2010 Playoff Picture: Eastern Conference Predictions and Analysis

1)    Boston Celtics (65-17)

(low: 59 high: 68)

There’s quite a difference between the highest and lowest possible amount of wins I have listed for this team isn’t there?

The reasoning behind that is rather simple:the Celtics have more room for fluctuation than any other team in the NBA. And it's not very difficult to understand why.

With Kevin Garnett, the Celtics were head and shoulders better than the rest of the league in 2008 (in no small part due to the fact that the Lakers, their Finals opponent, were lacking two of their key components in Trevor Ariza and Andrew Bynum). However, without KG in the mix last year, the Celtics were pushed to the brink by a middling Chicago team and found themselves unable to even reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

With KG returning, and Rasheed Wallace on board, this team will closely resemble the imposing championship unit it was in '08 in both defensive ferocity and swagger.

Unlike last year’s Cavs, who were powerless to defend their interior;last year’s Magic whose offense proved to be too one-dimensional for them to grasp the title; and last year’s Lakers who were flat out terrible at defending the league’s faster point guards; the Celtics have no real weaknesses, at least not on paper.

Even Rajon Rondo, who was once considered to be the weak-link in the Celtics’ starting five, has emerged as a top five player at his position and a legitimate All-Star. Rondo averaged a near triple-double in last year’s playoffs with averages of 9.7 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 16.9 points per game.

If the Celtics can stay healthy, there isn’t a team in the Eastern Conference that can beat them in a seven-game series.

2)    Cleveland Cavaliers (63-19)

(low: 57 high: 64)

This is NOT the second best team in the Eastern Conference.

They will, however, win the second most amount of games. Why? LeBron James is the best workhorse the game has seen since Jordan, hands down.

The addition of Shaquille O’Neal was a move of desperation, and we saw how well that worked out for the last team that tried it. While Shaq may not be as out of place in Cleveland as he was on the fast-paced Suns, there are still many question marks he represents.

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