Gino's Jungle

With the preseason approaching and power rankings being revealed we have decided to release the first ever Gino's Jungle power rankings. Because we really don't care about the Western Conference at this point, we are only going to rank our top eight postseason teams in the Eastern Conference.

B-PAUL's Eastern Conference Power Rankings

1. Boston Celtics- This is a Celtics blog, you would expect the Celtics to be first, right? I tried to leave all favoritism aside and just look at the teams. I italicized teams because the Celtics have the best team in the Eastern Conference if not in the whole NBA. They may not even have the most skilled team, but they have a group of starters that have played together now for three years and that know how to win and get the job done, the only other team in the league that can say this is the Lakers. With the addition of Sheed and Daniels on the bench, the bench will be more productive offensively something which they've lacked in past years. Just a side note: This ranking depends entirely on the health of Kevin Garnett's knee.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cavaliers were last year's regular season Eastern Conference champions, and haven't lost any major contributors since then. In fact they have added Shaq, which most people have blown way out of proportion. Admit it, Shaq isn't as good as he used to be, he's 37 years old and on the decline. However, they do still have that guy Lebron James who can pretty much carry the team on his back into the playoffs. Many people probably think the Cavs should be put 1st in east, but if it weren't for Kevin Garnett going down last year they most likely would have finished in the same position they are right now.

3. Orlando Magic- The Magic made a great run to the NBA finals last year behind great play from Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu. This year they pretty much return the same squad, minus the loss of Hedo Turkoglu and addition of Vince Carter. The Magic finished last year's regular season third in the Eastern Conference and that's where I believe they will finish again this year. The trade-off between Carter and Turkoglu did not improve or lessen their chances of winning basketball games. With the addition of Shaq to the Cavs and the return of Garnett to the Celtics, I believe the Magic will get the third spot in the NBA playoffs.

4. Toronto Raptors- The Raptors are by far the most improved team in the NBA. During the off season they acquired Hedo Turkoglu, a superstar on the rise, a guy who will be able to carry the team offensively in clutch moments of the game. He has played on the big stage and can hit the big shots to put his team over the top. They also added DeMar DeRozan, who is in my opinion was the best deal in the draft. He will be another strong scoring threat on the team along with Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon, and Andrea Bargnani. Expect the Raptors to be this year's sleeper.

5. Atlanta Hawks- The Hawks, well they are pretty much the same Hawks we have seen the past three years. The starting lineup of Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, Maurice Evans, Josh Smith, and Al Horford is pretty much the same team we saw in 2007-2008 playoffs. They have improved their bench slightly with the addition of Jamal Crawford, the best bench player they have seen in the past few years. This addition helps them maintain position in the middle of the Eastern Conference.

6. Miami Heat- The Heat are still Dwayne Wade's team, he carries them in every way possible. The rest of the team has yet to prove they can step up and help. During the off season they brought in Quentin Richardson hoping to help D-Wade put points on the board. If O'Neal or Beasley can step up expect them to finish higher than this, but they have yet to prove it.

7. Detroit Pistons- This past off season was a busy one for the Pistons, GM Joe Dumars went out and brought in three new players to the team. The biggest of those being former Chicago guard Ben Gordon, the best bench player in the NBA. He was the Celtics killer in last year's playoffs, hitting big shot after big shot. He is comfortable with the bench role, and will be able to score coming off the bench. They also added an old friend Ben Wallace, who will improve the defensive aspect of the team, and Charlie Villanueva, an above average player from the Bucks who will help them improve both offensively and defensively.

8. Chicago Bulls- The last and final spot will go to the Chicago Bulls. If the Bulls kept together the same team that forced game 7 against the Celtics last year I probably would have put them higher in the rankings. The Bulls choose not to resign Ben Gordon, arguably the best offensive threat that they had. Because of this I came very close to dropping the Bulls out of the playoff picture; however, I believe Derek Rose will continue to grow into a superstar this year and be able to push the Bulls into the playoffs. The return of Luol Deng to the line-up is also a huge plus for the team. A starting lineup of Rose, Salmons, Deng, Thomas, and Miller should be able to squeeze their way into the playoffs.

Others in contention:

Washington Wizard- The return of Agent 0 will improve the team, but will it be enough to make the playoffs?

Philadelphia 76ers- If Elton Brand can stay healthy the 76ers could again be a playoff team. The addition of Jrue Holiday and Jason Kapono should help the bench.

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GreenBanner18 Power Rankings

1) Celtics

2) Cavs

3) Magic

4) Raptors

5) Heat

6) Hawks

7) Pistons

76ers

The Celtics are the best all around team. They have improved the most in the offseason with the addition of Rasheed Wallace. I don't think Shaq is the answer for the Cavs as he will clog the middle and not allow Lebron to make drives to the basket as easily. We'll see real quickly in the opening game of the season just what Shaq will bring the Cavs.

The Raptors should be up near the top, a place foreign to them. The addition of Hedo has added the missing link that I think makes them a contender. The Heat and Hawks seem content on being average and should mingle in the middle of the pack. The Pistons added Ben Gordon and Charlie Villenueva but obviously lost Sheed and AI. (Whatever help he was. What a bust for the Pistons getting rid of Billups) I think they rely on the health of every single player to even be near the bottom of the pack. Then there are the 76ers who always find a way to back their way into the playoffs just to be ousted in the first round.

Overall, the teams from 4 down do not matter. Realistically the Celtics, Cavs, or Magic are the only teams who will come from the East with a big advantage to the team who comes in first. The team in first will only have to play 1 powerful team to get to the Finals, whereas the 2nd and 3rd place teams will be forced to play 2 tough series.

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