A couple of weeks back, I wrote about the pre-season favorites and powerhouses from the Western Conference. Out in the East, the conference is wide open with the 2024 champions Boston Celtics and 2025 Finals contender Indian Pacers not expected to go deep in the playoffs. Both teams’ franchise players, namely Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton are rehabbing from Achilles tears and are not expected to play in the upcoming season.

Still, the remaining Eastern Conference contenders are no pushovers, and they have been silently loading up to do battle against the stronger Western teams. This is how the East will be won:  

1. Cleveland Cavaliers – The Cavaliers had the best record (64-18) in the conference during the regular season and were an offensive powerhouse until they met the Indiana Pacers who exposed the team’s defensive shortcomings. In the conference semifinals, they allowed the Pacers 117 points per 100 possessions, and their defense was unable to keep up with Indiana’s ball movement. Of course, injuries to key players played a role in the Cavaliers’ collapse.

During the offseason, they acquired another playmaker (Lonzo Ball) and a veteran rebounder and defensive anchor (Larry Nance) to give their line-up more depth. When healthy, Ball is a defensive demon who also has elite ball-handling abilities. Nance, meanwhile, is a stretch big that can get down and dirty.

2. New York Knicks – With Tom Thibodeau out and Mike Brown in, expect the Knicks starters to get more rest and be fresher in the playoffs. Under Thibs, the Knicks starting lineup played 940 minutes together or 226 minutes more than any other starting line-up in the league.

Get the latest news


delivered to your inbox

Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters

By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

The Knicks also need to address their ball movement. All-Star Jalen Brunson simply has the balls in his hands too much, making it easy for opposing teams to lock-in on defense and making his other teammates bystanders in offensive sets. The Knicks have 5 players on their roster earning at least $19 million and they are all in to achieve an NBA Finals appearance which they last reached back in 1999. Anything less is a failure.

3. Orlando Magic – The Magic are one of the best defensive teams in the league having been in the Top 3 in this category in the last two years. Their main problem is their offense. The team ranks among the worst offensive teams in the league highlighted by poor three-point shooting, slow pace and lack of ball movement. Their offensive struggles have hindered their ability to go toe-to-toe with other Eastern powerhouses.

To address these, the Magic acquired forward Desmond Bane who is a dead shot from the three-point range (over 40% career average) and who take the ball and offensive pressure for the hands of resident superstar Paolo Banchero. Bane alone will not solve the offensive woes of the Magic so they went out and got another shooter in guard Tyus Jones.

4. Atlanta Hawks – The Hawks have symbolized mediocrity in the past few seasons, but key additions may finally get them over the hump and into contention. We will see the return of fifth year forward Jalen Johnson who was a fringe All-Star before a season-ending shoulder injury last season. The team also have 2025 Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels who led the league in steals (3.0 per game) and deflections (366). With the addition of the shot-blocking and rim-running Kristaps Porzingis and defensive ace Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the Hawks will soar higher and just might surprise the Eastern Conference favorites.

  [email protected]    

Â