<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">8. Which team will represent the East in the NBA Finals? Abbott: I'd rather pick this in a few months when we see the rosters settle down, but I'd guess the Bulls. They have been playing together for awhile, they are built for the playoffs, they got a taste of success last year and want more. ... Plus, I'm a big fan of Luol Deng. I think he's only going to get better, and could become the reliable scorer they have lacked. Hollinger: As much as I'd love to spend a week in Boston in June, I'm not banking on it. Chicago and Cleveland are deeper and defend better, and that will put one of them over the top. Stein: There are probably 12 or 13 teams that have legit playoff aspirations in the conference, but my fever is such that I just don't think KG, Allen and Pierce need a lot around them to get to the Finals in this East. As LeBron James just proved. Thorpe: At this point, I like Chicago. Had Detroit not peaked against them and knocked them out, the Bulls could have made the Finals last season. That experience, along with the improved play of Tyrus Thomas and the emergence of a superstar in Deng should add up to home-court advantage throughout the Eastern playoffs and a Finals appearance. </div> Source: ESPN.com
I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing that there are already high expectations for us, but at least this shows that they are getting some respect. Honestly though, I can't blame them for thinking we've got a shot. We have what is likely going to be the deepest team in the East and maybe the deepest team in the league. We defend better than most of the league and we have a team full of unselfish players. On a sidenote, was Pax trying to build us like the Pistons, or did it just happen that way? Our team is almost like a carbon copy of the Pistons team that won it all. We're built around our strong defense, have a deep bench, have a bunch of unselfish players that don't always need to score to be effective, etc.
Boston getting to the finals would be best for the ratings but I think it will be Chicago. They've got a nice, young, solid core who now has a year under their belt and will be able to compete at a higher level starting from game 1. I can see the Bulls not only having the best record in the Eastern Conference but in fact winning the East.
