11/18/2023 0 Comments Nba western conference divisionsTeams are sheepish about hanging division championship banners, and some choose not to do so. Dividing the conferences into divisions does not for the Celtics, all the way up in frigid New England, there is no difference this season between the nearby Knicks and warm-weather Magic. Dividing the league into two conferences, West and East, eases travel. Guess what? They also play six of their remaining conference rivals four times per season, and the remaining three conference teams three times each. Teams play each divisional rival four times per season. The travel argument hasn’t held for a long, long time. Knicks-Pacers means more than Knicks-Sixers or Knicks-Raptors. The Clippers have a better rivalry with the Grizzlies than they do with any team from the Pacific Division, save perhaps for the Lakers. SMITH RESPOND?), won’t die if the league suddenly vaporized the Atlantic Division. The Knicks-Nets crosstown thing, the subject of endless silly preseason hype (WHAT DOES RAYMOND FELTON THINK OF THE THING PAUL PIERCE SAID? AND HOW WILL J.R. Geographic proximity creates rivalries, but geographic proximity will always exist regardless of divisions. These are bad, bad times on the right coast.ĭivisions exist, in theory, to invigorate rivalries and ease travel. The Eastern Conference right now is a three-team league. The only thing that could stave off such humiliation is the Eastern Conference being so abjectly horrible that a team could finish 39-43 and actually have the fourth-best record in the conference. 4 seed and a better-than-deserved first-round matchup, it will be embarrassing for everyone involved. If some putrid Atlantic Division team limps into the playoffs with a 39-43 record, and yet still snags the no. Perhaps this is the year, then, that the NBA will finally have to confront the reality that divisions are stupid and should be abolished. Meanwhile, the Sixers have regressed after the 3-0 hysteria, and the Celtics are bad - and could make themselves worse via trade. The Nets are also 3-8, looking old and slow, with half their roster injured. The Knicks are 3-8, miserable on both ends of the floor, with a defensive keystone who still might be a month away from returning. And that seems less a certainty now than it did a week ago, as early-season hiccups morph into long-term problems. The Atlantic Division probably won’t stay this awful, though that depends almost entirely on one of the New York teams finding its footing. In related news: They are 5-7, and not very good at professional basketball. 4 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference by capturing the Atlantic Division. If the season ended today, the Toronto Raptors, who aren’t even sure if they should be trying to win this season, would “earn” the no. The NBA landscape will look much different toward the end of the regular season than it does now, but it’s still insane to think about.
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