Eastern Conference: Irish Bling?

1. Detroit- The nucleus (Tayshaun Prince, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton) is as good as any. It’s that sensitive time bomb (Rasheed Wallace) that could potentially explode at any blown whistle we’re worried about.

2. Boston- The new trio (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce) could be called the Big Three 2.0, an obvious nod to Celt icons Larry Bird, Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale. The difference is that those title teams had Danny Ainge and Dennis Johnson on them as well.

3. Chicago- MJ is not walking thru that door, but thankfully, current stars (Ben Wallace, Kirk Hinrich), future stars (Ben Gordon, Luol Deng) and international stars (Andres Nocioni) are.

4. Orlando- Though the East’s most dominant interior presence, Dwight Howard, is built like a world-class weightlifter, adding Rashard Lewis’ 20 points per game certainly helps lift the offensive burden.

5. Miami- If someone could guarantee Dwyane Wade and Shaq’s health for 90% of the season, the Heat would easily rise near the top of this list. But seeing as how they’re day-to-day like 90% of the people reading this, Miami’s staying put.

6. New Jersey- The Tattered Nets Club (oft-injured Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson) may have another member, Nenad Krstic. If it can avoid the training room, however, NJ should be OK.

7. Cleveland- We hate calling the Cavs’ inspired playoff run a fluke because we appreciate great LeBron James highlights and good D like everyone else, but that’s exactly what it was.

8. Atlanta- Don’t look now, but the Hawks’ preseason record was 6-1. Even more promising was the way Josh Smith and Joe Johnson looked as leaders, Marvin Williams looked with the ball and Al Horford looked as a rookie.

9. Toronto- Chris Bosh is on pace for a Garnett-like career. But unlike Big Ticket’s Minnesota days, CB4 has some offensive help (Andrea Bargnani, T.J. Ford) and smart coaching (Sam Mitchell) to assist along the way.

10. Washington- If Gilbert Arenas says he’s gonna score 40, he generally backs the talk up with 43. So, we’re taking his word that his knee feels 100%. The eccentric guard hasn’t uttered a peep about the team’s problem at center. Neither will we.

11. New York- What a bizarre offseason for the Knicks. First, you have Stephon Marbury’s outbursts. Then there’s coach Isiah Thomas’ sexual harassment case. Randolph’s game could give the NY media something else to write about.

12. Milwaukee- If you like sweet strokes, you gotta love Michael Redd. If you’re into tough breaks, your heart goes out to hard-working Charlie Villanueva, a forward who’s likely lost his starting role to Chinese import Yi Jianlian.

13. Charlotte- Sean May and Adam Morrison’s seasons ended before they even started. To prevent a similar fate for the entire team, ex-Warrior Jason Richardson must play at an all-star level. Emeka Okafor has to stay off the disabled list.

14. Indiana- Jermaine O’Neal insists he’s happy in Indy. New head coach Jim O’Brien insists his new playbook will work. Pacers fans, we insist you focus on the Hoosiers this season.

15. Philadelphia- With the original A.I. in the Rocky Mountains, the super-gifted Andre Iguodala must put the faceless Sixers on his back if they’re to climb back to respectability in the Atlantic Division.