Eastern Conference by Hayden Davidson Boston Celtics Entering the 2016-17 NBA season, Celtics coach Brad Stevens’ squad was not expect- ing to score the top seed in the relatively weak Eastern Conference, ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are led by arguably the best basketball player in history, LeBron James, and the Toronto Raptors. Many teams require two All-Star-caliber players to clinch a top 4 spot in their conference, but the Celtics make do with one central playmaker, Isaiah Thomas. Then, how did they outlast the Cavs, Raptors, and Wizards? Most players in today’s game are not role players, or in other words, players who ex- cel in one aspect of basketball, such as defense or jump shooting or rebounding. But the Celtics have several players who play a role. Isaiah Thomas, the Celts’ point guard, is great at scoring, but his size gives him a disadvantage on the defensive end. Avery Bradley, Boston’s starting shooting guard, is probably one of the best three defenders in the NBA. Among the Celtics starting lineup are Thomas, Bradley, small forward Jae Crowder, power forward Amir Johnson, and center Al Horford. Horford was signed last season to a massive contract, a contract that sits among the largest in the league currently, even though Horford may not rank among the top 20 frontcourt players in the league. The Celtics are a better-than-average team on defense, so they should target a player who specializes in a different part of the game. The Celtics -fin ished 27th in the 30-team-league in rebounds per game, so it would make sense if they go after the Knicks’ 7’3” power forward Kristaps Porzingis this summer. Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James couldn’t quite keep the NBA Finals trophy in The Land, and he’s still receiving criticism after becoming the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double in one Finals series. In the five-game series, he averaged 33.6 points per game, 12 rebounds per game, and 10 assists per game, as he passed Magic Johnson in most triple-doubles in the Finals in his career, with nine career triple-doubles. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love complete the Cavs’ big three, the second best big three in the NBA behind the Warriors’ Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson, who they lost to in the Finals in early June. There have been heavy rumors about LeBron James leaving the Cavaliers next offseason to go to Los Toronto Raptors Angeles or elsewhere, so they better be ready to go at it head-first, Guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry sum up one full-speed in the 2017-18 season before The King possibly leaves the of the best guard duos in the association, but the Raptors aren’t team. strong enough in the frontcourt (forwards and centers) to be able to outstand the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, or the rising Washington Wizards. Toronto made a solid attempt at a run toward the end of the season by adding the former Thunder power forward, Serge Ibaka, from the Orlando Magic. Ibaka excels in blocking shots; although he’s only 6’10”, he has totaled up a career average of 2.4 blocks per game. DeMarre Carroll started at the three position this season, but he does not own the offensive skills Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan do. Carroll, who has played for the Grizzlies, Rock- ets, Nuggets, Jazz, and Hawks as well as the Raptors in his career, is much more effective on defense, as he usually guards LeBron when the Raptors play against the Cavaliers. The Raptors have a run-of- the-mill center, Jonas Valanciunas, but in order to take the next step, the Raptors need to find a five-man who fits well with the roster. Washington Wizards The Wizards have generally not succeeded in the regular season well enough to make a trip to the playoffs in the past ten years, excluding the past four seasons. This season, superstar point guard John Wall and shooting guard Bradley Beal finally decided to get along, and by doing so they notched 49 wins, scored the four seed in the East, and made it to the second round before falling to the #1 seed Celtics. Like the Raptors, the Wizards do not have enough strength in their forward and center positions. Otto Porter, Markieff Morris, and Marcin Gortat are collectively one of the league’s lower half 3-4-5 combos. Washington had a decent bench that included guards Trey Burke, Brandon Jennings, and Bojan Bogdanovic, and forward Kelly Oubre Jr. The Wizards could make a playoff run in the near future, but first, they have to support a better coaching staff and add a forward, center, or ideally, both.