Clear your schedule for the next two months, the NBA playoffs are here. Seriously though, the NBA postseason sometimes feels longer than the actual season itself. There are some new teams in the playoff hunt this year and I have a feeling that there will be some young superstars waiting to take the show over. Let’s take a look at the NBA playoffs bracket 2022 Eastern Conference preview.
- Miami Heat (53-29)
- Boston Celtics (51-31)
- Milwaukee Bucks (51-31)
- Philadelphia 76ers (51-31)
- Toronto Raptors (48-34)
- Chicago Bulls (46-36)
- Brooklyn Nets (44-38)
- Atlanta Hawks (43-39)
At the very top of the East sits the Heat. Miami has been rejuvenated this year with the likes of veteran Kyle Lowry and the excellent coaching from Erik Spoelstra. They will face off against the Atlanta Hawks and it feels like they shouldn’t have too much trouble rolling through that.
The Celtics sort of shot themselves in the foot in the final game of the regular season when they took down the Milwaukee Bucks, tying their record but giving Boston the tie-breaker. That means the C’s get the 2-seed but it also means a date against the Brooklyn Nets, a team that feels way too talented to be ranked seventh in these playoffs, especially if they are getting back Ben Simmons. Maybe this is the monkey that Boston needs to get off their backs if they want to finally get back to an NBA Championship.
The Bucks should have a rather easy matchup with the Chicago Bulls who are now without their top defender in Lonzo Ball. The Bucks are the reigning NBA Champs, and they have the best player in the league, even if he won’t win the MVP this year. This team now has playoff and championship experience to the highest pedigree, and I believe they will hang around until the very end.
Finally, in the last matchup will be the Sixers taking on the Raptors. This is an interesting matchup where Philly looks like the much better team on paper, but Doc Rivers certainly doesn’t have the full confidence of his fan base behind him and I don’t necessarily blame them. The Sixers are a team that typically crap the bed come the playoffs and Toronto has a great coach and a nice, young core. I would still lean Philly in this spot, but it’ll be closer than it should.
Eastern Conference Finals: My prediction for the conference Finals are the Heat and the Celtics. I think if Boston can get past Brooklyn, they should have no issues with a team like Philly who could be the next team on their step. Boston has great defense, and they have a star in Jayson Tatum who is waiting to finally break out in the playoffs. Miami has the easiest path to the Finals, and they have proven to be the best team in the East all season. I think Boston finally breaks a nasty curse against them. Prediction: Boston playing in the NBA Finals