Toronto Raptors vs. 4) Cleveland Cavaliers
This is the matchup we’re all anticipating, authentic wholesale nfl jerseys even it comes a round before the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Cavaliers still aren’t fully healthy. We’re waiting to see what they can do with Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., Cedi Osman and everyone else ready to go. Head coach Tyronn Lue is a question mark as well. But even at full strength, this team probably won’t be as good as the Raptors.
If that seems like a hot take, you need to pay more attention to what Toronto has done. The Canadian franchise has the league’s No. 3 net rating this season (8.0), and it’s almost double the mark of the fourth-place Celtics (4.1). Basketball Reference’s simple rating system, which is based solely on margin of victory and strength of schedule, nfl nike jerseys from china bumps the Raptors up to No. 2, behind only the Rockets. The numbers all check out, and they also pass the vaunted eye test.nfl wholesale jerseys authentic
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are legitimate All-Stars who should be able to put their past playoff experiences behind them. This team shares the ball more than ever, no longer relying on isolation sets to generate offense—isolation frequency is down from 8.5 percent in 2016-17 (No. 6) to 5.7 percent this year (No. 22). It trusts every member of the roster, and it’s the rare squad that should be able to continue using deadly bench lineups during a time of year in which rotations are supposed to contract.
Stopping LeBron James will be tough, and Toronto will be forced to throw OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam into where can i find nfl jerseys the fire. But Cleveland and its No. 28 defense (No. 21 since the start of March) will have even more trouble slowing down the league’s No. 3 offense, which can attack in a wide variety of manners as offense comes from everywhere within the half-court set.
Prediction: Toronto in six
2) Boston Celtics vs. 3) Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers, unbelievable as this may sound, are ready.
Their brand of tough-nosed, switch-happy defense is exactly the style of basketball that gets glorified during the playoff experience. They have a legitimate go-to scorer in Joel Embiid who can get buckets in myriad manners. Ben Simmons has arrived as a bona fide star, currently sitting at No. 15 in NBA Math’s total points added and No. cheap china jerseys nfl 20 in ESPN.com’s RPM Wins. Perhaps most importantly, they feature one of the league’s most imposing quintets.
This prediction doesn’t require Markelle Fultz to build upon Monday night’s encouraging re-debut against the Nuggets. Nor does it rely on some role player such as T.J. McConnell or Richaun Holmes to have an out-of-body experience.
Philly’s five-man unit comprised of Simmons, JJ Redick, Robert Covington, Dario Saric and Embiid is one of just eight groups to log over 500 minutes together, and it’s blowing the rest out of the water. original nike nfl jerseys Outscoring opponents by a whopping 21.1 points per 100 possessions, it’s nearly seven points ahead of the next-best candidate over that same average stretch. In fact, only three of the 43 lineups with at least 200 minutes have topped their efficacy, and none belong to the C’s.
If Boston somehow gets fully healthy, this could go either way. But the Celtics haven’t demonstrated the consistent scoring prowess necessary to get by this stifling Philadelphia defense, and shrinking rotations will only help Brett Brown’s troops feature more offensive firepower. Plus, Embiid won’t have to worry about any back-to-backs during the playoffs.