Pre-Season Awards and Playoff Projections

With the NBA season right around the corner, it is time to project how the Eastern Conference will play out. The big shift has come toward the East, and you will see a few teams stack up against the formidable Western Conference. Without further adieu, here are my projections of the 2014 - 2015 NBA season projections for the Eastern Conference.

Playoff Scenario

First Round

#1 Chicago Bulls beat #8 Indiana Pacers in Five Games

#2 Cleveland Cavaliers beat #7 Charlotte Hornets in Five Games

#3 Washington Wizards beat #6 Brooklyn Nets in Seven Games

#5 Miami Heat beat #4 Toronto Raptors in Six Games

Semi-Final Round

#1 Chicago Bulls beat #5 Miami Heat in Six Games

#2 Cleveland Cavaliers beat #3 Washington Wizards in Seven Games

Conference Finals

#1 Chicago Bulls beat #2 Cleveland Cavaliers in Seven Games

Analysis

Despite a strong overall debut from LeBron James and the rest of the team in Cleveland, nothing is going to stop the powerful Chicago Bulls. Their solid front court and a rejuvenated Derrick Rose will create havoc for all the teams in the Eastern Conference.

Miami and Washington will prove to be the surprises in the conference as they are able to fair pretty well against the clear top two teams in the East. The issues with both teams are that they cannot out-score or out-muscle either team. Miami without LeBron has no go-to offensive talent, but they still have enough balance to frighten the Bulls in the Conference Semis. Washington is the team to watch this year as they will be on the rise in the NBA, and could very well be in the title conversation after their run to the Semis against Cleveland. Each team will need to add some pieces before they are able to knock off the top two in the conference, however.

The disappointing teams are going to be the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks haven’t added enough in the off-season to create any leverage in the Eastern Conference, and I expect teams to lock down on Jeff Teague a lot more after seeing what he was capable of against Indiana in the playoffs last year. New York, on the other hand, will be in constant turmoil again as J. R. Smith continues his destructive tendencies that divide the locker room. Carmelo Anthony is not a star and he does not want to seriously contend for a title. Carmelo settled for staying in New York, and no matter what Phil Jackson tries to do, the Zen Master cannot win as long as those two inept stars are on his roster

What really sums up the conference is the struggle between Chicago and LeBron James. With Paul George out of the picture in Indiana this season, the power struggle across the top of the conference will again be fought between a James-led team and Chicago. This season seems like the prime time for Chicago to get over the hump as LeBron meshes with a new team and Chicago has Derrick Rose (hopefully) still healthy. Only time will tell, but having Rose back along with that deep and formidable front court should prove to be the difference-maker in the Conference Finals and the Chicago Bulls should win that series in seven games to get to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1998.

Conference Awards

Conference MVP - Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls

Conference Coach of the Year - Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls

Conference Rookie of the Year - Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks

Conference Sixth Man of the Year - Danny Granger, Miami Heat

Conference Comeback Player of the Year - Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat

Conference Disappointing Player of the Year - Carmelo Anthony

Conference Most Disappointing Team - New York Knicks

Conference “Just Wait til Next Year” Award - (tie) Milwaukee Bucks and   Washington Wizards