Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

  

This years Eastern Conference Semi-Final has been full of surprises. Who would've thought that the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics are both up 3-0 on their opponent. It was supposed to be the year of the Toronto Raptors, they had so many high hopes and expectations this year heading into the playoffs as the number one seed in the east. But it all went down hill when they ran into their kryptonite in the Cavaliers. The Philadelphia 76ers were also supposed to have an easy path to the eastern conference finals after they easily finished the Heat and then ran into the depleted Boston Celtics. But now both the Raptors and the 76ers are both down 3-0 which is a surprise to many analysts who thought they would both win their series with ease.

The Next LeBron James

"Rookie" Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers had drawn comparisons are being the next LeBron James. After scoring only one point during last nights game two of the eastern conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics, Simmons said that his scoring drought was all mental. I never remember LeBron James taking two field goal attempts during a game and then only scoring one point during his rookie season. I don't understand how someone who cannot shoot anywhere outside of the paint came already be drawing comparisons to one of the greatest players of all time. I understand that LeBron came into the league with an underdeveloped jump shot but at least teams had to respect it and not sag off 5 or more feet when guarding him.

LeBronto

With the Cleveland Cavaliers victory last night they take a commanding 2-0 lead on the Toronto Raptors in a best of 7 series. This was supposed to be the Raptors year since they had the number one seed in the eastern conference and due to all of the question marks surrounding other competitors such as the Celtics and Cavaliers this year seemed like it could be Toronto's. But now they have run into their cryponite in the Cavaliers led Lebron James and now find themselves in a 2-0 hole. You have to wonder how much of this is mental for the Raptors as they are clearly the better team in the match up but keep finding ways to lose.  

Boston Celtics Hectic Season

After losing Gordon Hayward within the first five minutes of the season opener for the Boston Celtics, most people had written off the Celtics as a title contender. But then Kyrie Irving and company rattled off 16 wins in a row and people started to take Boston seriously. The team continued to do well with Irving leading the way until a few weeks up until the regular season was over with when Irving announced he would have knee surgery, thus ending his season. This understandably caused analysts to write the Celtics off yet again. The team then was able to finish second in the eastern conference ahead of the 76ers and Cavaliers. It has been remarkable to see what Brad Stevens has been able to do with the limited talent he has on his roster. The depth that Danny Ainge has been able to acquire on this team is also remarkable especially after he was ridiculed for drafting Jalen Brown at third in the draft two years ago as well as trading down to get Jason Tatum at third also. These moves have made Boston one of he top teams to look out for in the future once they are fully healthy due to their veterans as well as these young players.