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The upcoming Eastern Conference playoffs are so enticing that analyst Kendrick Perkins refused to name a favorite Wednesday.
On ESPN's “Swagu & Perk,” Perkins said:
“I’m not picking nobody. Nope, I’m not doing it. I don’t care, because this is about to be the best playoffs for the Eastern Conference that we have seen in a long time. And I’m talking about since (Michael) Jordan, (Patrick) Ewing, (Larry) Bird, Isiah (Thomas).”
This year's Eastern Conference playoffs to be best in decades
The period to which ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins referred to in mentioning “Jordan, Ewing, Bird, Isiah” is the 1980s through the 1990s. This means that Perkins believes this Eastern Conference playoffs is about to be the greatest in more than 20 to 25 years.
Despite not choosing a favorite, Perkins gave his pick for a dark horse:
“My dark horse to win it all is the Miami Heat.”
The Miami Heat (46-24) lead the Eastern Conference. Before the season, the Brooklyn Nets (36-33) were favorites, but they fell to eighth place after losing Kevin Durant for more than a month.
Perkins explained why he won’t pick a favorite:
“(There are) six teams in the Eastern Conference that can go and win the championship: the Milwaukee Bucks, the Miami Heat, the 76ers, the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets.”
The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks (43-26) are in second place. The Big Three of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have proven dominant. Antetokounmpo has been an MVP contender all season as he averages 29.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
The Philadelphia 76ers (41-26), fresh off a trade ridding them of Ben Simmons in return for James Harden, are third. Joel Embiid is another MVP candidate. He is averaging an NBA-best 29.9 ppg, 11.3 rpg and 4.3 apg.
The Boston Celtics (41-28) stand in fifth place. Jayson Tatum has been dominating more as of late, averaging over 30 points in his last 10 appearances. Tatum averages 26.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 4.2 apg.
The Chicago Bulls (41-27) have had a surprising season after missing the playoffs five of the last six seasons. Much of the thanks is owed to DeMar DeRozan, averaging 28.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 5.1 apg. Most of his efforts have been late in games, showing up confidently in the clutch.
The last mention for Perkins’ Eastern Conference possibilities is the Nets.
Brooklyn started the season as a favorite. But that was with the Big Three of Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. However, vaccine mandates have limited Irving to just 19 games (and three in the final 13 remaining games). Plus, Durant went down with a knee injury, and Harden sought a trade.
Durant is averaging 29.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 5.9 apg. If they can get a foot in the postseason, anything can happen.
Considering that only 4.5 games separates the top five teams and that Brooklyn isn't even in that mix is an indication of how tight the East race is.
Adding in the MVP candidates, the defending champion, scoring leaders, multiple Big Threes and more, and the weight of Perkins' comments makes sense. This Eastern Conference stands to be the most interesting of the last two decades or more.
