The first round of the 2015-16 NBA Playoffs is officially over. It is now time that we assess the seasons of the eight eliminated teams, and try to chalk out the potential moves that could be made by each of them in order to take the next step towards an NBA Championship. Today, we’ll go through the four teams of the Eastern Conference
Detroit Pistons (Swept by the Cavaliers)
When you are in the Eastern Conference and matched up against LeBron in the first round, you never really have a shot, do you? In his 13 year NBA career, LeBron is yet to lose in the first round and this year was no different, with LeBron and Co. making short change of a young and inexperienced Pistons team. Still, there are lots of positives that could be taken from this Pistons season.
Detroit had been in perennial lottery contention for the better of this decade and its future, much like the citiy’s, seemed bleak not so long ago. However, the infusion of a veteran coach in the form of Stan Van Gundy and the emergence of an up-and-coming duo of Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson has brought life and excitement back to the Motorcity. It is a testament to Van Gundy’s skills as a man-manager that a former headcase in Oklahoma City, Reggie Jackson, has blossomed into an inspiring leader in Detroit.
That being said, the Pistons will only go as far as Drummond takes them. In order for the team to go past the first round, Drummond has to improve on his free throw shooting. Shooting an all-time low 35% from the free-throw strike, Drummond needs to add this dimension to his game unless he wants to be exposed the way Deandre Jordan was this season.
The team cannot go far into the playoffs if your star player is not on the court for crunch time the 4th quarter because he cannot shoot free throws, which is precisely what’s happening with teams employing the ‘Hack-a-Drummond’. The signs from the camp, however, seem rather encouraging as Gundy has confirmed reports of Drummond being open to shooting free throws underhanded, a technique which will surely improve his shooting percentage.
Notoriously bad free throw shooters like Shaq and Ben Wallace have previously dismissed this idea, owing to their huge egos. A move like this shows a lot about Drummond’s selflessness in putting the team before his ego.
With the East becoming stronger than ever before, Detroit cannot stand on its laurels as a crucial off-season now lies ahead for the Pistons. However, with bona fide studs in the form of Drummond and Jackson, and an inspiring coach in Van Gundy, the future for the Detroit Pistons seems rather bright. Unless that man up in Cleveland has something to say about it.
Indiana Pacers (Lost 4-3 to the Raptors )
If there is one takeaway from the Pacers up-and-down postseason run, it is that Paul George is back as an elite level NBA talent. After suffering a horrifyingly gruesome compound leg fracture during one of Team USA’s practice sessions two years ago, the NBA seemed to have lost one of its breakout stars to an injury not many players have come back from.
George returned from the injury late last season, and if that six-game sample size indicated anything, it was that his offensive arsenal seemed considerably restricted and he was seeing ghosts when driving the lane. Pundits had started comparing him to Shaun Livingston, who had suffered a similar injury during his Clipper days, restricting his potential to a large extent.
However, George’s resurgence this season has reinvigorated the Pacers franchise. He finished top ten in scoring again and regained his status as an elite perimeter defender, a deadly combination for any player. This has brought comfort to team President and GM Larry Bird, who was initially skeptical of George sustaining his status as a franchise-level player for the Pacers, and was therefore, looking for potential signings in the coming free agency.
With the clouds over George settled, Bird can now focus on filling the holes in this team, rather than looking for a new focal point to their offense.
Talking about Bird, the primary focus for the management right now should be resigning Head Coach Frank Vogel, who was in the last year of his contract. Immediately following the Pacers’ game 7 loss to the Raptors, Bird declined to comment on the Vogel situation. The reluctance of the team management in clarifying the situation indicates that as of right now, Vogel is going to be looking for a new job pretty soon.
It seems hard to believe, but it was only a couple of years ago that the Pacers were giving the Cavaliers a run for their money in the Eastern Conference Finals. Larry Bird’s impatience with the team back then (He shipped out a perfectly serviceable and defensive anchor, Roy Hibbert- thereby, breaking up a winning formula) seems to have now extended to Vogel.
With their star small forward now back and looking better than ever, what the Pacers need the most is a sense of continuity. In spite of the fact that Indiana failed to get over the hump in the recent past, it cannot be denied that Vogel’s youthfully exuberant coaching was one of the key reasons for the Pacers success. They have the right superstar, the right veteran talent, and the right coach; as long as they decide to rehire him.
Charlotte Hornets (Lost 4-3 to the Heat)
Of all the teams that have been eliminated in the first round, the Charlotte Hornets seems to have the most uncertain future. A lot of this could be attributed to the teams tumultuous history. They have been in and out of the playoffs ever since Michael Jordan took over the reigns of the team.
While it’s true that they had a decent run this regular season and took an injury-depleted Heat team to seven games. However, in an era of an ungodly number of superstar point guards, having Kemba Walker as your point guard isn’t simply going to cut it. Al Jefferson, too, has visibly slowed down. Much was expected from Michael-Kidd Gilchrist, however, a broken jump shot and a broken right shoulder have left much of the predictions attached to him up in the air.
The NBA is a superstar-driven league, and if you are to seriously contend for a championship, you need to have at least two superstar talents on your team. The Hornets, sadly, have none.
The NBA functions in a manner which disincentivizes merely ‘being decent’. Either you are an elite team, or you wait for the next Anthony Davis to fall in your lap through the draft. In that regard, the Hornets are the 2014-15 Phoenix Suns of the Eastern Conference. Neither here, nor there. Surely, Jordan will have some difficult decisions to make this summer.
Boston Celtics (Lost 4-2 to the Hawks)
The NBA is better when the Celtics are good. The Boston Celtics have been one major bright spot in the Eastern Conference this season.
Composed almost entirely of promising but inexperienced talent, the Celtics, led by the best young Coach in Brad Stevens, seem to be the most credible threat to LeBron in the future. This would have true this season as well, had the Celtics not gone on an incredibly disappointing run of 115-180 run against the Hawks over the last two games. Nevertheless, this team will be much better next season, now having had the young stars being exposed to the bright lights of playoff basketball.
The reason why the Celtics are destined to be great is primarily because they hold an absurd amount of draft picks over the course of the next five years. Having got hold of the Nets’ lottery protected first round picks becomes all the more exciting as it could turn out to be LSU’s Ben Simmons or Duke's Brandon Ingram, touted as the two best players coming out this draft.
These picks could also be turned into a potential mega-trade involving Blake Griffin of the Clippers, who has been visibly upset in Lala land over the last two seasons. With so much potential talent in place and a rich history to boost, the Celtics could also be potential landing spots for Durant this summer and Westbrook the summer after that.
Even no such splash is made in the free agency, the Celtics have a young core of studs in the form of Marcus Smart and Isaiah Thomas, as well as a competent complementary cast of players who are willing to die for their general Stevens on the court. As I said, the possibilities are endless.
