New Jersey Nets are 3/1 odds favorites to win the Atlantic Conference of the NBA Eastern Conference . All odds are provided by online wagering giant Sportsbook.com. While oddsmakers have jumped on the Boston Celtics bandwagon I am not convinced. I am Going out on a limb predicting the Nets win the Atlantic Division. When New Jersey Nets management made the decision to keep the Jason Kidd-Vince Carter combo and the team chemistry appears to be in good shape as well as overall team health, this team has a solid chance to make it to the Eastern Conference championship round. Jamaal Migliore was added to the roster along with, Sean Williams. Williams will provide the inside power and has the talent to dominate. Marcus Williams is a very capable back-up, but he is suffering from an ankle injury and won't be heard from until mid November. If Richard Jefferson and Nenad Krystic can come back healthy the Nets have the talent to go deep into the playoffs.
Boston Celtics are the oddsmakers choice to win the division having them installed with 5/8 odds to win the Atlantic Division.The Celtics made the biggest NBA off-season splash when they traded for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Teaming with Paul Pierce, the Celtics have the best trio of players in the entire league. It didn't come without a price though. The Celtics parted with lots of good young talent. But Danny Ainge was under severe pressure to win now, so they have rolled the dice. What the Celtics did was make themselves a legitimate contender, but they are missing the two most important positions on the court: center and point guard. Rajon Rondo will be the likely PG and his numbers from last year were 6.4 ppg and just 3.8 apg. Kendrick Perkins will be the starting center. The biggest concern the Celtics may have is if one of the trio goes down for any length of time, they are in serious trouble and it is likely at least one will with the history of Allen and Pierce and the fact that Garnett is in his 13th year. The Celtics really don't have anything else but the trio, and it will take more than that to put another banner in the Garden.
Toronto has a shot to win the division according to oddsmakers tagging them with 4/1 odds to win the Atlantic Division. Toronto, the defending Atlantic Division champions, may have a difficult time repeating. They have T.J. Ford for the open court game and Jose Calderon for the half-court game at the point. Anthony Parker, acquired from Israel, opened some eyes at 12.3 ppg, and did even better in the playoffs. Bargnani is another player that produced in his first year at 11.6 ppg, despite missing a chunk of the season with an appendectomy. Chris Bosh needs no introduction as his game has reached Superstar status. The soft spot is at the center position where Rasho Nesterovic will get the bulk of the minutes. He needs to get more aggressive on the boards for the Raptors to improve, as his 4.5 a game just isn't good enough for a center that only averages 6 ppg. The Raptors added Jason Kapono and Carlos Delfino and Kapono is capable of providing offense and a deep threat. This is a young team that now has a year under their belt, and they are certainly a contender.
At 9/1 odds, the New York Knicks have a chance if everything clicks which is unlikely. The Knicks may be a bit better, but so is the rest of the Atlantic that is above them. So, a move up may be difficult. The Knicks added a double-double man in Zach Randolph (23.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg) that gives them instant needed help around the rim. Stephon Marbury appeared to make a transition under Isiah Thomas, and the once selfish PG may be ready to become what everyone knew he could: a bigtime assist man. If he completes the transition, the Knicks could elevate in the standings. The Knicks also added Wilson Chandler and Demetris Nichols in the draft, and they may have some impact. The Knicks seem to have a lot of parts but now we have to see if they fit. The biggest questions are FT shooting and defense. If they decide to bring it on both ends of the court most nights, they could surprise.
The Philadelphia 76ers are not expected to make much noise and with 25/1 odds the oddsmakers agree. All four Atlantic teams have improved, while Philly held the line, adding from the draft only. With Dalembert and Jason Smith at the 4 and 5, the Sixers are going to be giving it up on most nights and in the end, it will cost them many games. Kyle Korver is a great 3-point shooter, but is very inconsistent. When he is on, he will hit five in a row. When he is off, he disappears. Andre Miller is solid at the point, but certainly can't replace Allen Iverson. The Sixers are bound to struggle.
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