An Overview (Atlantic)

By most accounts this has been a wonderful season in the NBA. The Western Conference had ten teams jockeying for playoff position from start to finish. There was the revival of the Boston Celtics and their historic run. The NBA must be pounding their fist Obama style to end the season with a Celtics vs. Lakers Finals. Can the NBA get any better?

I believe it can. In the West there are ten teams for eight spots and while it is likely that Golden State will end up being one of the two on the outside of the playoffs their brand of basketball can present interesting match-ups. The Western Conference could boil down to an injury to a role a player or a particularly difficult schedule. That is the essence of exciting basketball from November to April as a bad stretch can be the difference between the one seed and six seed or getting into the playoffs or not.


On the other hand there is the Eastern Conference where every team need "fixin". There appears to be several stamps (Cavs, Celtics, Magic, Pistons and Wizards) that leaves 3 spots to whichever team happens to suck the least. This is where the NBA can improve the most.


To do that though it starts with cleaning up the NBA's glamor division (Atlantic)! With every team in a Metro exceeding 4.5 million people, the intrigue of a competitive Atlantic Division similar to the current one on display in the Southwest Division would give the NBA the excitement it currently lack in the East.


Starting at the top of the 08 Standings:


The Celtics could win the 08 Championship but even if they don't they are to be complimented for focusing on the now and going for the championship. By making the trades this past off season the Celtics have given themselves a finite window to make their run at championships. All their stars are in their early 30's and have multiple years left on their contract.


The Raptors have a young star in Chris Bosh and a lot of spare parts surrounding him. The team lacks a true identity but they find a way to win! The team is lacking a second option (I can not help but imagine how good they would be if they selected Brandon Roy) and it is hard to see this team growing together. There is no doubt that Bargnani must improve, but into what? The Raptors might want to change their projections from Dirk to Detlef Schrimp. There is nothing wrong with being Detlef Schrimp, he had a long and productive career!


The 76ers must be proud of themselves. They made the playoffs while still paying for the sin of trading for Chris Webber. The Iverson trade that involved Andre Miller proved to be in the teams best interest. Not only did they get an outstanding point guard who has proven time again that he can get his team to the playoffs, but the team also obtain the cap flexibility this year that will allow them to set the course for the team for years to come.


The Nets realizing the handwriting on the wall and has put an end to Kidd-Carter-Jefferson trio. It appears as if the trade of Kidd was the beginning, as there has been rumblings that the team is not done with possibly Jefferson being shipped out as well. The collection of talent on the Nets is interesting in that there is a bunch of young guys in the area of weakness but they all tend to be potential guys who lack polish. With Carter and Jefferson playing so many minutes it is frightening to think about what happen if a injury was to occur.


The Knicks has proven that you don't know what the bottom is until you have climb you way from it. The Isiah Thomas Years has been tabloid filled and are finally over. The roster has gone through several makeovers and the team has played some uninspired basketball. The team needs a makeover this time though, it needs to be done with a goal in mind! The new management team is in place and from the sounds of it they expect to turn things around quickly.