players in the game, and the leader for the Chicago Bulls. He’s an excellent all around players. He’s an excellent scorer in the paint, hitting 54.5% of his shots in the paint, and 60.2% around the rim. He’s an excellent mid range shooter as well, hitting nearly 45% of his shots from 12 to 18 feet. He was also deadly from the left corner, hitting nearly 58% of his attempts from that area. In addition to the offense, Jimmy Butler is also a good defender. He held opponents to 44.9% from the field, but that area of his game is improving. He thrives when he goes up against premier offensive players in the game. He held Lebron James to 37.9% shooting last season. He held Korver, one of the greatest shooters in the NBA to 40% overall, and Klay Thompson was held to 42.8% shooting when guarded by Butler. If he can play defense against everyone like he does these guys, he’s going to become the best two way player in the game. Can the Bulls take the next step and make it back to the Finals for the first time since Michael Jordan was leading them to their 6th championship?
01. Cleveland Cavaliers: 56-26
Last Season: 53-29
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Is there really any choice? We all know what Lebron can do. He’s the best player in the game today, and arguably a top 10 player all time. So we’re not going to take a look at him today. We’re going to look at two other players who I believe will be key for the Cavaliers. Mo Williams and Kevin Love. Mo Williams is at the stage of his career where he is best suited as a backup point guard, but still capable to fill a starting role for a short stint. That’s exactly the position he’s in in Cleveland. With Kyrie Irving likely out until January, Mo Williams should see himself in the starting 5 playing alongside Lebron James, a role he’s familiar with having played with Cleveland from the 2008-2009 season before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2011. Williams still has a lot to offer. He should play the backup role nicely when Irving returns to the starting lineup. Williams has an excellent midrange game, hitting 43%. He’s a great passer who gets is teammates involved. Last season he averaged 6.3 assists, which accounted for nearly 14 points. He’s good at defending the three, holding opponents to under 33%. He held Klay Thompson to 2 of 7 shooting, Monta Ellis to 3 of 12 shooting, and Ty Lawson to 7 of 19 shooting. Mo Williams is one of the best backup point guards in the league, and will thrive in Cleveland, where he’ll see more minutes early on in the season, helping the Cavaliers stay on top of the East.
Kevin Love is a big man, who can shoot the mid range and three point ball pretty well. He shot 41.6% from mid range last season. He also hit 59% of his attempts at the rim. What Kevin Love needs to do is focus more on the mid range game and the paint. Yes, he can hit the three, but he’s got three point shooters on the team. If he can develop a deadly dribble and attack the rim, then using his floor spacing is going to be nice for the Cavs. But he shoots 51.4% in the paint, and that’s where he can do the most damage. He hasn’t always been known as an excellent defender, and he’s not. But offensively, he’s one of the best power forwards in the game. Opponents shoot 46% against him. He defends the three, and mid range pretty well, but opponents are shooting 60.1% at the rim against him. He needs to improve that area of his game. However, he’s still one of the best power forwards in the game, and the Cavaliers are going to be tough to beat with him on the floor.
We all know what Kyrie can do, and when he returns from injury, the Cavs will be even better. If the Cavs can get Thompson re-signed, that will only cement their status as the Eastern Conference favorites. With Iman Shumpert (currently injured, but will make a huge impact when he returns), JR Smith, Matthew Dellevadova, Timofey Mozgov and Anderson Varejao rounding out the team, the Cavaliers will enjoy quite a bit of success. Don’t be surprised if you see them back in the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season.
