Now that Kawhi Leonard is off to the Western Conference, the East is wide open.
The Bucks, 76ers and Celtics all have a legitimate argument as to why they should be the team to represent the conference now that the Raptors lost their key piece.
In James Ennis' mind, there is no argument. The athletic wing signed a two-year, $4.1 million deal to stay in Philadelphia this summer and believes his team will walk through the rest of the conference.
"Because it's a good team, and a good chance of winning," Ennis told Keith Pompey of the Philly Inquirer. "The East is going to be wide open. We had a good chance last year."
"Kawhi is gone. He went to the West. So we are going to walk to the Finals in the East."
In fairness to Ennis, the 76ers did come a couple of bounces away from pushing the Raptors to overtime in Game 7 on the road in the Eastern Semifinals.
Had they beaten the Raptors, the Bucks would've been still standing in the Sixers' way of claiming the Eastern Conference title. Milwaukee took the season series over Philadelphia, 2-1, but they also beat the Raptors in their season series, 3-1, and we know how that series ended.
The 76ers lost JJ Redick and Jimmy Butler in the offseason — two starters who had big roles on the team last season. However, they added Al Horford, sharpshooter Josh Richardson and re-signed Tobias Harris, who without Butler occupying the wing might be ready to contribute more in Philly's potential playoff run in 2020.
Whether or not Ennis' words will hold true remains to be seen, but he's wasted no time in giving his Eastern Conference foes some bulletin board material long before the season even begins.
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