Can Anyone Take Down the Pistons?

As we near the playoffs, it's obvious that the NBA is a top-heavy league with teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, and Detroit Pistons looking like the best the league has to offer.

Notice anything about that list? Well, in addition to being a top-heavy league, it's also unbalanced, as much of the talent is found in the Western Conference. The question is, besides Detroit, who are the other challengers in the East? Are the Miami Heat even without D-Wade? Is it Chicago? LeBron James and the Cavs? The Wizards? Let's take a look at what each contender can bring to the table.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have a pretty complete team, and they've proven recently that they can beat the Pistons (even though they did so when the Pistons were playing without Chauncey Billups and Chris Webber). Ben Gordan is a bona-fide baller. He's averaging 21.3 points per game and he's known for his clutch fourth-quarter performances, something that is extremely valuable down playoff stretches. Add in Luol Deng (18.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg), Kirk Hinrich (16.4 ppg 6.1 apg), and Andres Nocioni (14.8 ppg) as consistent performers and the defense of Ben Wallace (10.8 rpg, 2.07 blocks per game), and you have a team built for a playoff run. And I love Tyrus Thomas.

But what can drag them down? Well, they're just not consistent enough, especially away from home, where they're six games under .500. And if the season ends right now, they'd face a tough Miami Heat team in the 4-5 matchup. But honestly, I look at Chicago as the biggest threat to Detroit for the Eastern Conference throne.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Plain and simple, any time you have a team with a star as good as LeBron James, you have a team that is going to challenge you in a playoff series. LeBron's win over Gilbert Arenas' Wizards last year shows you he has what it takes to perform in the playoffs, and with experience under his wings, you have to be scared of what he can do. They're sitting pretty with the two seed, only 2.5 games back of Detroit and while I don't think the Cavs will come on top of a 1-2 matchup with Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals, I don't think it'd be an easy series for the Pistons, either.

The Cavs have lost four of their last seven and need to pick it up going into the postseason. They'll also need strong production out of Larry Hughes, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Drew Gooden. I don't think LeBron and Co. have what it takes — this year. But the Cavs may be just one signing away from a championship team.

Miami Heat

It's D-Wade's team and without D-Wade running it, you can't love the Heat's chances of defending their title. He's that much of a difference-maker. Shaq has tried to step up in Wade's absence (16.9, 7.1) and the team has really stepped it up defensively; they've only given up 100 points once in the 18 games since the dislocated shoulder, according to the Associated Press.

But can you really say a team without it's leader is really going to challenge the Pistons in a seven-game series? I don't see it happening. Then again, if Shaq played like old Shaq for a while and you got increased production from Jason Williams, Antoine Walker, and Udonis Haslem ... no, no, I can't convince myself all the stars will align.

Washington Wizards

You've gotta love Agent Zero and all his antics. And he's shown he can hit the big shots. But are the Wiz really a contender? I think they are. Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison are one of the highest scoring trios in the league and if all three are healthy, they make up the most dangerous and dynamic offense in the East. Though they've struggled in the past with Miami, they beat Chicago in a playoff series and probably should've taken the Cavs down last year.

The problem: the inside game. I just don't think they're strong enough down low or strong enough defensively to make it all the way to the NBA Finals. And they have really struggled to show any consistency at all throughout the year. They'll grab a huge win and then follow it with an atrocious loss to a bad team. But do I think they're good enough to put a legit scare into any team they face? Yes, for sure.

Others

Toronto will be the three-seed right now and they've won seven of their last 10. Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, and T.J. Ford have produced all year and they could create some matchup problems in the playoffs. Maybe it's because I haven't seen them play enough this year that I don't like them as a true contender in the East, but they are a good team with a solid resume and they could create problems.

New Jersey and Orlando are the other two teams that would round out the Eastern Conference playoffs if the season ended today. But I just don't see them being able to take down Detroit or Cleveland in the first round matchups.

So if the season ended today, who would I take to win the East? Well, I'd have Detroit over Orlando, Cleveland over New Jersey, Washington over Toronto, and Chicago over Miami in the first round. Then I'd say Detroit over Chicago in one hell of a series and Cleveland over Washington in a repeat of a last year. But in the end, it's Detroit over Cleveland in the East. Pretty chalk, eh? Well, things might end up differently if Washington finishes as the four-seed. But, regardless, in the East, you really have to believe no team can safely say they'll be headed to the Finals.