Strong contenders
7. Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland is a young and scary team that nobody in the East wants to play against. They may not have all the tools and experience to take down the top dawgs in the East, but they certainly have a chance. The Cavs boast a very well-rounded starting 5 led by the newly acquired Donovan Mitchell.
The history of Mitchell in the playoffs paired with the talent this team already had could be a formidable combination in the postseason. This is still a team that may be 1-2 years away from true contention.
6. Philadelphia 76ers
The James Harden and Joel Embiid experiment has seemed to work very well so far. The Philadelphia 76ers have a very well-rounded team as they gear up for the playoffs. Getting past Boston or Milwaukee will be hard for this team, but if the cards fell right, it’s something Philly could potentially do.
The playoff history of head coach Doc Rivers, Harden, and Embiid is certainly enough to second-guess the 76ers’ chances but nonetheless, they have a roster that is very capable of competing in the East.