Six months ago, the media were highly anticipating the idea of two Central Division rivals, the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, being the last two teams standing out East.
The return of LeBron James and the recruitment of Kevin Love would propel Cleveland into NBA title contention, while the addition of Pau Gasol would give Chicago a powerful squad, as long as Derrick Rose’s latest comeback succeeded.
Long haul
But we play those 82 games for a reason, and a lot has happened since those early days of giddy excitement. Cleveland struggled for the first half of the season, and a change of course was required when center Anderson Varejao (inevitably) went down with a season-ending torn Achilles before Christmas.
Out with the Brazilian, in with the Russian, as coach David Blatt reunited with his old friend Timofey Mozgov, while New York’s J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert were also brought in via trade. LeBron looked rejuvenated after taking a two-week break, and the team took off, finishing the season strongly and cruising to the second seed behind Atlanta, who had a fantastic regular season.
Meanwhile Chicago had an up-and-down year. It looks inevitable that the Bulls will part ways with coach Tom Thibodeau after multiple reported clashes with the organization’s front office. All-NBA center Joakim Noah has battled injuries all year and hasn’t been able to duplicate last season’s fire.
Gasol has been a fantastic addition, but the fit alongside Noah can be awkward at times, especially with two proper centers matching up against the modern trend of jump-shooting big men. In the backcourt, Jimmy Butler has developed into an All-Star, but it looks as though Rose will never be able to recover that same level of elite athleticism that elevated him to league MVP back in 2011.
Rookie forward Nikola Mirotic became a bright spot for the squad, but they found themselves trapped in a tussle with Toronto and Washington for the third seed. The Bulls held on to set up a first-round matchup with sixth-seeded Milwaukee; which was highly appealing on a local angle. Wisconsin’s biggest city is just a two-hour drive north.
Rapid rise
In their first season under coach Jason Kidd, Milwaukee has risen from worst in the league to winning exactly half of their games, establishing themselves as statistically the league’s second-best defense.
Finishing with the league’s worst record in 2013-14 was harsh on the Bucks, but they took advantage and drafted dynamite young scorer Jabari Parker. Unfortunately, Parker didn’t last long, suffering a season-ending knee injury in December.
Milwaukee also had to deal with the stunning loss of talented center Larry Sanders, who decided basketball wasn’t for him and announced that he was walking away from the sport in February.
Brandon Knight led the squad as they fought through the first half of the season, but with his contract expiring and the likelihood of a hefty re-signing on the horizon, the Bucks punted, shifting Knight to Phoenix and ending up with last year’s Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams in return.
Khris Middleton has stepped up as the team’s unlikely but dependable star, while precocious Greek talent Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to win hearts around the league with his babyface and his incredibly long limbs.
His rapidly developing skill-set helps too.
Tough task
Both the Bucks and the seventh seeded Boston Celtics are overmatched against their first round opponents, and both might even face the indignity of being swept from the playoffs; although neither coach Kidd nor Brad Stevens in Boston will allow their teams to bow out meekly. Milwaukee and Boston contain some talented young players who will enjoy the playoff experience, and their time will come eventually.
But we’re finally heading toward the matchup that the media were looking forward to, albeit a round earlier than expected. With one of Atlanta, Toronto, Washington or Brooklyn guaranteed to be in the Eastern Conference finals, the winner of a Cleveland-Chicago series will surely be battle-hardened and ready to stake its claim for the Eastern Conference title.