A case: after Boston, the next 7 East teams might be interchangeable

The playoff race in the Eastern Conference isn't going to be quite as brutal as the West, but there are legitimately eight teams that could be a top-3 seed.

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

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Morning Awakening; Eva Gonzales; 1876

Myself and seemingly every other analyst have been screaming about the Western Conference all summer. It was a vicious playoff chase last season with 10 teams winning at least 46 games and three teams above 56 wins. A team won 49 games and ended up in the play-in. And a bunch of the teams ended up better heading into 2023-24, plus an 11th team (Houston) is on the rise and a 12th team (Memphis) should be clear from one of the most injury-impacted seasons in memory. There are 12 teams in the West who think they should be in the playoffs right now, and it’s hard to argue with any of them.

Because of this focus on the West’s depth, and because the East last season had a solitaire superpower and a number of flawed teams in pursuit, and because the East features the destitute Nets, Wizards and Hornets, the quality of the top of the Eastern Conference might be getting short shrift. The focus largely rests on the hegemonic Celtics and the teams who think themselves in Boston’s orbit: the Bucks with a full offseason of Dame, Doc and Giannis; the Knicks with a superstar Brunson, the addition of Mikal Bridges and the reintroduction of Julius Randle; and the Sixers, who added Paul George to their superstar duo and filled out a nice roster around them.

But upon deeper reflection, there’s no reason the next three teams on the list — the Cavaliers, Pacers and Magic — can’t be in that same mix.