Luv those Knicks wrote:Novaknicks wrote:Hello all,
I just joined and I've been a knicks fan since the 90s. Was very excited to finally see us go deep into the playoffs. The coaching thing was a bit of a head scratcher but I am glad Thibs is gone. Not sure about Brown though.
Now that Boston and are both toast for next season, who Stands in the way of the Knicks going to the finals?
Clev is good but beatable.
I think ATL and ORL have both upgraded a lot.
ATL has KP, Alexander=Walker and Kennard. Are they good enough to beat us? I have doubts about KP and Trae fit. KP didnt like playing with Luca. Not sure what to expect?
Orlando added Bane. I think they may even get to 47-50 wins
Thoughts??
I think this is a legit post, and welcome Nova. Nice name. Nova also means new and you're a new poster. Works on 2 fronts.
If you believe Vegas, Cleveland is ahead of NY in betting odds, but it's close. +750 to +800.
Vegas should be taken with a grain of salt because they reflect bets placed more than expert analysis.
https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba?tab=nba-finalsOrlando is a distant 3rd at +1600
The Hawks, a distant 4th +2900 and Phily 5th at +3300
Philly still has talent. They drafted a nice rookie last year who got hurt and missed the 2nd half. They have Embiid & Paul George, both banged up but talented, so Philly being the 5th team according to betting odds, might sound strange, but it's not as off as it sounds.
Detroit 6, Boston 7, Milwaukee 8, Indy 9, Miami 10, Craptors 11.
With the Bulls, Nets, Hornets & Wizards each at roughly 100 to 1, and I don't like those odds.
Milwaukee, if things work out with Myles Turner could be a pesky playoff opponant, but I think they're still a long shot.
Atlanta needs to mesh first. I don't think they're there yet and KP has serious playing time issues.
Orlando is fun, but lets see how they come together.
I think Vegas has it right. The Cavs kicked our buts last year. It wasn't even close when we played them, and I think they were injured when Indy beat them. They'd be my #1 choice for biggest opponent, right now. They lost Ty Jerome, but he was 10th on their roster in minutes and they might still be a 60 win team with a deep roster without him.
All of that said - any season is a crap shoot. You never know which team will have injury problems come playoffs and you never know which team will make a trade to improve their chances. Thomas Bryant was a cheap addition by Indi 2 months into the season last year, but he definitely helped them. Making predictions now is an exercise in futility, because it almost never ends up like people predict.
But to answer your question, Cleveland is probably the biggest threat. I wouldn't sleep on Detroit if they can keep improving. Orlando is a wait and see how they play together but they have a shot. . . . Milwaukee & Philly are what I'd call sleepers but I wouldn't be 100% shocked to see either of them step up and be a threat in the playoffs. I don't believe in Atlanta as much as some people do. The talent is there on paper, but wait and see what they can do.
Just my 2 cents.
If there was already a power rankings thread or something similar, then this thread would probably get closed, but I don't see one, so I don't see a reason not to talk about who looks like the biggest threat to us. Though, the fact is, this early, we're all just guessing.
RIP mags
* We have a Brunson Burner™ *