2015 NBA Playoffs - your official Eastern Conference thread

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May 23, 2012
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All discussion on the Eastern Conference first round match-ups can be found here.

Below is the first of four previews covering each series.



1. Atlanta Hawks vs 8. Brooklyn Nets


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The Hawks high five as they squeeze another hapless victim


Head to head: Atlanta leads Brooklyn 4-0

5/12/14 Atlanta 98 @ Brooklyn 75
28/1/15 Brooklyn 102 @ Atlanta 113
4/4/15 Brooklyn 99 @ Atlanta 131
8/4/15 Atlanta 114 @ Brooklyn 111



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Record: 60-22 (2nd in NBA)

O Rating: 6th
D Rating: 6th

Leading scorer: Paul Millsap 16.7ppg
Leading rebounder: Paul Millsap 7.8rpg
Leading assists: Jeff Teague 7.0apg

Starting line-up: Jeff Teague Kyle Korver DeMarre Carroll Paul Millsap Al Horford

Key bench contributors: Dennis Schroeder Mike Scott Kent Bazemore

Injury list: Thabo Sefolosha

Season recap: The Hawks had a brilliant season, breaking their franchise record for wins in a season (57), putting together a brilliant mid-season stretch where they won 33 of 35 games and in the process leaving the rest of the East in their wake, and culminating in four of their formerly unheralded starters participating in the All-Star game.

Mike Budenholzer and Danny Ferry have seemingly succeeded in establishing the Hawks as the 'Spurs of the East', mirroring their former organisation with their emphasis on ball movement and floor spacing, as well as a commitment to high-character players and sensible spending. That their first round opponent 'boast' THREE players who get paid more than the Hawks' top earner (Horford) will be an irony not lost on many. In fact Atlanta's much-lauded starting five collectively earn less (approx $38 mil) than former Hawk Joe Johnson and Deron Williams do combined ($43 mil).

Strengths: Shooting (4th in FG%, 2nd in 3Pt%, 5th in 3Pt makes, 5th in FT%), Passing (2nd in assists), Perimeter defense (7th in 3pt% allowed, 5th in steals)

Weaknesses: Rebounding (28th in rpg, 30th in ORB%, 22nd in DRB%)



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Record: 38-44 (t.18th in NBA)

O Rating: 20th
D Rating: 23rd

Leading scorer: Brook Lopez 17.2ppg
Leading rebounder: Brook Lopez 7.4rpg
Leading assists: Deron Williams 6.6apg

Starting line-up: Deron Williams Markel Brown Joe Johnson Thad Young Brook Lopez

Key bench contributors: Jarrett Jack Bojan Bogdanovic Mason Plumlee

Injury list: Alan Anderson

Season recap: The Nets started 4-2, before Joe Johnson publicly lashed his team-mates before a West coast road trip. Brooklyn promptly dropped 10 of their next 14 and limped to the All-star break with a paltry 21-31 record, an embarrassing performance for such an expensively assembled team.

A deadline trade for Thad Young provided the Nets with a badly needed infusion of athleticism however, and behind the belated improved play of Lopez and (to a lesser extent) Williams they won 13 of their final 19 games to pip Indiana to the final playoff spot in the East. This late flourish shouldn't overshadow how bad Brooklyn was for the majority of the season - they were mediocre offensively, worse defensively and had an expected win/loss record of 33-49. This is a playoff team in name only.

Strengths: Interior scoring (12th in 2pt%), Don't foul (5th fewest FT/FGA conceded)

Weaknesses: Outside shooting (26th in 3pt%, 24th in 3pt made), Rebounding (23rd in ORB%, 20th in DRB%), Interior Defense (25th in blocks, 22nd in 2pt% conceded).


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What we can expect: A lot of Joe Johnson jibes.

Frankly it would be surprising if anything other than a convincing Atlanta series victory eventuates.

They dominated the Nets during the season, and importantly won both late-season encounters. The Hawks boast an efficient offense and a staunch defense, neither of which can be said about their opponent.

Key for Brooklyn: Thad Young

The Hawks are famous for their ball movement and spacing on offence. Combating this effectively necessitates the employment of a mobile presence in the frontcourt, as both Horford and Millsap shoot and pass very well - enter late-season addition Young. Unless the Nets plan on experimenting with Joe Johnson at the 'four' again, Young can expect to see heavy, heavy minutes in this series.

Key for Atlanta: Al Horford

While it will be up to Jeff Teague to expose Deron Williams's lack of athleticism at the guard position, Horford will play a key role for Atlanta at both ends of the floor. Offensively he will be relied upon to keep Brook Lopez out of the paint, opening up lanes for Teague and Scroeder to drive. Defensively however Horford's job will be even more important - to both stifle Brooklyn's most potent weapon in Lopez while simultaneously keeping both Lopez and Plumlee off the offensive glass.


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Prediction: Atlanta will prepare to meet the winner of the Raps/Wizards series with the benefit of a few days rest. Brooklyn will prepare to hand over their #15 draft pick to the Hawks - ouch.
 
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2. Cleveland Cavaliers vs 7. Boston Celtics


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Head-to-head: Series tied 2-2

14/11/14 Cleveland 122 @ Boston 121
3/3/15 Boston 79 @ Cleveland 110
10/4/15 Boston 99 @ Cleveland 90
12/4/15 Cleveland 78 @ Boston 117


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Record: 53-29 (7th in NBA)

O Rating: 3rd
D Rating: 18th

Leading scorer: LeBron James 25.3ppg
Leading rebounder: Kevin Love 9.6rpg
Leading assists: LeBron James 7.4apg

Starting line-up: Kyrie Irving J.R. Smith LeBron James Kevin Love Timofey Mozgov

Key bench contributors: Tristan Thompson Iman Shumpert Matty Dellavedova

Injury list: Anderson Varejao

Season recap: Simply put the season was a tale of two halves for the Cavs - lamentable prior to the trades that added Mozgov, Smith and Shumpert, but nearly unstoppable thereafter. After sitting below .500 at the halfway point of the season, Cleveland won 34 of their final 43 games to ease into the #2 spot in the East.

The Cavs' offence in particular blossomed following the swap of problem child Dion Waiters for erstwhile problem child (but far superior shooter) Smith. While it might be argued that Love has never looked fully comfortable in Cavalier wine and gold, LeBron and Kyrie in particular benefited from the additional touches and better spacing provided in wake of the mid-season roster overhaul. And while Cleveland's defence will never be confused with that of the Dubs or Griz, the addition of Mozgov did provide the team with a badly needed physical presence in the paint - while the price paid to recruit the Russian behemoth was certainly steep, it's hard to argue with the results.

Strengths: Shooting (4th in EFG%, 5th in 3Pt%, 4th in 3Pt makes), Offensive Rebounding (6th in ORB%), Don't Foul (Lowest FT/FGA conceded in NBA)

Weaknesses: Interior D (24th in 2pt FG% conceded)



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Record: 40-42 (16th in NBA)

O Rating: 18th
D Rating: 12th

Leading scorer: Isaiah Thomas 19.0ppg
Leading rebounder: Jared Sullinger 7.6rpg
Leading assists: Evan Turner 5.5apg

Starting line-up: Marcus Smart Avery Bradley Evan Turner Brandon Bass Tyler Zeller

Key bench contributors: Isaiah Thomas Jae Crowder Jonas Jerebko Jared Sullinger Kelly Olynyk

Injury list: Minor concerns over Bradley & Olynyk

Season recap: Well, that was unexpected.

Having further accelerated their rebuilding effort by trading away big earners Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green for future picks and a large collection of assorted role players, nobody expected miracles this season from Brad Stevens's rag-tag bunch of raw youth and scrappy stocking fillers. However from a pre-All-Star-break nadir of 16-30, the young Celtics not only exceeded modest expectations but finished with a barnstorming 24-12 record, including a six game win streak to finish the season that clinched a playoff berth.

The precocious Celtics, not blessed with the star-power of other playoff teams, rely on a platoon approach with Stevens able to consistently go four or five deep into his bench. In fact it's arguable whether this Boston team can even really be divided into 'starters' and 'reserves', with the bench boasting comparable talent to the nominal starting group. The Celtics lack offensive firepower, but they mask this deficiency by executing competently in almost every facet of the game.

Strengths: Perimeter defense (4th in 3Pt% allowed, 8th in steals), Passing (4th in assists, 7th lowest turnover rate)

Weaknesses: Outside shooting (27th in 3Pt%), Rim Protection (30th in blocks)


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What we can expect: To see a lot of big white guys on the court.

Cleveland's strength, it's perimeter firepower, is coincidentally the area at which Boston succeeds at negating best. Boston's best hope at putting a scare into the Cavs lies in swarming the perimeter and attempting to force turnovers - throwing errant passes is something LeBron and Kyrie, despite their talent, have been liable to do on occasion.

Boston is generally sound defensively, but they do risk a proper paint protector - the likes of Zeller, Bass and Olynyk give effort, but they're not a deterrent. The scene is set for LeBron to put his improved post-game on display, because the Celtics lack a player who can stop him. Establishing LeBron inside should enable the rest of the Cavs' perimeter orientated offence to flow more smoothly.

Key for Cleveland: It's too easy to say LeBron, but the reality is that he's the ace in the hole for Cleveland in this particular match up. I don't like Evan Turner's chances of stopping him in whatever he wants to do one little bit. Boston actually match-up relatively well with the rest of the Cavaliers' line-up, so they should ride LBJ all the way.

Key for Boston: Isaiah Thomas - he's easily Boston's most explosive offensive threat, and the Celtics will need him to score early and often. The Cavs might opt to throw Shumpert in to blanket Thomas rather than risk seeing Delly being torched.


Prediction: Tommy will get more than a little upset with the officiating in this series. Remember, Cleveland concede the fewest free throws in the league by average, and their star trio in LeBron, Kyrie and Love average less that six fouls per game combined. You've been warned...
 
Do the games start at more reasonable times after tomorrow? Can't remember there being this many early starts in previous years. I do have a shit memory though, mostly due to repressing most of the Timberwolves' efforts for the past decade.

Most of your early start games are on Sunday in the playoffs. Same as the regular season.
 
4. Toronto Raptors vs 5. Washington Wizards



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Head-to-head: Toronto leads Washington 3-0

7/11/14 Washington 84 @ Toronto 103
31/1/15 Toronto 120 @ Washington 116
11/2/15 Washington 93 @ Toronto 95




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Record: 49-33 (11th in NBA)

O Rating: 4th
D Rating: 25th

Leading scorer: DeMar DeRozan 20.1ppg
Leading rebounder: Jonas Valanciunas 8.7rpg
Leading assists: Kyle Lowry 6.8apg

Starting line-up: Kyle Lowry / DeMar DeRozan / Terrence Ross / Amir Johnson / Jonas Valanciunas

Key bench contributors: Lou Williams, Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, James Johnson

Injury list: N/A

Season recap: A second successive Atlantic Division crown was Toronto's reward at the end of a season which played like an inverted version of their previous campaign.

Riding the wave of momentum generated in their breakthrough 2013/14 season, the Raptors burst out of the gates to compile a 24-7 record by Christmas. Unlike the previous year though, when Toronto came home with a wet sail after the Rudy Gay trade, this season's incarnation of the Raptors merely meandered towards the finishing line, winning only 25 of their final 51 games. It was hard to escape the conclusion that the noisy neighbours from the North had lost their way.

An early season injury to leading scorer DeRozan did not initially slow down the Raptors as first feared, but it might have contributed to the over-burdening and eventual burnout of his backcourt mate Lowry. After a stellar eighteen month stretch, Lowry's shooting fell right off a cliff, at with it Toronto's precious momentum. Perhaps even more worryingly Toronto's defense slipped horrendously from it's previously serviceable levels - a paucity of rim protection and an inability to control the defensive boards meant that the Raptors allowed opponents to shoot an eye-watering 50% inside the arc. For all DeRozan and Lowry's shooting struggles at time, Toronto is still a beast offensively with a variety of weapons and shooters galore - it's at the other end of the court that their troubles truly begin.

Strengths: Shooting (8th in EFG%, 8th in 3 Pt shots made), Ability to get to the free throw line (4th in FT/FGA), Ability to take care of the ball (4th lowest T/O%)

Weaknesses: Interior defense (23rd in blocks, 28th in 2pt FG% allowed), Defensive rebounding (25th in Dreb%)


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Record: 46-36 (12th in NBA)

O Rating: 22nd
D Rating: 5th

Leading scorer: John Wall 17.6ppg
Leading rebounder: Marcin Gortat 8.7rpg
Leading assists: John Wall 10.0apg

Starting line-up: John Wall / Brad Beal / Paul Pierce / Nene / Marcin Gortat

Key bench contributors: Kris Humphries, Rasual Butler, Otto Porter, Ramon Sessions

Injury List: Garrett Temple

Season recap: It sounds strange to say for a team that posted it's best record since 1979 - read that again - but 2014/15 has been underwhelming for the Wiz.

Like their first round adversaries, Washington made a fast start, and turned at the midway point of the season with a very promising 29-13 record. From there-on in, the Wizards (and more particularly their anemic offence) spluttered, dropping 15 of their next 21 games. A team that was expected to contend for the South East Division title eventually finished a whopping 14 games behind the rampant Atlanta Hawks - so what happened? Washington suffered minor injuries to a few key players at stages (Beal, Nene, Humphries), but their regression could hardly be blamed on attrition.

Quite simply, the Wizards have major problems putting the ball in the basket, particularly in a half-court setting. Though they shot a respectable 46% as a team on the season, Randy Wittman's schemes seemed to place a premium on long-range twos rather than threes - a fact that's even more perplexing considering the Wizards boast two elite perimeter shooters in Beal and Pierce. Washington shot 36% on threes for the season, good for 9th in the league - but they only made a paltry half dozen per game. And while the Wizards remain formidable defensively, their inability to mesh a number of talented individuals (think Wall, Beal, Pierce, Nene) at the other end of the court threatens to stifle their long overdue rise to serious contention in the East.

Strengths: Ability to guard the paint (4th in 2Pt FG% allowed, 2nd in overall FG% allowed), Rebounding (3rd in DReb%, +3.0 Diff.)

Weaknesses: Shot inefficiency (28th in 3PtA rate, 22nd in FTA rate), Passing (23rd in Turnover rate)


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What we can expect: The answer to the age old question - what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

In this case the unstoppable force is Toronto's elite multi-pronged offense and the immovable object is Washington's ultra-mean D. However it's also tempting to call Toronto's porous defense an unstoppable force of nature, and Washington's bizarre attachment to inefficient offensive schemes the stubbornly immovable object.

Ultimately both these teams look to their backcourts to provide the impetus for their attacking games - Lowry & DeRozan (+ considerable bench support) for the Raps, Wall & Beal for the Wiz. Neither backcourt has proven to be terribly consistent with their shooting this season - the pairing that catches fire first might decide the fate of the series.

Key for Toronto: Jonas Valanciunas - the Wizards boast impressive frontcourt depth, able to call on Humphries, Seraphin, and even Gooden and Blair for production off the bench. The Raptors' size pretty much begins and ends with the lanky Lithuanian, so Toronto will need him to stay out of foul trouble and concentrating on D (not a strength).

Key for Washington: Nene - he's looked near-cooked at times this season, but we only need cast our minds back as far as last April to remember how dangerous the burly forward can be in the post. Toronto do lack size, so it's imperative for Washington that Nene and Gortat look to be assertive inside.

Prediction: The coach that loses this series might also find themselves out of a job. Once upon a time (well even last year) just reaching the playoffs would have been cause for celebration in both Toronto and Washington... not anymore.
 
wait wut? the wiz-rap game started BEFORE SOSs summary was posted? assplode!!!

Yeah I was out most of the day, didn't realise it started so early either. flight23 will put his Bulls/Bucks preview up soon.

Going to try and get the Western Conference thread up before Dubs/Pels start :oops:
 

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If i was coaching a team in the playoffs and one of my players stopped getting back on defense to tie up his shoe, at the next timeout i'm telling him to take it off so i can smack him in the head with it.

Surprised Pop hasn't done this before actually.

Man if the Raptors can't score at a decent clip, they're in a lot of trouble. Offence is their best defence, while Wall in the open court is Washington best offense, by far.
 

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