![]() ![]() ![]() Budenholzer guided the Bucks to their first NBA crown in 50 years in 2021, but a first-round loss was enough for the Milwaukee hierarchy to move on from their title-winning coach.Īdrian Griffin has the task of ensuring that Milwaukee remains one of the most dominant teams in the East, and the presence of Giannis Antetokounmpo makes them contenders to reach the NBA Finals. Mike Budenholzer paid the price for his side’s premature exit in the first round of the post-season, suffering a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Heat. The Bucks had a disastrous end to the season after placing as the top seed entering the playoffs. If the Celtics hold their composure and perform to their talent, their title drought could end in 2024. They begin the season as the leading contenders in the odds from the leading sportsbooks to win the Eastern Conference.Ī starting line-up of Tatum, Brown, Porzingis, Al Horford, and Derrick White certainly has the credentials required with Malcolm Brogdon and Rob Williams off the bench. But Boston has had issues surrounding them with enough talent to ease the burden in the playoffs. Jaylen Brown has also committed his long-term future to the Celtics by penning a huge $305 million deal, the richest in NBA history.īrown and Tatum are arguably the most talented tandem in the Eastern Conference, with the latter in the running for the MVP award last season. But, the Celtics failed to deliver amid an injury to Jayson Tatum early in the game, allowing the Heat to secure the victory to take them into the NBA Finals.īoston has retooled their roster in the off-season, trading 2021/22 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies in a four-team deal to acquire Kristaps Porzingis. After going down 3-0 in the early stages of the series, Joe Mazzulla’s men won the next three games to send the Eastern Conference Finals into a game seven decider. ![]() The Celtics attempted to make a comeback for the ages in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Toronto Raptors were able to defeat the Warriors in 2019, while the Milwaukee Bucks overcame the Phoenix Suns in 2021 in rare triumphs for the Eastern Conference, but defeating the Western Conference outfits has been a challenge.Ĭould that change in 2024 and beyond? There are a slew of talented teams in the East that are ready to make the charge again, and we’ll now look at which sides are best placed to capture the NBA crown and perhaps forge a dynasty that has not been seen by an Eastern Conference team since the Chicago Bulls’ run in the 1990s. The Golden State Warriors juggernaut was responsible for four of those championships, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers three times and then the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals. Out of the last ten teams to emerge from the Eastern Conference Finals, only three have gone on to win the NBA title, suggesting that there is an imbalance of power between the two conferences. As a point of comparison, Simons has attempted 9.2 3s per game and made 38.1 percent of them, including 39.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s, 35.1 percent of his pull-up 3s and 46.3 percent of his wide-open 3s.However, Erik Spoelstra’s side were crushed by the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals, losing the series 4-1 as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray ran riot to guide the Nuggets to their first title. He has shot 33.6 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s, 32.9 percent on pull-up 3s and 35.3 percent on wide-open 3s. Randle has attempted a ton of 3s this season - 8.0 per game, easily a career-high - but has made only 33.8 percent of them. He's a surprising choice for this particular competition, though, because he's not shooting particularly well from 3-point range. He hasn't missed a game, and he has scored even more efficiently than he did in 2020-21 when he made Second Team All-NBA. ![]() Randle is an All-Star, and he's having a career season. He will reportedly replace Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers, who hurt his ankle on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards. New York Knicks forward Julius Randle will participate in the 3-point contest on Saturday in Salt Lake City, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. ![]()
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