5 Eastern Conference matchups to watch for the Blazers

The Blazers will go through a trial by fire in the West, but the East stills fields some strong teams.

Any Western Conference game, including ones against lower-tier teams like the Mavericks or Suns, will be a battle for the Blazers.

So the Eastern Conference will be a cakewalk, right? Not quite.

Yes, teams like the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers suffered severe blows with the loss of Jimmy Butler and Paul George, respectively.

The Eastern still fields contenders (and semi-contenders) like the Cavs, Celtics, Wizards and Raptors.

There’s also a strong second-tier with Charlotte, Milwaukee and Miami; you can’t sleep on The Process brewing in Philadelphia, either.

Let’s look ahead to five Eastern Conference games of importance for the Blazers.

Oct. 21: at Milwaukee

Right to start off the season, Portland gets a test with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading a rising Bucks team.

This will conclude a three-game road trip to begin the season, and if they’re 1-1 (even 0-2), this game could swing momentum early.

The last time the Blazers matched up with Milwaukee, Damian Lillard did this to John Henson:

Nov. 10: Brooklyn

Any game against the Nets is important to note because it’s most likely a win.

But, this matchup is important for a very different reason: Allen Crabbe‘s homecoming.

The Blazers sent Crabbe to Brooklyn for cap relief, which is a tough but necessary move for Paul Allen to avoid luxury payments.

By mid-November, AC will have a month or so with his new team. He’ll probably be thriving and on pace for an All-Star bid, because that’s what happens when the Blazers deal young, promising players to other teams.

Nov. 27: at New York

This game’s importance is dependent on one thing: a Carmelo Anthony trade. And, that trade needs to turn in favor of the Blazers acquiring Melo.

If that does happen, and the Blazers are certainly angling for it, this will be Melo’s homecoming.

Will he be booed? Will he drop 63 points, passing up his own MSG single-game scoring record he set with the Knicks for revenge?

I’m going to bank on the latter.

Feb. 2: at Toronto

The Blazers get teams like the Raptors, Celtics and Warriors before the All-Star break. They’ll certainly deserve a break following that stretch.

Every time I think of the Blazers taking on the Raptors, I look back on Lillard hitting this pull-up en route to dropping 50 points:

March 23: Boston

This may be a big game for both teams, with the end of the season on the horizon.

Portland needed wins over playoff teams like the Rockets and Jazz down the stretch last season, so this Boston game will be its own kind of last stand if they need it.

The Celtics may have the Cavs on their heels as the two alpha dogs in the East battle it out for the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

Next: 3 Blazers-Warriors rematches coming in 2017-18

Also, Isaiah Thomas and Dame are two similar players, so it’s always a fun matchup to watch.

Hopefully, Portland will be competing for a fourth or fifth seed at this point, although it’ll most likely be a replication of last season’s race for eighth.