Dec 9, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) called for a three point foul against Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) in the second half at TD Garden. Toronto defeated the Celtics 101-94. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Celtics have had an inconsistent and injury riddled start to the season. They just got Isaiah Thomas back, returning them to full strength, and wins against the Hornets and Heat put them back behind the Toronto Raptors for the third seed in the East.
The Celtics were expected to be right there will the Raptors this season, but that has not been the case yet. It may be unfair to compare until they get enough time at full strength, but the Celtics have a lot of work to do in terms of closing the gap in the standings.
That being said, the top of the power rankings is quite clear in the Atlantic Division. The Celtics still have two of the top three teams currently in the East, and while the Celtics remain in an incredibly close race with multiple teams, lineup stability should be enough to get them some separation from the lower seeds.
As good as the top of the Atlantic Division is in the East, the bottom may actually be worse. The New York Knicks are still difficult to gauge but they remain right there in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Both the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers have been pretty much as bad as expected, and currently hold the two worst records in the conference.
There are multiple teams who should be competing for a spot in the Eatern Confeence finals, and they have another two teams who will have a great chance at winning the lottery. Here is how the Atlantic Division currently stacks up against one another.
Dec 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Bojan Bogdanovic (44) is fouled by Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) during the third quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers won the game 108-107. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
#5 Brooklyn Nets
Right now, the Brooklyn Nets do not hold the worst record in the division, but they are very close. With a record of 7-19 the Nets are 0.5 games ahead of the 76ers, but the outlook for the rest of their season looks much more bleak.
They have been missing Jeremy Lin for a large portion of the season and his impact could make a difference, but that is the only chance they have at any improvement this season. They do not have the great young players that are expected to improve greatly though out the season, and it is not as if they have big stars under performing.
They have been getting about what they expected out of Brook Lopez and if that is yet to be enough to win good games for them, there is no reason to believe it will get any better.
The biggest edge the Nets may have over the 76ers in the standings is incentive to tank. With the Celtics owning the rights to swap picks with them, the Nets have nothing to gain by losing games, and they have coach that has them playing fast and with energy.
The bottom line is that the Nets are the least talented team in the Atlantic division, and they are on a trajectory to have the worst record in the Atlantic Division this season, which could easily wind up being the worst record in the league.
Dec 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) dives to keep the ball in play during the fourth quarter of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers won the game 108-107.Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
#4 Philadelphia 76ers
It may seem odd that the team with the worst record in the division is not ranked worst in their division, but they have a lot of young pieces that will continue to improve, along with key injuries that may be returning.
Nerlens Noel saw his first action recently before aggravating an injury. The 76ers will surely take things as slowly and as cautionly as possible, and all these grumblings about his dissatisfaction with the minute restriction could prevent him from even taking on a serious role. That being said, if he were to get back in the lineup it is another boost for the 76ers.
Joel Embiid is also he clear favourite for rookie of the year this season, despite a crazy limit restrictions and continual rest days. The 76ers are absolutely correct in taking it slow with a player that has been sidelined with serious injury one after another in such a short period of time.
That being said, if all the 76ers got were consistent roles for both Embiid and Noel, they would clearly be a better team than the Nets, including in the standings. There is also the outside chance that Ben Simmons eventually returns to the lineup this season and that too just furthers the notion that they are a much more talented team than the Nets.
The 76ers get the edge over the Nets because their roster has a lot more young promising talent that should continue to get better and better throughout the season. Of course, the fact that the 76ers could get another top three pick this season could prompt the front office to do what it takes in order to finish worse than the Nets in the standings.
Add in the recent head to head victory and the 76ers truly earned being ranked one spot ahead of the Nets, at least for the time being.
Dec 17, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) stretches on the baseline in the fourth quarter of the game against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 127-114. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
#3 New York Knicks
The Knicks currently stand one game behind the Celtics, but they are still not as highly regarded as them in terms of being contenders. The Knicks were an incredibly difficult team to gauge coming into the season. With great young talent in Kristaps Porzingis, adding veterans in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah created a lot of intrigue around Carmelo Anthony.
While Rose and Noah may not have worked out as expected, they have managed to win some games and stay above .500. It is becoming more and more clear that this is Porzingis’ team, and they will feel great about their future because of him alone.
That being said, they remain a difficult team to gauge. The Eastern Conference is not strong enough that they should be pushed out of the playoff picture, but they cannot expect much more than the seven or eight seed.
The Knicks have a lot of new pieces that still need to figure out how to be optimized and they are the team that could change the most, in either direction, for the remainder of the season. It would be a surprise to see the Knicks stay close to the Celtics for the remainder of the season, but being one game behind the three seed in the the East is something that all Knicks fan can get excited about.
Dec 18, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) looks on during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
#2 Boston Celtics
Injuries and inconsistent play have prevented the Celtics from being as good as they expected this season. Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk have all missed time with injuries and that has left their lineup in constant flux.
That being said, the players on the court have also not quite lived up to the hype for the Celtics. They were not expecting to have to worry about staying above .500 this season, and they expected to be a lot closer to the Raptors in the standings.
The Celtics know they have to improve and there is no reason to doubt that they will. Stevens has always seen his teams improve in the second half of seasons, and now that they are at full strength they can start to grow as a complete unit.
The Raptors have been exceptional this season and surpassing them may be a long shot at this point, but they should be able go et more separation from the Knicks. The Celtics and Knicks are close in the standings, but the Celtics remain a more talented team and it should only be a matter of time before Stevens gets them playing well enough to separate from the middle playoff teams in the East.
Dec 18, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) and forward Terrence Ross (31) high five each other during the second half against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center. Toronto Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic 109-79. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
#1 Toronto Raptors
The Raptors have quite clearly been the best team in the division though out the season. DeMar DeRozan had the best stretch of games in his career to start out the season. He has slowed down a bit, but the Raptors have not. Recently it has been Kyle Lowry picking up the slack and they feel supremely confident in their four game lead over the Celtics.
The number one seed in the Conference is also very much in reach. They are just one game behind the Cavaliers, and they have been consistently close throughout the season. The Raptors are picking up right where they left off from last season, and the rest of the division has a lot of work if they want to take away that division title.
A recent win over the Celtics also gives the Raptors even more confidence in the division. The Celtics have a good chance at improving much more than the Raptors for the rest of the season, but true Raptors can feel comfortable that the Celtics have a long ways to go before they reach the level of play they have been out though out the season.
The Raptors currently have a strong hold on the division, but there is enough time that if they slow down at the same time that the Celtics get the improvements they expect, then the division race could get interested down the stretch.
More from Hardwood Houdini
This article originally appeared on 
