NBA Orlando Restart: 5 Bold predictions for the Eastern Conference

We're merely 10 days away from the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season. Life in the NBA bubble has hit top gear for most teams and players as they look to regain their strength and conditioning to have a crack at the remaining games.

Things are much simpler in the Eastern Conference as far as the playoff picture is concerned. Only nine teams will be in action with the Washington Wizards being the only franchise outside the eight seeds gunning for a postseason spot.

However, there's much to play for as far as seedings amongst the playoff-bound teams are concerned. And then, there's the NBA Playoffs itself. The 'Whole New Game' aspect that the NBA has used to market the season resumption sits aptly and suggests the possibility of a few interesting outcomes.

On that note, let us look at five bold predictions for the Eastern Conference once the NBA resumes in Orlando.

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#5 Milwaukee Bucks to struggle for consistency in the seeding games

The Bucks lost three consecutive games before the NBA suspension

There's a reason why Milwaukee Bucks have the best record in the whole NBA. They have a well-rounded team that's great on offense and defense, led by the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Mike Budenholzer's men were strolling towards 70 regular-season wins at a time. But then the Bucks found their juggernaut being halted by the Miami Heat and eventually ended up losing four of their last five games.

By all means, Milwaukee's tough luck prior to the NBA suspension was just a spoke in the wheel. But this certainly suggests that they'll need time to get back their grip on games.

The absence of Eric Bledsoe doesn't help either, who's yet to join the team in Disney World. In addition to that, Giannis and co. face six teams with winning record in the seeding games, three of them against conference rivals Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Toronto Raptors. Milwaukee is still very much the team to beat in the East but expect them to take their time while getting up to speed.

#4 Brooklyn Nets to hold on to the seventh seed

Caris LeVert is one of the few recognized players who will be in action for Brooklyn Nets in Orlando

The Brooklyn Nets are easily the unluckiest team heading into the NBA restart in Orlando. They'll be missing six players for the remainder of the season. This includes Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving who are recuperating from injures. The likes of Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, and Taurean Prince tested positive for coronavirus while Wilson Chandler has decided to sit out.

Not just this, Michael Beasley, a replacement player whom the Nets had signed also tested positive and will be missing the NBA restart. However, the Nets still have the services of Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, and Jarrett Allen. Veteran Jamal Crawford will be available as well. So it most certainly helps that they have the fourth easiest schedule for the seeding games.

The Nets are only half a game ahead of the Orlando Magic but they haven't been too inspiring either. And these franchises will face each other twice after the NBA resumption, giving Jacque Vaughn's men a good chance of holding on to their seventh seed in the West.

#3 Miami Heat to go on a losing run

The Miami Heat lost some of their gleam after the All-Star break

The Miami Heat were never expected to be in the championship discussion at the beginning of the season. Yet, the good mix of veterans and youngsters allowed Erik Spoelstra's side to punch above their weight.

Jimmy Butler's grit coupled with Bam Adebayo's hard-nosed style of play paved the way for the rest of the rotation to get into the groove as well. But the Heat did lose a good chunk of games around the All-Star break. They've only won nine of their 18 games from February till the NBA suspension in March.

Additionally, Bam Adebayo is yet to travel to Orlando and he's likely to take time to be in full flow whenever he does make the trip. Miami's first four seeding games are against the Nuggets, Raptors, Celtics, and Bucks in that order, which certainly puts them at risk of not being sharp enough.

#2 Philadelphia 76ers to make the second round of the NBA Playoffs

Ben Simmons could solve a big problem for the Sixers with a change in playing position

Given their troubles on the road, most experts would pick Philadelphia 76ers as their shock elimination of the first round. And understandably so, because Brett Brown's side has struggled in clutch situations despite their firepower.

However, the Sixers' biggest issue has been that power forward position with Al Horford failing to make that spot his own. That is likely to change with Ben Simmons all set to transition into a frontcourt player for Philly. His size and lockdown ability fit perfectly for playing that position.

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Meanwhile, guard Shake Milton's emergence will allow Coach Brown to continue with him at the point. Milton started for the Sixers in the last eight games as Simmons sat out with injury and averaged nearly 18 points a game while shooting well over 50% from the field.

Add to that the fact that Philly only play three of their eight seeding games against teams with a winning record which allows them a chance of getting back into the top four seeds. And if they do that, they have what it takes to put together a deep playoff run.

#1 Boston Celtics to reach the NBA Finals

Jayson Tatum made his first All-Star appearance this season

Speaking of teams not performing to their strength on paper, we have the Boston Celtics. Brad Stevens' men sit in the third spot in the East but with a bit of luck, they could've easily been gunning the Bucks for the first seed. Of the 21 games they've lost this season, 12 of them were by a margin of five points or fewer.

The Cs are likely to see off their first-round rivals in the NBA Playoffs quickly before facing the Toronto Raptors in the East Semifinals. They currently hold the head to head advantage against the defending champions and I expect that to continue in the postseason.

But what about the Milwaukee Bucks? Well, the Raptors did show it the last time around that clogging the paint effectively will give you a chance against Giannis and co. The Celtics have all the tools to do just that. The likes of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Daniel Theis all can chip in to halt the reigning MVP's charge. While the Bucks are not all about Giannis this season, restricting him will give the Celtics every chance of beating them in a seven-game series.

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