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The Boston Celtics lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to LeBron James and his shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers last year. However, The King's switch of conferences has opened up alleyways for teams to step up and fight for a chance to play in the NBA Finals this season.
The competition in the East has been notable in terms of the fact that teams like Celtics, Sixers, and Bucks have turned it up a notch. The Atlantic Division is one such rendition of the status quo prevailing in the Conference at the moment.
There's a high likelihood that four of the five teams in this division alone might play in the postseason. Housing multiple All-Stars in Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Ben Simmons, Kyle Lowry, and D'Angelo Russell, the Atlantic has emerged as the dominant powerhouse of the East coast.
Let's dive in and take a look at the current team standings on the Atlantic Divison leaderboard.
#5 New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are battling with the Phoenix Suns to become the worst team in the league before the regular season draws to a close. Their 11-47(0.190) record makes them dead last in the East and at the same time, frontrunners to land top college prospect, Zion Williamson via the upcoming NBA draft.
Having just recently snapped their 18-game losing streak against the Atlanta Hawks, it's fair to say that, as of late, New York hasn't been the place to be. The Knicks have won just 4 games at Madison Square Garden this season, and are 2-12 against Atlantic division teams.
#4 Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn Nets are one of those teams that have willed their way up the ladder, augmented their quality players through the grind, and managed to do all of that without any prominent names on the roster.
D'Angelo Russell's debut in the All-Star game and Joe Harris' triumph over Stephen Curry in the three-point contest was a direct representation of the kind of season this team is having. They are 6th on the West leaderboard with a 30-30(0.500) win-loss record, steered by leading scorers in Dinwiddie(17.2 ppg) and Russell(20.2 ppg).
#3 Boston Celtics
Despite the inclusion of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, Boston are not at the same level as they were last year, without them. The team is going through internal tensions between players, resulting in poor chemistry on-court as they hang onto the 5th spot in the East.
They are 37-22(0.627) on the season, having won seven of their previous ten matchups. On the positive side of things, they host the fifth best defensive rating(106.4) in the league, and are top 5 in FT%, steals, blocks and assists. When playing against Atlantic teams, Kyrie Irving and co. have won 10 of 13 so far.
#2 Philadelphia 76ers
Philly's starting lineup of Simmons, Harris, Embiid, Butler, and Redick is one of the most lethal sets of high-IQ basketball players put together. And going against resilient teams like Celtics, Bucks, and Raptors in the playoffs, they will need every last ounce of talent in that roster.
Heading into the last stretch of the regular season, the Sixers are comfortably placed in the fourth spot with a decent 38-21(0.644) record next to their name. With all five of their starters averaging at least 17 points per game, it's not surprising to think that they are legit contenders to come out of the East this season.
#1 Toronto Raptors
The inclusion of Kawhi Leonard into the Raptors' scheme of things is a gift that keeps giving. The Raptors are right up there with the Bucks in the East, en route to a potentially deeper and more solid playoff campaign than ever before. The front office and coaching staff have pulled out all the stops to make it through in this LeBron-less era of basketball in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto is one of few teams sporting two All-Stars in their starting lineup. The team's cumulative win-loss record stands at a sturdy 43-16(0.729) on the season and 8-4 against teams from this division.
They lead the Atlantic Division by a fair margin and have lost only 5 of the 29 games played at home this season so far. Heading into the postseason, the Raptors roster looks equipped to handle any kind of opposition, in the backdrop of some quality reinforcements in Grizzlies veteran big man Marc Gasol and backup point guard Jeremy Lin.
