The Eastern Conference is alive, revitalized under the crush of the NBA’s trade deadline. Everything we thought we knew about the East expired in a single afternoon. The concerns about the Raptors’ bifurcated offense—one version dominated by forward Kawhi Leonard, the other built around ball movement—ceased with the arrival of a canny facilitator in 7'1" Marc Gasol. The first-place Bucks didn’t have an explicit need for Nikola Mirotic, but they could prove uncatchable by adding the stretch four. The 76ers traded for the best player of the lot, small forward Tobias Harris—and in doing so created a starting five that warps traditional matchups beyond recognition.
Re-Previewing the Eastern Conference: The Real Season Starts Now
