This year's Eastern Conference is stacked, and it will be a fascinating playoff to see which team represents the conference to compete for an NBA title. At least two of the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, or Boston Celtics will be eliminated in the first round, which is just crazy to think about.

It's difficult to determine who the top team in the Eastern Conference has been this year since, aside from the Miami Heat, everyone has doubts about them. Even the Miami Heat have some doubts about what they can accomplish in the playoffs, but they have been more consistent, and we have to give them the edge as the favorite to win the Eastern Conference right now.

The Eastern Conference playoffs are going to be exciting, and we're going to see some surprises that no one predicted.

Outside of the Brooklyn Nets, who have only been bad because of injury, there should be three favorites in the Eastern Conference right now. These three teams have proved that they know how to get the job done in the playoffs, and pose the biggest threat to other Eastern Conference contenders.

Let's take a look and rank the three favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference.

Winning an NBA title is never easy. As we have seen with the past 20 champions, every team is going to need something significant to go their way. Whether that is an unfortunate injury to someone, or having guys on the roster step up more than they ever have. There is a reason why winning a championship is so hard, and a reason why we have seen crazy upsets in the past. If a team is going to win a title, they’re going to need everyone on their roster to be playing the best basketball they possibly can, and even sometimes that isn’t enough to get the job done. Matchups are always something that is going to play a major factor, and some teams just know how to get the job done against certain teams when it matters most.

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The 3 Biggest Contenders In The Eastern Conference, Ranked

3. Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have not enjoyed the season that they had planned for a variety of reasons. The primary reason for this Nets team's lack of success is that they've been dealing with Kyrie Irving's vaccine issue, as well as Kevin Durant and Joe Harris' unfortunate injuries.

While Joe Harris doesn't appear to be returning this season, the Nets are hopeful that Kevin Durant will return this week. Durant is arguably the best player in the world, and it's difficult to argue that anyone other than him and Giannis aren't the two best. In any case, Giannis and Durant are the two best players in the world.

There's also hope that Kyrie Irving will be able to play in all of the Brooklyn Nets home games soon, making him a full-time player. If Brooklyn can get him back for every game and Kevin Durant can return to the level of play he had before the injury, the Nets will be a contender for the NBA title. Obviously, you can put the two other teams we'll discuss ahead of them, but there isn't much of a difference between any of the Eastern Conference's top three teams; it'll all come down to how they play when it means most.

Brooklyn did an excellent job of getting rid of James Harden as they went out and traded him for Ben Simmons, a tremendous defender. There are many doubts about Simmons' ability to play the style of basketball that people know he can, but if he can still be a top-notch defender, he will be a valuable asset to a championship team like the Nets.

Even if Brooklyn hasn't been fantastic, they must be recognized as a favorite because of Kevin Durant.

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2. Bucks

There have been a lot of unanswered questions about this Milwaukee Bucks squad this season, and there's no denying it. They haven't been horrible by any means, but they haven't been playing the type of basketball that NBA fans have come to expect from this group.

Even though they haven't been playing particularly well this season, there's no reason to expect they won't sort it out in the playoffs. Brook Lopez is anticipated to return hopefully soon, and good luck to others if he can return to the level of play he played at prior to his injury. It's been evident that what Milwaukee needs is a dominant center who can defend the rim and stretch the floor, and Brook Lopez is precisely that.

Milwaukee did a fantastic job acquiring Serge Ibaka, but there's no disputing that having Brook would be a major upgrade simply because he understands the system and plays exceptionally well alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA championship last season as a result of players stepping up, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had finally found a way to recreate his regular-season performance in the postseason. Last year's playoffs demonstrated to everyone that he is the best player on the planet, and there's a case to be made that he has been for the previous three seasons.

Milwaukee has to be feeling pretty good about themselves heading into the playoffs if they can remain healthy and start playing better basketball. They need to work on some of their third-quarter issues, and once they do, they should be even more of a contender for an NBA title.

1. Heat

There's no arguing that the Miami Heat have been the best team in the Eastern Conference this season. They've been the most consistent throughout the year, despite a slew of injuries. Throughout the year, Miami has been killed with injuries, yet they are still finding ways to get the job done.

There will always be doubts about what they can do in the playoffs, just as there will be for any other contending team. The only real concern about this Miami Heat team is if they have that one player who can truly take over a game like some of the other contending Eastern Conference teams. However, given the way they've played and the fact that they have numerous players on their roster who can score at a high level, it'll take a team effort for them to win. They won't need players to take over games like some other Eastern Conference teams since they have more depth than anyone else in the NBA.

There should be no dispute about who the top team in the Eastern Conference is right now, because it's the Miami Heat. They've been great all year, and we have to hand it to them for doing so much while being injured.