Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks: Top Contenders for the Eastern Conference Playoffs - NBA Feature (Part 2)
New York Knicks:
As the fans in New York brace themselves for the next season, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire will have to find a way to co-exist. If they do, the Knicks will be the team to beat next season.
What Carmelo Anthony needs to do is to take a leaf out of LeBron James’ book and if that is inspiring enough for the Knicks’ superstar, then in the presence of Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler, this team can become a force to reckon
with. With new signings of some excellent players like Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby and Raymond Felton, we might be up for some surprises in 2013.
Indiana Pacers:
Last season, the Pacers were without a doubt the biggest surprise of the season. The problem, however, is that their off-season has not been that great and not a lot has changed in their lineup from last season. This can work both
ways; good or bad.
While they have bought Gerald Green and D.J Augustin through free agency, Darren Collison is no longer there, which can take its toll. The side however still has the likes of Danny Granger, David West and Roy Hibbert. They might
not have improved drastically from last season but under Frank Vogel and his assistant Brian Shaw, the team which is in place already is very much capable of repeating their performance from last season and if they can somehow manage to improve on it, they
can have a real impact on the Eastern Conference in 2013.
Boston Celtics:
Age and the exuberance of youth may not be on their side but it is a truth that you can never rule a Celtics’ side out in the NBA. What will be exciting the Celtics’ fans at the moment is the retention of Kevin Garnett for another
three years and although we all know that it is too ambitious to expect the veteran to play good minutes throughout the season, the amount of class he brought to the squad last season eventually helped them play the Eastern Conference Finals.
Paul Pierce and Jason Terry also have ageing legs but they still have a lot to contribute to the side and if a young star was all the Celtics needed right now then Rajon Rondo is the person to go to. While all the bases might
not be covered for Celtics but as of right now, they are the most well equipped side to give Miami Heat a run for their money.
Miami Heat:
If you were allowed to give just one reason for why Miami will not make it this season, it will be: it is not 2012.
The team looks all set to be the Eastern Conference winners one more time and the thing with the best chance of stopping them right now is bad luck.
If the Big Three were not enough, the inclusion of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis in their ranks makes them an even more formidable unit than before. The side has finished as second seeds in the last two seasons, but with Chicago
Bulls missing Derrick Rose next season, the first seed is theirs for the taking.
And then the NBA title perhaps.
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