Who Will Be Playing for the Eastern Conference Finals?

by James Finneral

This year's Eastern Conference is extremely weak compared to the teams in the Western Conference. Despite the drop off from West to East, there are still some very high quality teams in the Eastern Conference who can win it all.

Miami Heat vs. Brooklyn Nets: 

The recent improvement by the Brooklyn Nets has been impressive and has put the league on notice. Unfortunately their team leadership and talent is no match for the Miami Heat. The series currently stands at 2-0 in favor of Miami. This domination should continue because the Nets just simply can not match up with the Heat. LeBron James can have his way against any defender in the league, but with a much slower Paul Pierce guarding him the King will be even more effective on the offensive end. The Nets have solid talent around their lineup, but the Heat have much more athletic players which will make all the difference in the series. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are already causing havoc down low and in transition. The Heat will be able to out run and over power the Nets and will win the next two games finishing off the series in sweeping fashion. This team is still poised, but the Pacers or Wizzards could give them trouble in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Final Prediction: Heat over Nets (4-0)


Indiana Pacers vs. Washington Wizards: 

The Indiana Pacers are not playing their strongest basketball in the playoffs. Nearly losing to the Hawks in the first round no one really knows what to expect from the Pacers this round. This series will be a turning point and a momentum changer for Indiana. The Wizards are an excellent young team with a lot of promise for the years to come, but their guys need another year to get the right chemistry. The Pacers recently went up 2-1 in the series and plays one more game in Washington before heading back to Indiana. The Wizards have a nice starting five, but Indiana just outmatches them in just about every position as well their bench which is filled with quality players such as Luis Scola and Evan Turner. Despite his recent struggles, Roy Hibbert will be the X factor for the rest of the series. Hibbert should be able to simply over power Nene as well as rise above him for easy buckets. He has been recieving negative media attention which might motivate him to perform. The Pacers are a great team and will definitely give the Miami Heat trouble if the meet in the conference championship.

Final Prediction: Pacers over Wizards (4-2)

The East may not have as many high quality teams as the West, but the Heat and Pacers will challenge any team that come out of the Western Conference.