2022 - 2023 Eastern Conference Predictions

[T-Roy]

My 2022-2023 Eastern Conference Predictions:

1. 76ers (Healthy Embiid/Harden)
2. Bucks (Giannis/Healthy Middleton)
3. Nets (Still have Durant/Kyrie)
4. Celtics (Low due to Williams injury)
5. Heat
6. Cavs (Growing Pains)
7. Hawks
8. Raptors (Young/Athletic)
9. Bulls (Lonzo Ball Injury, Aging Derozan)
10. Knicks
11. Pistons (Young, talented roster)
12. Wizards
13. Hornets
14. Pacers
15. Magic

What would you change?

 

[Peacedog]

Pfffft. Swap Cavs and Philly and this is close to correct. I don't understand the fascination with the Sixers. We have better starters than them at 4 of the 5 positions and at the 5th one, our guy is an all star. And our bench is far better. Harden is about finished. Mitchell is way better. They're going nowhere this year.

 

[T-Roy]

Pfffft. Swap Cavs and Philly and this is close to correct. I don't understand the fascination with the Sixers. We have better starters than them at 4 of the 5 positions and at the 5th one, our guy is an all star. And our bench is far better. Harden is about finished. Mitchell is way better. They're going nowhere this year.

The Cavs fan bias in me wants to put them at first so bad. If no growing pains and Mobley is as good as we are all hoping I think we can definitely be the #1. Embiid was just so dominant last year. (Especially against the Cavs) Maybe an MVP season this year for him? I would say their biggest weakness is depth.

 

[TheISHT]

1. Bucks
2. Cavs
3. Celts
4. 76ers
5. Heat
6. Raps
7. Hawks
8. Bulls

Rest don't matter

 

[mds]

No faith in Sixers. Only have faith in BKN due to raw talent but think they’ll be another clusterfuck. Bucks and Heat should be good. Celtics probably good but a bit of adversity this off season and I’m not sure if Tatum is gonna shrink a bit after last years flop.

 

[T-Roy]

No faith in Sixers. Only have faith in BKN due to raw talent but think they’ll be another clusterfuck. Bucks and Heat should be good. Celtics probably good but a bit of adversity this off season and I’m not sure if Tatum is gonna shrink a bit after last years flop.

I suppose if I had to redo it the 76ers would go down.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

My 2022-2023 Eastern Conference Predictions:

1. 76ers (Healthy Embiid/Harden)
2. Bucks (Giannis/Healthy Middleton)
3. Nets (Still have Durant/Kyrie)
4. Celtics (Low due to Williams injury)
5. Heat
6. Cavs (Growing Pains)
7. Hawks
8. Raptors (Young/Athletic)
9. Bulls (Lonzo Ball Injury, Aging Derozan)
10. Knicks
11. Pistons (Young, talented roster)
12. Wizards
13. Hornets
14. Pacers
15. Magic

What would you change?

Harden will never make The Finals again, healthy or not. He’s not a winning player. He sucks my balls.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

My 2022-2023 Eastern Conference Predictions:

1. 76ers (Healthy Embiid/Harden)
2. Bucks (Giannis/Healthy Middleton)
3. Nets (Still have Durant/Kyrie)
4. Celtics (Low due to Williams injury)
5. Heat
6. Cavs (Growing Pains)
7. Hawks
8. Raptors (Young/Athletic)
9. Bulls (Lonzo Ball Injury, Aging Derozan)
10. Knicks
11. Pistons (Young, talented roster)
12. Wizards
13. Hornets
14. Pacers
15. Magic

What would you change?

Hawks below Cavs?

How much with the Celtics be hurt by the Udoka suspension?

WE needed to grab Bojan, instead of the Pistons.

 

[FrontPageNews]

I think we finish above Philly. Embiid will have his yearly freak injury and jimbo won’t be able to carry a team like he use to.

 

[scene42]

1. Bucks
2. Sixers
3. Cavs
4. Celtics
5. Nets
6. Heat
7. Hawks
8. Raptors

I'd have Cavs behind the C's a week ago, but I think they'll start off the year slower than us. We'll be a formidable regular season team. I can see us beating the Hawks and/or Raptors in a playoff series, but not sure we don't hit a wall come the second round. Definitely not out on ECF, though.

 

[foucault87]

1. Mil - their conference to lose. Strongest team, best player, most experience.
2. Phi - strong regular season team, but I expect they falter in the playoffs
3. Bos - they will right the ship soon enough (jan) and finish strong
4. Mia - Spo is the best coach in the NBA. nuff said
5. Bkn - too volatile. Could easily be 1 with a healthy season from their big 3 or out of the playin with TJ Warren as leading scorer
6. Cle - see everywhere else
7. Atl - Not sold on their current lineup. Need more shooting and to figure out the Collins situation
8. Chi - depends a lot on health from Lavine and Vuc. Expect Pat to make a surprising leap
9. Tor - some regression from them but clearly better than the teams below here
10. NY - Going to be a tight race for the last playin, but NY has the most stable roster here imo
11. Was - still stuck in 2005. This team has no direction. Feel bad for their fans
12. Det - going to surprise some people. They have a fun if thin roster. Expect to see improvement from Cade and the rest
13. Orl - spicy take I think to have them this high, but I am a big believer in Paolo, Cole, and Franz. Suggs will be better and Okeke will be a key player.
14. Cha - Couldve lept to at least the Tor level if a certain someone didnt ruin his career last offseason. I think they will decide to outright tank mid season and Melo wont play more than 50 games this season
15. Indy - They will sell pieces (Turner, Hield) before the end of the season and go straight for the tank

 

[Futuredome]

Bucks: hangover is over. Back to health and winning
76ers: We know they love the regular season
Cavs: Energy is infectious
Celtics: a thin roster but 2 good players keep em going
Heat: They always try hard
Hawks: lack defense and a truly talented big man/wing
Bobcats: a mild surprise, but Ball is the truth
Nets: Just a trainwreck of a team. Durant finally physically bitch slaps Kyrie during a game causing him to never play for the Net again

 

[Jake]

Too hard to say. It's all about the injuries or lack of.
I hope our guys stay relatively injury free, then I like our chances for an impressive season.

 

[rabman_gold]

Too hard to say. It's all about the injuries or lack of.
I hope our guys stay relatively injury free, then I like our chances for an impressive season.

I'm 100% here on this one. Basketball is a very injury-prone sport to play. They always manage to ruin a team's season (or enable another team's season). We need to keep this in mind because even at this very second, someone out there broke some bone, ripped some tendon, or something absolutely horrible.

Luck will play a factor. Pray for good health! And don't incite wrath (or curses) on some other poor sap... god forbid our karma...

So I predict only one thing: a long season.

 

[bigfoot5415]

1. Bucks
2. Nets
3. Heat (shit record but in a crappy division)
4. Cavs (only miss the division by 2 games)
5. 76ers
6. Celtics (hangover from finals & Udoka)
7. Raptors
8. Bulls
9. Hawks (not nearly as good as people thin)
10. Pistons
11. Hornets
12. Knicks
13. Magic
14. Pacers
15. Wizards (Beal is on the move...it's time)

I know we are all tempering expectations but this team is pretty deep, was excellent on defense last year and add a 25ppg scorer. Add in the fact that the Cavs are going to be putting in a lot of effort in games we see more experienced teams take off.