Weigh-in: no beast in the East

Sporting News, The, Jan 14, 2002

The Lakers are the clear favorite in the West, but the flawed Eastern Conference can generate a heated debate.

Who will emerge from the East? J.A. MacDonald of Toronto believes bench strength will play a key role.

"The Bucks and Raptors are destined for the conference final. The need for depth arose early in the East, and the benches of both the Bucks and Raptors have played a lot of minutes," MacDonald writes. "Take a look at the performances of Tim Thomas, Darvin Ham and Joel Przybilla off the bench for the Bucks, and Keon Clark, Eric Montross and Chris Childs in Toronto. At the end of the season, deep and experienced benches can make a significant difference."

But Jonah Anderson of Milwaukee isn't ready to give the Raptors that much credit.

"Even with Ray Allen injured, the Bucks have not missed too many steps because of the play of Tim Thomas and Michael Redd," Anderson writes.

Diann Gordon of Carbondale, III., has hope for the underdog.

"The Wizards have the coach, the player and the teammates, and those principles of defense and sound basketball will prevail," Gordon writes.