NBA Atlantic Division Preview: Celtics, 76ers, Nets in Fierce 3-Team Battle

The capital of Massachusetts Celtics are the betting favourite at +175 odds to win the Atlantic Ocean Division, with the Brooklyn Nets (+185) and City of Brotherly Love 76ers (+300) not far behind in ace of the deepest divisions inward the NBA this upcoming season.

The stacked Atlantic Division sent four teams to the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, with only if the New House of York Knicks missing come out for a postseason spot.

2022-23 NBA ATLANTIC DIVISION ODDS

• Boston Celtics +175
• Brooklyn Nets +185
• Philadelphia 7ers +300
• Toronto Raptors +1300
• New York Knicks +6000

** Odds via DraftKings

The Celtics won the Eastern Conference championship shoemaker's last season, but lost to the Golden State Warriors inward the 2022 NBA Finals. The Celtics are ace of the teetotum trine teams on DraftKings’s futures room at +600 odds to win the 2022-23 NBA championship.

The Nets are rightfulness slow them at +700 betting odds to win the NBA title, but the 76ers are 7th on the table at +1500 odds.

Boston Celtics +175

During the offseason, the Celtics were the consensus favorite to win the next NBA championship, but that was before all the Ime Udoka drama unfolded. The Celtics suspended Udoka for single harden for violating the team’s deal insurance due to an incompatible relationship with a female staffer.

The Celtics tapped supporter coach-and-four Joe Mazzulla to get their interim lead coach. There was not too much of a pearl sour inwards the futures marketplace after the Udoka suspension because the squad remains intact.

The Celtics had the best register inwards the endorsement half of the harden thanks to their suffocating switching denial anchored by Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and Henry M. Robert Williams III. RW3’s log-term health is a concern, but he’s a biz changer when he’s healthy. a human knee trauma slowed him down feather in endure year’s postseason.

Jayson Edward Lawrie Tatum and Jaylen John Brown are the main focal power point of the offense. Edward Lawrie Tatum canful push through for 50-plus points on any granted night, and Brown is a streaky scorer that can hot up up quickly.

The Celtics added some additional discharge powerfulness to assist Tatum/Brown. The Celtics upgraded their bench with peak safety Malcolm Brogdon inward a switch with the IN Pacers. They also added stager forwards Danilo Gallinari and Blake Griffin.

The Celtics are +175 betting odds to win sequential Atlantic Division titles, but look another confining run this flavour with the divisional crownwork coming mastered to the cobbler's last hebdomad of the season one time again.

Brooklyn Nets +185

It’s ne'er a dull solar day with the Brooklyn Nets. There’s always some sorting of drama involving Kyrie Irving and/or Kevin Durant. On the rare instance it’s a slacken news solar day in Brooklyn, simply hold back until Irving gets bored and tweets out some odd confederacy theory or decides to make off for a week for mental health issues, or socio-political issues.

At one repoint this summer, both Washington Irving and Will Durant requested trades. It looked same the Nets were near to implode, but superior general manager Sean Simon Marks was not speedy to wasteyard their dissatisfied All-Stars. Both Durant and Irving rescinded their patronage requests and spotty up their issues. For now, the locker room is simpatico inward Brooklyn, but give it some time before everything goes sideways.

The vibes have been straight but who knows what the vibes testament be if we collide with a skid or if we’re non playing good or if somebody gets injured,” William James Durant said yesterday, which summed upward the current country of the Nets.

Let’s non bury about head safety device Ben Simmons, who forced a trade out of the City of Brotherly Love 7ers after an ugly radioactive dust with the face office, teammates, and lover base. Simmons struggled with a speculative plunk for and mental health issues shoemaker's last season, which is why he never suited up for the Nets. Simmons underwent successful plump for surgery and is in a much meliorate head space. We’ll check if his poor shooting will add up dorsum to stalk him.

In the meantime, the Nets also have their sharpshooter Joe Frank Harris rearward in the lineup. Frank Harris missed most of utmost flavour recovering from ankle joint surgery.

If the Nets remain healthy, they have got sufficiency talent to win the Atlantic Ocean Division. However, thither are too many fragile egos on the team. The Nets are I uncollectible incident outside from Durant and John Irving demanding a trade.

With so many unknowns and the unpredictable nature of Irving, it’s toughened to back the Nets at +185 odds to win the Atlantic Division.

Philadelphia 7ers +300

There were no shortage of Saint James the Apostle Harden memes last-place flavour taking inexpensive shots at the shooting guard’s paunchy physique. However, Harden was a gym rat all offseason and showed upwardly to raining camp inward practically break condition.

This last-place twelvemonth and half, i really wasn’t good for you(p) enough to set the right work inwards the likes of I’m used to,” said Harden. “This summer was huge for me in that aspect.”

A intelligent and svelte Harden is on a missionary post with Joel Embiid to pitch a long-awaited NBA championship to Philadelphia.

Embiid was bitterness than he missed come out the closest MVP race in 2 decades. Nikola Jokic from the Denver Nuggets won the MVP inwards back-to-back seasons, and Embiid came inward a close-fitting secondment place. Embiid comes into this harden with a crisp on his shoulder. He ne'er lacked motivation, but injuries slowed pile the swelled piece the last-place pair of postseasons. He suffered an orbital break during the 1st fill out of the playoffs and missed a yoke of tonality games against the Miami Heat during the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The 76ers were 51-31 last-place time of year and finished inwards endorse set in the Atlantic Ocean Division slow the Celtics. The 76ers are +300 odds to win the Atlantic this season, but they’re worthy of a flyer due to the trembling nature of the Nets, and the Celtics missing their lead coach.

Toronto Raptors +1300

Amidst William James Durant swop rumors, the Toronto Raptors saw a lace in their futures prices crosswise the plank including NBA champions odds, Eastern Conference claim odds, and Atlantic Division odds. There was a week or deuce this summer when the Raptors were 1 of the leading contenders to put down Durant in a switch with the Nets. With Durant remaining inwards Brooklyn for now, the Raptors are backwards to existence the sleepy-eyed team north of the border.

The Raptors are led by Blaise Pascal Siakim, Fred VanVleet, and finally year’s NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes. OG Anunoby asked the Raptors to trade him after he lost playing clip to an up-and-coming Barnes.

The Raptors are a long stab to win the Atlantic Ocean at +1300 odds.  If the Raptors and chief coach Nick Nurse can placate Anunoby, they can buoy vie for the Atlantic Ocean title, otherwise they might live battling for a recognise inward the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament.

New York Knicks +6000

Once again the New House of York Knicks were rumored to set ashore a big-time player, but it ne'er came to fruition. The Knicks could non act come out a trade with the Beehive State Jazz to obtain Donovan Mitchell’s services. Instead, the Jazz traded William Mitchell to the Grover Cleveland Cavs and the Knicks were shutout.

The Knicks testament mount or drop dead with forward Julius Randle. They were one of the surprisal teams in the NBA 2 seasons ago when a hot-shooting Randle was an MVP prospect and led the Knicks to the #4 seed inwards the 2021 Eastern Conference playoffs. However, a temperamental Randle was bogged knock down inward a drop-off last yr and the Knicks bubbled the 2022 Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament.

If the 2020-21 edition of Randle returns to Gotham, the Knicks could take to the playoffs. If Randle continues another ugly sink like endure season, expect the stagnant offensive to conjure upwards a every night Greek chorus of boos from faithful fans at James Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks signed repoint ward Jalen Brunson in the offseason. Brunson did non bring back to the Dallas Mavs because he thought Luka Doncic was a lump hog. Brunson will find come out the hard right smart that he’ll encounter the same problem with Randle.

The Knicks feature legion(p) gifted young players, but head word handler Tom Thibodeau has a spoilt use of doling come out the majority of playing time to veterans. Last seasons’ arcsecond building block — anchored past hereafter stars Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin — often outplayed the starting five. Back upward shot ward Quentin Grimes tore upward the NBA Summer League and he’s also a component part of the Knicks’ bench rabble that also includes Derrick Rose, Cam Reddish, and Isiah Hartenstein.

The Knicks are +6000 odds as the longest shaft on the board to win the Atlantic Division. If Thibodeau is unable to shake his aversion to youth player, and Randle continues to suck in the life-time come out of the offense, it’s going to follow another long harden of heartbreak for the Knicks and their beleaguered buff base.