It only looks like parity.
Consider it an April tradition: A new postseason Jonathan Quick Jersey , a new No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. This time, it’s Toronto doing the honors – the Raptors‘ win over Indiana on Friday makes them the seventh different club in the past seven years to get the top line on the East bracket, following Chicago, Miami, Indiana, Atlanta, Cleveland and Boston.
It’s an unprecedented run of top-seed diversity for the NBA, at least since the league started seeding by conference in 1973.
Of course, those top seeds usually find out that finishing ahead of LeBron James in April is much easier than ousting him in May.
”Listen, it doesn’t matter to me if I’m a 6 seed, or a 3 seed, or a 2 seed, or an 8 seed,” James said. ”If I come into your building for a Game 1, it will be very challenging.”
So make no mistake, the East still goes through James.
He is trying to reach the NBA Finals for the eighth consecutive season. James’ teams are 24-2 in East series as the higher seed, 6-2 in East series as the lower seed. And while the Raptors will be the favorites, there will be a certain amount of skepticism until someone knocks James off his perch atop the conference.
”What he does in a playoff series is very unique,” Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said.
It’s been almost predetermined for the past few years, regardless of who’s seeded where, that James’ team would be the one winning the East.
But this year, it might not be so simple.
”You’ve got to go through whoever it is anyway Christian Dvorak Jersey ,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said.
The Raptors are enjoying their best season in history, with a franchise-record 57 wins and counting and now knowing that the road for anyone to win the Eastern Conference title will go through Canada. But while the Raptors haven’t exactly been sprinting across the finish line there have been some teams hitting their best stride, namely Cleveland and Philadelphia.
And when the East bracket is set, the Raptors know plenty of pundits won’t be penciling them in for a trip to the NBA Finals, even with the knowledge that Kyrie Irving – who has had some incredible playoff moments with James and Cleveland in recent years – won’t be playing for Boston in these playoffs because of knee surgery.
”We really just have to maintain focus on ourselves and not worry about who says this, that, what happens,” Toronto guard Kyle Lowry said. ”All we can do is focus on our team, our organization and the things that we do. We don’t really care to be talked about. We just go out there and have to prove what we need to prove.”
Thing is, in the East this year and with all due respect to the way James has been playing of late – so well, he has said he would vote for himself as the league MVP – it’s hard to envision any team being fearful of any other.
With the exception of Milwaukee, which was swept 3-0 by Miami, every team in the East has beaten every other playoff team in their conference at least once during this regular season. The Cavaliers are 15-10 against the other East playoff-bound clubs; the Bucks are 9-16 and the 76ers are 10-16 against the other East qualifiers.
Everyone else falls somewhere in the middle.
”Eastern Conference basketball,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said, ”it’s the height of competition.”
The West seems much easier to forecast.
Houston has separated itself from everyone, and Golden State – which has been decimated by injuries, but is hopeful of having Stephen Curry back by the second round – is probably still going to be thought of by many as no worse than a co-favorite to reach the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive time.
The East probably has more teams capable of reaching The Finals.
But beating James four times is not going to be easy for any of them, regardless of home-court advantage.
”Toronto’s having a heck of a year, (so is) Boston and everything they’re doing with a lot of injuries themselves, and I think some of the teams in the middle and back of the pack are interesting,” Budenholzer said. ”But until somebody beats whatever team LeBron’s playing for, it always feels like the team that he’s playing for is the team to beat in the East.”
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Head coaching changes get the most attention Alex Killorn Jersey Kids , and new guys normally decide who their coordinators will be.
For 2018, most offensive coordinator alterations came from incumbent coaches.
Some former coordinators moved up: Matt Nagy from Kansas City to Chicago, Pat Shurmur from Minnesota to the New York Giants. Some OCs were canned: Pittsburgh’s Todd Haley, who landed in Cleveland; Mike Shula, going from the Panthers to the Giants. Others are returning to familiar ground: Joe Philbin in Green Bay, Greg Olson in Oakland.
Many simply got promoted.
Here are six intriguing new offensive coordinators:
Todd Haley, Cleveland – A former head coach with the Chiefs who spent the past six seasons in a love/hate relationship with Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, Haley faces a whole new set of challenges with the Browns.
Sure, he and Roethlisberger often quarreled, but they also won lots of games with a potent, dynamic attack. If you have a short memory, let us fill you in: Cleveland has won a single game, in total, over the past two seasons. Its offense has ranged from anemic to putrid.
So Haley steps in with the charge of grooming (or pushing rapidly) the first overall draft pick, Baker Mayfield, as the starting quarterback. The head man in Cleveland, Hue Jackson, also has a background on offense and some ideas of his own on how to move the ball. Of course, Jackson also has that 1-31 record.
”That is what appealed to me – the challenge and the people I was going to be working alongside of,” Haley said when hired.
Best of luck, Todd.
Norv Turner, Carolina – One of the most successful OCs in NFL history – not so much as a head coach Youth Pavel Zacha Jersey , with a 114-122-1 record – Turner tries to re-establish Cam Newton as an elite passer. Newton remains a dangerous runner and creator, but he’s never developed the fundamentals to be a true pocket passer, and as he gets later into his career, the 2015 league MVP needs those basics in his repertoire.
Turner has been an effective QB whisperer for decades, going back to helping Troy Aikman become a Hall of Famer. Turner has a strong relationship with Panthers coach Ron Rivera, and will get lots of leeway in running the offense, particularly in resurrecting the deep passing game.
”I think Cam gets that Norv is here to help,” Rivera said.
John DeFilippo, Minnesota – DeFilippo moves from the Eagles, where he masterfully helped Carson Wentz reach prominence, then was of immeasurable aid for Nick Foles in the Super Bowl run. DeFilippo was handed an expensive bauble, too.
The Vikings signed Kirk Cousins to the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history after discarding their three quarterbacks of 2018, including Case Keenum, who helped Minnesota reach the conference title game. With short-term 2018 sensation Dalvin Cook returning to the backfield, a solid and deep receiving group and a strong line, expectations in the Twin Cities are for the Vikes to take that next huge step.
”He’s been a great communicator, and I love his passion for the game,” Cousins said of DeFilippo.
Joe Philbin, Green Bay – From 2007-11, with the transition from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers a part of it, Philbin was the Packers OC. The team’s success, including a Super Bowl title Scott Laughton Jersey , got him the head job in Miami, where he went 24-28.
Following two seasons working in Indianapolis with the offensive line, Philbin Part 2 begins on the tundra.
Rodgers has been somewhat vocal about changes in Green Bay that didn’t quite meet his approval. So the symbiosis between A-Rod and Philbin will be critical.
”Change can be really good … any time you’re in a situation where you’ve had the same type of things going on for a number of years, it’s nice to change it up in some positions, yeah,” Rodgers said.
Matt LaFleur, Tennessee – LaFleur rapidly has gone from QB coach in Atlanta – Matt Ryan had his MVP season with LaFleur on hand two years ago – to overseeing the Rams‘ offensive turnaround. Having such success with Jared Goff and Todd Gurley in LA, he heads to Nashville, where the passing game has been dormant.
If Marcus Mariota is to become a franchise quarterback, it must happen soon. LaFleur doesn’t have a lot to work with in Music City, but he didn’t seem to in SoCal either. And unlike with the Rams, where coach Sean McVay called many plays, the offense is LaFleur’s baby now.
”This is something when you get into the coaching profession, you’re always looking for the next step,” LaFleur said.
Randy Fichtner, Pittsburgh – Roethlisberger should have a more peaceful co-existence with Fichtner, and the offensive tempo figures to speed up.
This should be the best attack in the AFC, anchored by RB Le’Veon Bell and WR Antonio Brown. Fichtner needs to ensure it is close to the top given the question marks on defense.
”He knows what we do well,” Brown said. ”He knows some things we can work on and some things that (we can do) better. But we’re in great hands with him.”
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