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KANSAN.COM
SPORTS
daily debate Who will represent the East in the NBA Finals?
▶ JARED ANDERSON
@|Anderson_38
"The field."
In the NBA's recent years, the Western Conference has overshadowed the East with its high winning percentage and star players. Teams such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and, of course, the Golden State Warriors have helped establish the West's dominance.
However, the Eastern Conference is home to the Cleveland Cavaliers who have become a powerhouse in the league.
The Cavaliers' reign began when four-time NBA MVP LeBron James famously announced his return to Cleveland in 2014, joining an All-Star in Kyrie Irving and bringing on another in Kevin Love.
Cleveland's talent and postseason success the past two years has raised the question: "Are there any other realistic contenders to win the Eastern Conference?"
Absolutelv.
In the current Eastern Conference standings, behind the Cavaliers sit the Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics, all of whom have performed at a high level this season.
Toronto returns to the
postseason this year led by All-Stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who are both averaging over 20 points per game. The Raptors' prolific scorers, along with Jonas Valanciunas' presence down low, could give the Cavaliers some solid competition.
Although there is hope, the Washington Wizards' sweep of the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs leaves plenty of doubt for this year's nearly-identical team, who has not made it past the opening round since 2001.
The Atlanta Hawks, on the other hand, are a team that have seemed to slip under the radar this season but find themselves fighting for the East yet again. The Hawks have a surplus of All-Star caliber players in Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague.
Along with them is one of the NBA's top three point shooters in Kyle Korver, who will play a huge role in the Hawks postseason success.
But that's not all.
In what might come as a surprise to many, the team that has one of the best chances to come out of the East this season is the Boston Celtics.
This season the Celtics have helped re-establish their city's winning tradition after the split of
their "big three" in 2012. Point guard Isaiah Thomas, who picked up his first All-Star selection in 2016, is currently averaging 22.2 points and 6.2 assists per game on the season.
Thomas is accompanied by forward Jae Crowder, who has been a key component to the team's backcourt, along with Avery Bradley.
It is easy to see the Celtics as a serious contender for the East when looking at their success against the best team in the NBA. In the last two seasons, the Celtics are the only team that the Golden State Warriors have not beaten by more than five points.
The Celtics have gone 1-2 against the Warriors this season, losing to them 119-124 in two overtimes December 11 and beating them 109-106 away at Oakland April 1. This is something to seriously take into consideration as the Cavaliers are 0-2 against the Warriors this year.
Although the Cavaliers may be at the top of the East for now, expect some serious competition this postseason.
- Edited by Sarah Kruger
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) drives past Atlanta Hawks' Kent Bazemore (24) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, April 11, 2016, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 109-94.
AP PHOTO
▶ ADAM SCHERZER
@Alscherz
"The Cavaliers."
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the clear favorites as they reign Eastern Conference Champions and sit atop the standings.
The NBA season is coming to an end and with that comes plenty of storylines. This particular season has the Lakers legend Kobe Bryant retiring and the Golden State Warriors clinching the best regular season record. While these are enjoyable to follow, the playoffs are what really matters.
The Western Conference receives more attention than the Eastern Conference due to the race for first by the Warriors, Spurs and Thunder. However, the Eastern Conference race is tighter; the Toronto Raptors are only two and a half games back from first place, while the San Antonio Spurs are six and a half games back of the first place team in the West.
Their dominance over their conference throughout the season is why they will represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals for the second straight year.
The Cavs have LeBron James. This is not breaking news, but it is why the Cavaliers are where they are today. No other team in the East has a player of his caliber to match up against him. The 6-foot-8, 250 pound, four-time MVP and 12-time All-Star is unlike any other in the EAST.
He has been to five consecutive NBA Finals coming out of the Eastern Conference.
Five consecutive NBA Finals.
Five.
James has been on two different teams during that span, so it is safe to say that he is the common denominator of the teams to come out of the East. He is 17-3 in his last 20 playoff series.
James also leads his team in PPG, APG, SPG and FG percent. A leader like that is going to be tough to
stop when it is all on the line in the plavoffs.
Last season the Cavaliers faced a bit of injury trouble late in the season and into the playoffs. Forward Kevin Love exited the first round series against the Boston Celtics with a dislocated shoulder that kept him out of the rest of the playoffs. Point guard Kyrie Irving dealt with knee tendinitis late in the playoff run.
These injuries forced the Cavs into tough situations, and they were not at full strength. On the bright side, they only lost two of their 14 games on the way to the Finals last season. They swept two opponents, including the Eastern Conference Finals against the No. 1-seeded Atlanta Hawks.
If the Cavaliers have LeBron James and continue to stay healthy throughout the playoffs, they are almost a lock to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals yet again.
Edited by Sarah Kruger
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