Everyone is talking about the Heat... but what about...

Good. Easier for the Rockets.

 

I haven't heard of these teams.

What cities are they from?

 

They must be the other teams from Miami.

 

The power's not really shifting to the Eastern conference. The Bulls will be pretty good, but that's only one extra good team in the East. The Pacers, as well as all the other teams below #5 in the East, will still suck. The West will still be the Lakers followed by everyone else.

 

I agree with the OP, somewhat.

I expect Miami to take the #1 seed in the East.

I DON'T expect them to just roll right through the entire Eastern conference though, and end up in the Finals.

Even the Lakers met resistance in the first round last year, against the Thunder. And the Mavs were knocked out by the Warriors way back when.

I'm not saying the Heat will lose; rather, I'm not handing the championship on a silver platter just yet.

 

Suns might drop down this year and the Bulls should be better. I guess power is shifting to the East.

 

What about them "Rockets" damn the rest!

 

To me the Bulls are the biggest sucker bet in Vegas right now. I think they are a distant 4th in the EC, and I don't see them as any bigger threat than a group of 2nd tier WC teams after the Lakers

 

Assuming Yao's recovery is on track, very few teams have improved as much this offseason as the Rockets. They're going to be a little under the radar, which is good.

 

Watch out for the Thunder. They are young, talented, and don't realize that the NBA championship is assigned to the Lakers. I think they are going to become what we thought Portland would be, before they are started self destructing.

 

What about Raven?

 

why did you mentioned the Pacers??

battling for the 8th spot in the East, is not very good
if you win 40 games, you can squeak into the 8th seed, the rockets would have made the playoffs last year, if they were on the east.

 

The Bulls IMO will be either the 3rd or the 4th spot on Eastern conf standing.

 

The key to the Bulls season is defense. If they become an elite defensive team, it will be hard to knock them out of the playoffs. With D-Rose as a closer who now has some help, they could be dangerous. I predict it will take some time for them to get it going, so their regular season record may not reflect their playoffs prospects.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility they end up the 2nd best team in the East after the playoffs are finished. I expect the Hawks & Celts to decline and the Magic's players may finally get sick and tired of listening to Stan Van Gundy. I would hate to play for him. His act HAS to be wearing thin.

 

I think the Bulls will have a better record than the Heat and actually go further in the playoffs. To me, the Heat will be the biggest disappointment in the history of sports after this year. Even still, Lebron fans will always claim he was dealt a bad hand

 

?????
The Bulls have been the 2nd most talked about team after Miami. But imo, they are being horribly overrated. The team has absolutely no depth and a gaping hole at SG. A big 3 of Rose, Boozer, and Noah does not sound too intimidating to me. I'm not sure why they are getting so much hype honestly. Deron is twice the PG Rose is and Utah was only good, not great with that combo last season. The Bulls are a much more lacking team than Utah imo.

Miami
Orlando
Boston

should be expected to grab the top 3 spots

I personally expect Milwaukee to jump up and grab that #4 spot. I love the addition of Corey Maggette and a healthy Andre Bogut. They are a very solid team. And imo, Brandon Jennings will be better than Derrick Rose, maybe not next season, but down the road, he will be.

 

Da Bulls

 

You're a glass half full kinda guy aren't you?

 

I agree that Miami will have to fight it out in the Eastern conference playoffs, but not in round one. The #7-8 seeds in the East will be complete scrub teams, so as long as Miami finishes with one of the top two (maybe even three) records, they'll cruise through round one.