LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are on top of the East, and they are in a class by themselves. Kyrie Irving has proven that he is a big-time shot maker and great scorer whenever his team needs him to put the ball in the hole. Don’t forget about Kevin Love who is averaging 20 and 11 in his third season with the Cavs, finally figuring out how to play his role the right way. They are the favorites to get back to the NBA Finals, but here are the squads that can challenge their domination.
Washington Wizards – John Wall has put his team on his back, and the Wiz are showing what they are capable off now when they are fully healthy. They are good at home and have had the best record in the East ever since the calendar turned to 2017. Wall is an All-Star, and he has played like one. He needs to be on the same level in the second half of the season if Washington wants to make a run in the East.
Toronto Raptors – The Raptors have fallen off just a bit in 2017, but they still have two All-Star guards on their roster and a big guy that hasn’t been able to play last year against the Cavs when Toronto won two games against Cleveland. DeRozan and Lowry need to be the dynamic duo, and we know that they can, to be able to beat the Cavaliers, but Jonas Valanciunas is going to be the key for this team.
Boston Celtics – Celtics are 34-19 as of right now, and they are playing good basketball in 2017. Avery Bradley has missed a lot of matches now in a row, but even without him, the Celtics kept winning basketball games. When he return, together with Isaiah Thomas, a legitimate MVP candidate, they will be dangerous and probably slight favorites to get to the East Finals. Danny Ainge could also make a deal as we know that he is pretty active in the trading market. Celtics could be a big rival to the Cavs if they make the right move.
