Atlantic Division Preview
by Corey Tulaba
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors look like a team that is poised to potentially take the next step. They lost in round 2 last year in a hard fought series with Brooklyn and kept their team and chemistry intact. Kyle Lowry looks like a guy who is pissed off he didn’t make the all-star team last year, DeRozan continues to be a top 5 shooting guard, Val took his FIBA play and carried it over, and they are playing hard fought defense and efficient offense. It is going to be hard for them to make the Eastern Finals with Cleveland (they’ll get it together…I think) and Chicago (hopefully Rose is healthy all year) but they’re going to fight til the bitter end.
Philadelphia 76ers
They are really really really bad (like could be the worst team ever) but Nerlens Noel made a really nice block on James Harden. They probably won’t have many more highlights this year. There won’t be any stair running in triumph any time soon for this collection of D-League talent.
Boston Celtics
Rondo is back and healthy so that is encouraging! They have promising rookies and second year guys so that is encouraging! Brad Stevens is still awesome! Sullinger looks like Kevin Love! The downfall is they have the stink of Evan Turner (picked over Boogie Cousins) and are still really bad. They don’t have enough talent or the defensive front court to be competitive over a full season though. They’ll surprise some teams and they’ll be pests on a lot of nights but they are still a few years away! A fun team to watch and I think they have a few trades in them this year!
Brooklyn Nets
Brook Lopez has already had some foot issues and Garnett is still old but they should be a middle of the road playoff team. Deron will never be Utah Deron again, but as long as he keeps his ankles in check he should be able to have a decent season. Joe Johnson looks like he will have another 20 point season and quietly be one of the top shooting guards in the league. Plumlee played really well in FIBA and he is bound to make some progress and get some good playing time with Lopez and Garnett bound to miss time due to previously mentioned old age and injury. The Nets games are really fun and affordable to go to and their arena is top notch, so definitely worth the trip to BK if you can make it. Prokhorov also gave us some awesome snippets about Jason Kidd’s departure and his bank roll so we’re off to a good start.
New York Knicks
The triangle is looking great at some points and looking like the Bermuda triangle in other situations. They really only seem to be successful using a set where they keep beating guys back door on the weak side, but once teams start scouting it they’ll have to add some new wrinkles. Melo has really struggled offensively so far and hopefully for my fantasy team he turns it around quick. Getting Calderon back is going to be a huge help, even though Larkin had looked promising. Shumpert looks like he got his swag back. JR Smith looks like he had a brain transplant and has developed some nice chemistry with Jason Smith. Amare’s wine baths have looked like they payed off. The downside is their defense is going to keep them from winning a lot of games. They need more interior defense and nobody on the roster is capable of bringing that every night. They’re still a few moves away and those moves may not take place til next year, so be patient Knicks fans and trust the Zen Master.
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