WE have officially reached the midway point of the 2016-17 season. Some teams are living up to the hype and exceeding expectations, others not so much as they plummet towards the bottom of the lottery. Teams will be reviewed at the quarter, halfway and three-quarter mark of the year. Let’s quickly wrap the second portion of the season so far for the teams from the Atlantic division.
Toronto Raptors (28-15)
Thumbs Up
TORONTO’S superstar duo in the backcourt Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan have the offense clicking at a level that has never been seen before in franchise history. They are currently the 2nd best three point shooting team in the league while scoring 111 points a game (3rd highest average in the league).
Thumbs Down
WITH the exception of Kyle Lowry this team isn’t great at racking up assists with their 19.2 a game placing them 29th out 30 teams. Relying on Derozan isolation plays an Lowry to find an open man when driving to the rack is a solid tactic, however it may not be sustainable when confronted with better defenses in the playoffs.
Look Out For….
AS the trade deadline gets closer and closer the Raptors have to swing for the fences and get Paul Millsap. They can’t get past Lebron and the Cavs with their current roster. Get Millsap and at least you give yourself the best possible chance of the franchises maiden NBA Finals berth.
Image from sportsnet.ca
Boston Celtics (26-16)
Thumbs Up
NOW that they are healthy the Celtics are starting to click as a unit. The are inside the top three for assists (25) and made three pointers (12) per game. It’s scary to think of what this team is capable of with Brad Stevens at the helm.
Thumbs Down
REBOUNDING is the main issue for this team pulling down the 3rd fewest boards a night on average (41). Al Horford has never been a great rebounder and they could use a role player who contributes in that department. Nerlens Noel anyone?
Look Out For….
IS Isaiah’s dominance sustainable? The 5’9 superstar is the fourth leading scorer in the NBA cementing himself as a true superstar. Can the Celtics continue to lean on him to drive them on a successful playoff run, or will he run out of gas?
New York Knicks (19-25)
Thumbs Up
FOR all the drama that surrounds the Knicks with regard to their superstars, there are some players who are contributing in a good way. Joakim Noah has improved considerably for the squad. In the past dozen games he has had more than 15 rebounds five times while shooting over 55% from the floor.
Thumbs Down
ARGUABLY the coldest team right now the stock for the Knicks is plummeting. Drama surrounding the teams stars and heartbreaking losses to the Atlanta, 76ers and Wizards in the past 10 days have the teams form sliding (two wins from their last 15 tries). Sitting in the bottom five in the league for total points and fastbreak points allowed is a big reason why they are losing close games.
Look Out For….
DESPITE Carmelo Anthony’s determined responses that he isn’t going anywhere, if the team keep struggling would he re-consider a move. A Blake Griffin for Melo swap could benefit both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Knicks.
Image from elitesportsny.com
Philadelphia 76ers (15-26)
Thumbs Up
WINNERS of eight of their last ten, it’s fair to say that this is the most excited 76er fans have been in years. They have pulled out close winning and currently riding a five game home winning streak. Joel Embiid has been averaging 23 points in just 28 minutes during that streak. Trust the process.
Thumbs Down
EVEN though they have recently been pulling off victories, Philly still struggles to score each night sitting in 28th place for points per game. As their younger guys develop and build more confidence this should continue to trend upwards. For the meantime though the 76ers need to find someone else to help Embiid shoulder the scoring load.
Look Out For….
CAN they keep this form up? While a playoff berth might be a pipe dream they are only 4.5 game from the eight seed at the moment. Could it really happen!?
Brooklyn Nets (9-33)
Thumbs Up
BROOKLYN have the worst record in the NBA currently but they still have some areas of productivity. Their bench unit is the 2nd best at scoring in the league largely because they rank 4th in made three’s each game. They score pretty well with the 11th best PPG average (106.2).
Thumbs Down
MUCH like all the bad teams in the association if they excel in one area they usually struggle on the other end of the floor. They have the lowest win total when playing sub .500 teams and let their opponents score 115 averag points per game, the most in the league.
Look Out For….
THEIR bench unit and the squads depth is pretty good. Clearly they lack a superstar player, but if you added an All-Star to the roster they are instantly in a decent position. They had eight players score in double digits in their recent win over the Pelicans. However, there is no superstar on the immediate horizon for the Nets, meaning they are destined for more awful basketball for the rest of the season.
Image from empirewritesback.com
Banner from youtube.com
Leave a Reply