2024 Eastern Conference Playoffs: Each team’s biggest question heading into the playoffs

This article is part of atwo-part series preview for the upcoming 2023-2024 NBAPlayoffs.

With the 2023-2024 NBA Playoffsstarting, all eyes will be on all teams competing for thechampionship as fans and players look on for a taste of postseasonaction. As eight playoff teams in each conference gear up for whatpromises to be an intense battle for the title, each team faces itsown set of unique challenges. In this article, we take a closerlook at the biggest question facing each Eastern Conference teamheading into the playoffs, from injuries and roster changes to keymatchups and strategic decisions.

Boston Celtics - Who’s stopping them?

The Boston Celtics have been thebest team in the regular season as evidenced by their 64-18 record.They have also been one of the most dominant regular season teamsof all time, having the third-highest net rating in NBA history(11.8) which would rank just behind the 1996 and 1997 ChicagoBulls. If it were of any significance, those Bulls teams had 72-10and 69-13 records and won it all in both years.

It’s all written on the wall –the Celtics are in title or bust mode, which even just a conferencefinals appearance would probably be marked as a disappointment.Considering how dominant they have been throughout the season, aFinals appearance would be the minimum achievement.

This team is built almost ascompletely as they could ever be — offense, defense, bench, twostars that lift each other’s game up, roster construction ofplayers that complement them, and even the fans that are some ofthe most passionate in the league. These are things that are allyou could ask for in a championship team, and with that being said– the pressure is on for Boston.

A big possible answer to thatquestion is whether the Celtics would be the only ones who’ll stopthemselves from achieving and realizing their full potential – andthere’s only one way to find out.

The playoffs are a differentstory and looking at what we’ve seen over the years, the Celticshave tendencies to underperform in the playoffs. With a newsupporting cast featuring 2021 champ Jrue Holiday and KristapsPorzingis, a question lingers on the team: will it be differentthis time around?

They have had a history offlaming out in the past, and whether or not that continues thisseason remains to be seen. Time is the ultimate truth teller, andthese Celtics hope to exercise their playoff demons when the timecomes and their opportunities present themselves.

Will they be able to capitalizeon a dominant regular season and take on the task at hand once andfor all? They certainly hope with all the pieces they have now,they have enough to close it out and take it all the way and finishthe job this time around to end the allegations against them onceand for all.

New York Knicks - How far will they go without JuliusRandle?

As we all know by now, health isthe biggest factor in the playoffs. You always want to be completeand your best players to be healthy and ready to go when it mattersmost.

Unfortunately, this will not bethe case for the New York Knicks this season, after losing all-starJulius Randle to a season-ending surgery to his injury.

Randle has been the Knicks’ bestplayer for the past 3 seasons (before Brunson’s ascension to KingKnick this year). He brings that size and physicality along withthat sneaky speed at the 4. On offense, Randle is a secondarycreator and playmaker who can make plays for himself and histeammates. His improving three-point shot is now a weapon for teamsnot to sag off of him as much which could only help the Knicks inthe playoffs.

Simply put, Randle is a matchupproblem against traditional power forwards. Without him, the Knickswould not be able to tap on another gear that would only bepossible with Randle out there on the floor.

Now, all eyes will be on JalenBrunson as he tries to carry New York all by himself. It will beexpected to see all possible defensive schemes thrown against himto try and contain the all-NBA caliber player in this season thathe is.

Milwaukee Bucks - Can they hold the fort withoutGiannis?

The hits just keep on coming forthe Bucks. After starting the season 30-13, they fired their headcoach Adrian Griffin, and replaced him with Doc Rivers. They’ve hadtheir fair share of struggles with Rivers, losing to lottery teamslike the Wizards, Grizzlies, and Raptors in one stretch, andthey’ve finished only a disappointing 19-20 the rest of the way toend the season.

Just recently, they receivedbrutal news that superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss thebeginning of their series against the Indiana Pacers after injuringhis left calf with three games left in the regular season. Theupstart and young Pacers have been 4-1 against them during the yearand it will be a tough battle without one of the five best playersin the world playing. Will Damian Lillard and Co. step up to theplate?

Cleveland Cavaliers - Is this the ‘last hurrah’ forDonovan Mitchell as a Cavalier?

All eyes are on the Cavaliers’playoff run this season to gain ground after a disappointing finishlast year. Can they keep soon-to-be free agent Donovan Mitchellhappy enough? Or will another disappointing playoff exit lead himto bolt out of town to find another opportunity to winelsewhere?

Much of this will be attributedto the growth of their current core to gauge their improvementsfrom last season. Will Darius Garland have enough juice to handlethe scoring load outside of Mitchell as well as holding his owndefensively? Will Evan Mobley display or unlock another offensivelevel in his game to be able to contribute on the offensive end tocomplement his defensive capabilities? Will Jarett Allen beat theallegations of lights were too bright in the playoffs in his secondtime around and bounce back from what has been a bad series againstthe Knicks last year? And is Max Strus the answer for the Cavs toadvance into the second round with his spacing and shooting at thewing to give space for Mitchell to attack?

With his impending free agency,Donovan Mitchell has a big decision to make during the offseason.Will he stay and extend with this Cavaliers team who gave up assetsfor him? The Cavaliers have made some strides from being a youngteam with potential to a top 4-5 team in the East when theyacquired Donovan Mitchell two years ago from the Utah Jazz. Sincethen, Mitchell has elevated their play and in turn, they got backto their first playoffs without LeBron James on theteam.

However, rumors have beenswirling that Mitchell wants to achieve postseason success, whetherin this team or not. Some of these reportedly said that if the Cavsdo not make the Finals this season, he might find another homeelsewhere to chase that goal. Throughout his career, Mitchell hasbeen to the first round multiple times but has been in the secondround just twice. He has yet to make a conference finalsappearance, and this postseason with the Cavs will determine if hefalls short of that goal again.

Helping Mitchell this timearound are shooters that the Cavs lacked a year ago, with MaxStrus, Sam Merill, and Georges Niang now in the fold for the team.Cleveland got exposed by New York in just five games last year andit was basically because of their inability to space the flooraround Mitchell and point guard Darius Garland. Now with animproved Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen all having a yearto work on their games for this stretch, the Cavs aim to make theconference finals — before Mitchell’s impending big decision infree agency.

Orlando Magic - How far can their youth andinexperience take them in the playoffs?

Being the youngest playoff teamin the East's playoff field, the Magic come in with no expectationsat hand. This young group has overachieved for the season havingthe fourth-best defense despite them being the 4th youngest team inthe league. Making the playoffs has already been a hugeaccomplishment, but winning a series would not be so bad and wouldbe a welcome sight for the team.

Nobody expected them to be inthe hunt for the top seeds in the East, but here they are in theirfirst playoff experience as a group as the fifth seed. This is onlyyear 2 and 3 for young stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner andthey could only get better as years progress. This is only thebeginning for Orlando and they could be a difficult fixture in theEast for years to come.

Indiana Pacers - How big of an impact will PascalSiakam be in the postseason?

Right after the trade to bringSiakam to Indiana, fans and basketball analysts alike mentioned howthe trade was a win for Indiana and that Siakam’s value would beseen through in the playoffs. When the game slows down and teamsare more equipped and prepared for their defenses, teams would needsolid execution on their half-court offense.

This was where Siakam wassupposed to come in, and now that it’s here, will he be able tostep up and lead the Pacers to a series win? The 2019 champion withthe Raptors has played 41 games with Indiana this season after thetrade, and he has averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.7assists on 55/39/70 shooting splits and he has given the Pacers anew dimension on offense. The Pacers who will go up against theBucks for their first-round playoff series, have gone 4-1 againstthem – but it was all without Siakam. The question for them now is,how will they maintain the level of success they had vs the Bucksnow that Siakam is in the rotation? Will Siakam end up being theceiling-raiser for the postseason for them? Or could he end updisrupting the rhythm that the team had in the regular season vsthe Bucks?

Philadelphia - Is this finally the year they advancewith Nick Nurse at the helm?

The Sixers have had a lot ofheartbreak over the years, from not being able to make theConference Finals in Joel Embiid’s career to choking multiple timesin the playoffs, it's just disaster after disaster when it mattersthe most in the City of Brotherly Love.

However, they hope the outcomeis going to come out differently this year due to one factor: NickNurse.

The 2019 champion coach hasgiven the Sixers a lot to hope for with a breath of fresh airsurrounding the team on offensive and defensive execution. Thisyear, with Embiid being better than ever (being even better thanlast year’s MVP campaign) and with the help of Nurse’s diverseoffensive sets, the Sixers’ title chances have increasedsignificantly. Coach Nurse having the ability to make adjustmentson the fly and push the right buttons will be a major weapon forthe Sixers for their upcoming playoff run.

When healthy this year, Embiidhas had one of the most dominant regular seasons in NBA history,averaging 34.7 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.6 assists. The Sixershave a 31-8 record when he plays, which would equal the bestwin-pace mark in the league. He now has a dynamic sidekick inTyrese Maxey who has been named an all-star this year, and generalmanager Daryl Morey has surrounded them with capable role playersto complement their skill sets. Will Nurse be the final piece thatputs all of the Sixers together?

Miami Heat - Can they rediscover their old magicagainst the Celtics, but this time without JimmyButler?

At this point, people got tounderstand and realize that playoff Jimmy is a real thing. The dudejust turns it up when it matters the most and the lights are attheir brightest, and has carried Miami every time in thepostseason.

However, this year figures outto be an entirely different scenario with Butler being out with aninjury. According to reports, Butler could be sidelined formultiple weeks due to an MCL sprain — devastating news for Miamiahead of their upcoming playoff matchup vs Boston.

The Heat have faced the Celticsthree times over the past four seasons, and they have beaten themtwice. All those games and series featured a lot of Butler carryingthem to wins.

Without Butler though, thingshave changed dramatically fast. Now, the question stands: will theyhave enough to defeat their old nemesis (who’s become the mostdominant team in the league) sans their best player?