The Toronto Raptors captivated NBA fans by putting together a surprising season that carried them all the way to top of the Atlantic Division, which came as an embarrassment to then highly regarded squads in the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks. Will the Raptors build on their momentum and secure their second straight division title? Or will any of the Nets and Knicks, or even the Celtics, supplant the defending division champions?
You can also check out our preview of the Southwest division here.
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NBA Atlantic Division Preview for 2014/15 NBA Basketball Season
Overview
[sc:NBA240banner ]Because of their surprising division title win last season, the Raptors are being picked by many to defend their crown. They basically have an intact roster, mainly powered by the dynamic backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas in the middle. Over at New York, the Knicks and the Nets each brought in new coaches, in Lionel Hollins and Derek Fisher, respectively, both tasked to guide their teams into winning the division crown. On paper, the Atlantic Division is a three-team race involving the Raptors, the Nets, and the Knicks, with the Celtics and Sixers being the outliers.
Key Rivalry – Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets
It’s cheap to pick the Nets-Knicks rivalry as the key one in the division for THIS season. It’s sexy because it’s geographically pertinent, but if you were looking for a real hatefest, then you’d find one in the simmering rivalry of the Raptors and the Nets. Both teams are coming off a heated playoff series, wherein Brooklyn prevailed in seven games in the first round. The already combustible rivalry was poured more gasoline when Toronto general manager Masai Ujiri demonstrated the power of public cursing in order to level up the enmity. Furthermore, these two teams are the frontrunners to win the division, as the Raps are priced -160 while the Nets have odds of +250.
Key Player – Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
Carmelo Anthony’s decision to stay in the Big Apple assured the Knicks of an all-world offensive talent capable of putting up 30 points on a nightly basis. Despite Anthony’s need to adjust his game to suit the Triangle Offense, the Knicks are still short of the right personnel to run the scheme smoothly. Unless they find a big man who can pass or successfully instill patience in a chuck artist like J.R. Smith, the Triangle is going to be far from delivering the Knicks salvation in the division. In the end, the Knicks are going to go as far as where ‘Melo can take them. The sweet shooting forward finished second in scoring last season with a 27.4 PPG clip.
Favorite – Toronto Raptors
Forget about their division title, the Raptors weren’t even expected to do well last season, having been priced +1,600 to finish first in the Atlantic. But they did. And because Lowry and DeRozan have blossomed into one of the best guard combos in the league plus the fact that the Raptors’ bench is the deepest among their division colleagues, there’s no sufficient reason to say that the Raptors are not the team to beat in the division. After coming up with a 48-34 record last season, the Raptors are now given a regular season win line of 49.5.
Sleeper – Boston Celtics
It’s uncomfortable to choose any of the Knicks or the Nets as the division’s sleeper. They can still win the division if they can get it together. Both teams aren’t in the midst of a major transition phase, which means their rosters have the tools to give chase for a the division title and are just a Lowry/DeRozan/Valanciunas injury away from making the race to the top a wide-open one.
The Celtics (+4,000), meanwhile, have the characteristics of a dark horse. They have young talented big men in Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk who could pick up where they left off last season. Sullinger averaged 13.3 PPG and 8.1 RPG for the entire 2013-2014 season, while Olynyk averaged 16.6 PPG and 7.3 RPG back in April. Despite a lot of buzz about Danny Ainge’s plans to ship out Rajon Rondo, the All-Star point guard is still with the team, and he’ll undoubtedly be the rudder that’ll steer the team somewhere towards respectability after finishing last season with a 25-57 record.
Writer’s Prediction
Toronto falls short of a 50-win season but ends up with the best record in the division. New York finishes second and Brooklyn third. Create a betting account now and see if you can guess correctly which team will take the cake in the Atlantic.
