First impressions: Eastern Conference

A team-by-team glance at the new NBA season

BY DAVID THORPE

The Sixers haven’t had much to smile about this season; Tyrese Maxey could change that. TIM NWACHUKWU/GETTY IMAGES

Click here for my early observations on the Western Conference. 

I look at each NBA season the way I do a book I pick up to read or a movie I’m excited to see for the first time. The first few pages or minutes rarely define or suggest how the ending is going to go down, but that doesn’t mean they’re meaningless—or that they can’t be really fun! 

The Bucks and the Celtics have started strong. The Heat and 76ers are struggling to find good footing. The backcourt experiment in Atlanta seems to be working.

This league is so even that a dozen teams must feel today like they have a chance at winning it all. In an NBA race this tight, every win counts just a little more, and there is less room for error. Teams must identify problems and create solutions on the fly to maximize winning streaks and minimize losing ones. 

With that in mind, here’s what I see so far: