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Charting The NBA’s Atlantic Division: A Brook-less Brooklyn?

By Nicholas Hughes

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Jan 12, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) dribbles the ball against New Orleans Pelicans guard Jimmer Fredette (32) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Boston Celtics

Current Record: (13-25)

Predicted Record: (14-28)

The Boston Celtics will spend the entirety of the week on the road, away from TD Gardens. They’re a team in a noticeable state of transition; Rajon Rondo is off in Dallas with Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks, and the long perceived Jeff Green to the Memphis Grizzlies deal has at last come to fruition. Now it is no longer a question of when the C’s will rebuild, but rather how Danny Ainge plans to do so.

The C’s face a tough road this week that will certainly come with more heartache than reasons to celebrate. With a low seeded playoff berth both undesirable and out of sight at the moment, the coming on-court hardships will mean an even better opportunity for a lottery pick.

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    • Boston’s first game comes against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday. This will be the first of three straight games against Western Conference teams who are currently in the playoff picture or just on the edge of contention (Denver Nuggets on Friday, Golden State Warriors on Sunday). Needless to say, these will be very difficult odds for a struggling young team to overcome.

    Their final game of the week, however, provides a feasible opportunity for a win as they take on the Utah Jazz. The two squads bare near identical records, although the Jazz receive a perceived advantage because they hail from the west. However, if we’ve learned anything so far this year in the NBA it’s that just because you should beat a team, doesn’t mean you do.

    Player to Watch: Early on in the season, Marcus Smart didn’t see the type of minutes that would be expected of someone being groomed to replace a perennial All-Star candidate like Rondo. Smart then got injured shortly after the Rondo deal. Seeing him in action now, almost midway through the season, feels like our introduction to him in the NBA. He and Avery Bradley have the potential to be an incredible defensive backcourt, so it’ll be interesting to see them start to develop chemistry in the coming weeks.

    Next: Brooklyn Nets