N.Y. Knicks – NBA Season Preview
The last time the New York Knicks won the Atlantic Division was in 1994 when they went on to win the Eastern Conference.
2011/2012 NBA Team Betting Previews- New York Knicks
Odds to win the Eastern Conference +1000
Odds to win the NBA Championship +2000
Coming into this season, they are the second-favorite to win division behind Boston, which is +500 to win the East and the fourth-favorite to win the conference with Chicago at +200 and Miami at -110 the top two favorites.
The Knicks took a major step towards making itself relevant in the East with the addition of Amar’e Stoudemire before last season and trading for Carmelo Anthony mid-way through the year. These two stars went through some growing pains in their brief time together, but the result was a 42-40 record and a return to the playoffs. The Celtics made the Knicks stay a short one by eliminating them in four straight games in the first round, but the pieces were clearly in place for bigger and better things this season.
While the rumor mill has been filled with names such as Dwight Howard or Chris Paul working their way to the Big Apple, the Knicks’ recent addition of Tyson Chandler from Dallas to bolster a porous defense is another tangible step that will help close the gap with the Celtics sooner as opposed to later. The only problem with New York’s big three is that the money it took to assemble it leaves the team strapped for cash under the new collective bargaining agreement to fill-in the rest of the holes. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
None the less, there is enough talent that is on the current roster to keep things very interesting in the Atlantic Division race given the shortened 66-game schedule. If this team can come together quickly and role players such as Toney Douglas, Landry Fields, and the recently-signed Mike Bibby, who was with Miami last season can elevate their games on a nightly basis, the Knicks might be able to push the Celtics all season long.
This Knicks are clearly a playoff-team this season and should benefit from securing home-field advantage for the first round of the playoffs even if they do not win the division. With Miami or Chicago most likely in its way in the conference semifinals, New York will have the ability to push one of these lead dogs to possible six games of a seven-game series, but this is when the lack of depth and bench strength will unfortunately end the Knicks run.
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