SCOUTING REPO RTS

EASTERN PROJECTIONS 1 CAVALIERS 2 CELTICS 3 WIZARDS 4 RAPTORS 5 BUCKS 6 HORNETS 7 HEAT 8 PISTONS 9 76ERS 10 KNICKS 11 PACERS 12 HAWKS 13 MAGIC 14 NETS 15 BULLS Conference Finals CAVALIERS over CELTICS WESTERN PROJECTIONS 1 WARRIORS 2 ROCKETS 3 SPURS 4 THUNDER 5 TIMBERWOLVES 6 TRAIL BLAZERS 7 CLIPPERS 8 JAZZ 9 NUGGETS 10 GRIZZLIES 11 PELICANS 12 MAVERICKS 13 LAKERS 14 KINGS 15 SUNS Conference Finals WARRIORS over ROCKETS EASTERN CONFERENCE CAVALIERS TELLING 111.1 STATISTIC After a crazy offseason, the Cavaliers remain the favorites to win the East, which is good. That puts them on a path toward a fourth straight Finals meeting with the Warriors, which is bad. When it comes to that matchup, Cleveland is still lacking in one extremely important area: defense. The Cavs’ defensive rating after the All-Star break was 111.1, the second-worst mark in the NBA during that stretch. And the D has only gotten worse. Kyrie Irving was a weak link, but he’s still better than his replacement, Isaiah Thomas, who…