Compared to the wild, wild, West, the East is still by far the lesser of the two NBA conferences. However, it’s still home to the best basketball player in the world and potentially the most interesting division this upcoming 2015-16 NBA season.
With the new season only days away from tip-off, let’s take a closer look at all three Eastern Conference divisions, review what the teams in the respective divisions did during the offseason, and predict how the divisions will look at season’s end. Don’t forget to check out our preview of the entire Western Conference here.
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2015-16 NBA Eastern Conference Preview
Atlantic Division
The Atlantic Division crown looks poised to stay up north. The Raptors, who are -210 favorites to make it a three-peat of division titles, beefed up their wing depth in the offseason by adding DeMarre Carroll. Carroll averaged career highs in points, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage last season as a key contributor with Atlanta.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan is still one of the best in the league, while that long-awaited breakout year from Jonas Valanciunas might finally come this season.
Toronto’s biggest threat for the division title should be the Boston Celtics, who improbably made the playoffs in Brad Stevens’ second year in charge. The young Celts added some much-needed veteran help in the frontcourt with world champion David Lee, Jonas Jerebko and Amir Johnson.
For their +180 odds to pay off, though, the Celtics will need their young backcourt talent – Marcus Smart, James Young, and rookies RJ Hunter and Terry Rozier – to emerge as major contributors playing behind the more established pair of Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley.
Meanwhile in the Big Apple, expectations for the New York Knicks – even with a finally healthy Carmelo Anthony and the addition of first-round pick Kristaps Porzingis – aren’t particularly high. The Knicks’ over/under wins is set at just 29.5. They’re not winning the division, but they could win the battle of New York over the Brooklyn Nets (over/under 28.0 wins), who finally shed Deron Williams’s contract and re-signed Brook Lopez.
The Philadelphia 76ers can look forward to a possible Jahlil Okafor Rookie of the Year campaign and the continued development of Nerlens Noel. Apart from that, though, they’ll likely be top contenders for next year’s No. 1 pick. Their over/under wins is set at 20.5, the lowest line for any team in the league.
Writer’s Prediction
Raptors
Celtics
Knicks
Nets
76ers
The Celtics push the Raptors closer than expected for that division crown, but Toronto completes the three-peat. The Knicks get the better of Brooklyn, while the sad sack Sixers finish with the worst record in the league.
Central Division
As long as the great LeBron James is still suiting up in wine and gold, the Cavs are favorites not only for the Central – they’re -400 favorites to retain – but also for the NBA title (+280). The Cavs spent millions to keep last year’s losing Finals team intact, but two of their key contributors – Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert – will miss some significant time at the start of the season due to injury.
Kevin Love should be due for a bounce-back season after last year’s struggles, though, and veteran Mo Williams will be a fine stopgap in place of Irving.
The Bulls will offer the stiffest resistance to the Cavs’ dominance in the Central. Chicago made a big coaching change in the offseason, with Fred Hoiberg replacing the highly-successful Tom Thibodeau. Hoiberg is expected to improve a Bulls offense that had long stagnated under Thibs. However, the Bulls’ +400 odds to win the division will be highly dependent on the health of oft-injured star Derrick Rose, which is always a risky proposition.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks are expected to build upon last year’s strong showing in Jason Kidd’s first season in charge. Kidd transformed Milwaukee into a stellar defensive unit last year; this year, he’ll have Jabari Parker, who’s back after tearing his ACL, and big free agent signing Greg Monroe to juice things up at the offensive end. That added offensive punch should help the Bucks meet (or possibly exceed) their 45.0 over/under wins expectancy this year.
The Pacers (o/u 41.5 wins) and Pistons (o/u 35.5 wins) are likely the fourth- and fifth-best teams in the division, but both might still be contenders for the last playoff spot in the East. All-Star Paul George is back to full strength for the Pacers, although the rest of his old frontcourt mates, Roy Hibbert and David West, are gone.
The Pistons, meanwhile, are slowly trying to recreate Stan Van Gundy’s magic back when he was in Orlando. Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, in particular, have the makings of a lethal pick-and-roll combo.
Writer’s Prediction
Cavs
Bulls
Bucks
Pistons
Pacers
Even with their injury concerns, the Cavs still seal the division over the Bulls and Bucks, who have a close battle for the second spot. The Pistons make a big jump in Year 2 under Stan Van and make the playoffs, while the Pacers finish rock bottom.
By far the NBA’s most wide-open division this season, the Southeast is bound to pique interest with its three-horse race for the division crown.
The defending champion Atlanta Hawks are still slight favorites at +150, even as they lost a key contributor in DeMarre Carroll. The core trio of Paul Millsap, Al Horford and Jeff Teague remains formidable, but after they faded at the tail end of last year, it remains to be seen if the Hawks have enough depth to keep up their high level of play for an entire season.
The reloaded Miami Heat are hot on Atlanta’s heels at +175 to reclaim the Southeast. Dwyane Wade can’t play a full season anymore, but he’s still good for around 60-65 quality games. The return of Chris Bosh from his very serious blood clotting issue, the arrival of rookie Justise Winslow, and a full season with Goran Dragic and breakout star Hassan Whiteside will also help the Heat, who look like a sneaky +1,200 sleeper to win the East.
Don’t sleep on the Wizards and their +220 odds to win the division, either. They’ll miss the leadership and veteran savvy of Paul Pierce, but Otto Porter is ready to step up after some impressive showings in last year’s playoffs. John Wall and Bradley Beal might be the best young backcourt aside from the Splash Brothers. Their bigs are unspectacular, but they’re solid veterans who can get a job done.
Charlotte has vets too, but apart from Al Jefferson and Nic Batum, none are particularly dependable. The outlook is so bad for the Hornets (o/u 32.5 wins) that the young and inexperienced Magic (o/u 34.0 wins) are expected to beat them out for fourth in the division. The Magic are stacked with up-and-coming talent – Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton and Nik Vucevic to name three – and will now have renowned drill sergeant Scott Skiles to whip those youngsters into shape.
Writer’s Prediction
Heat
Hawks
Wizards
Magic
Hornets
The Heat reclaim the division over the Hawks, while the Wizards finish some way back in third. The Magic make a big improvement under Skiles, and finish above the Hornets.
