The NBA’s Atlantic Division is home to some of the oldest teams in the league, as well as some of the most successful. The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks are two of NBA founding teams. Although the Knicks have been famously terrible in recent years, the Celtics lead the league in most NBA Championship wins, which is why they always have such favorable odds of winning. But perhaps, it isn’t the legacy teams bettors should be focusing on but rather newer teams, such as recent league champions, the Toronto Raptors?
With a flock of great players making their way to the Atlantic Division, such as Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, predicting which team will take the division has become so much harder. And so, the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets seem to have a good chance of taking the division too.
If you are looking to make bets on the teams in the NBA’s Atlantic Division, make sure to stick around. Below we have a look at each team’s chances of winning the division as well as some stats you may want to consider before placing a bet at one of our recommended top online gambling sites for basketball.
The NBA Eastern Conference Atlantic Division seems like a pretty tough division to figure out at the moment. This means that there is a lot of sports betting sites offering competitive odds on to win bets for the division. Below we have a look at each team’s chances of winning it this season:
Boston Celtics – the Boston Celtics have never really been a team you can count out in the NBA. As the league leaders in Championship wins, they seem to have a good squad most seasons. This year, they once again seem to be a team to beat with Jayson Tatum sometimes needing three defenders to cover his advances. They seem on track to challenge the Raptors for the division title and aren’t a bad bet to take it.
Brooklyn Nets – when it was announced that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would be making their way to the Nets, many thought it meant that the team would become a new force in the East. However, both Durant and Irving are injured, so maybe the team’s rise will start next season?
New York Knicks – the Knicks are one of the worst performing teams this season. If the Cavaliers hadn’t been trying to get over the loss of Lebron James, the team would probably occupy the last position on the Eastern Conference log. It’s safe to say that they aren’t going to take the Atlantic Division this season.
Philadelphia 76ers – the 76ers begun the season as favorites to take the division but a string of losses has left them in third place. Joel Embiid and Al Horford are great players and they’ll probably lead the team to a playoff spot. However, recent performances suggest that the team currently doesn’t have what it takes to win the division this year.
Toronto Raptors – the Toronto Raptors seem on track to take the division this year. They pulled off a 15-game winning streak in which they appeared to be invincible. However, injuries are starting to make the formidable team less so. We think that they may be good to take it if their roster is able to keep up with Boston in the coming weeks.
Sometimes, looking at NBA trends helps bettors make better wagers. If you look at the recent history of the Atlantic Division, you’ll see that the Boston Celtics were the team to bet on in the early 2010s but this has changed to the Toronto Raptors over time. Seemingly, they are the only team with an effective strategy to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Season
Winner
2009–10
Boston Celtics
2010–11
Boston Celtics
2011–12
Boston Celtics
2012–13
New York Knicks
2013–14
Toronto Raptors
2014–15
Toronto Raptors
2015–16
Toronto Raptors
2016–17
Boston Celtics
2017–18
Toronto Raptors
2018–19
Toronto Raptors
NBA Atlantic Division Standings
Sometimes, the best way to gauge what is actually happening in a division is to have a look at the current standings. Well, here is the NBA Atlantic Division standing at the time of writing:
Place
Team
Record
1
Toronto Raptors
43-18
2
Boston Celtics
42-19
3
Philadelphia 76ers
37-25
4
Brooklyn Nets
27-34
5
New York Knicks
19-43
Current NBA Atlantic Division Betting Statistics
Before placing any bets on the teams in the NBA’s Atlantic Division, you may want to have a look at some of the statistics listed below:
The most successful team in the Atlantic Division is the Boston Celtics. They have a total of 22 division titles. In fact, they are the most successful team in the entire league with a total of 17 NBA Championships too.
The most recent division winner is the Toronto Raptors, who have dominating the better part of the last decade. They are also the most recent NBA Championship winner in the Atlantic Division, having won in 2019.
The only team in the Atlantic Division that has never won an NBA Championship title is the Brooklyn Nets. They have also not won a division title since moving from New Jersey. They are hoping that this changes soon after adding Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to their squad.
In the last decade, an Atlantic Division team has appeared in the Conference Finals five times. In those five appearances, the team has gone on to the NBA Finals twice.
History of the NBA Atlantic Division
The NBA Eastern Conference Atlantic Division was formed in 1970, making it one of the older divisions in the league. In its first incarnation, it was made up of the Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers as seemingly all New York sports teams move to California after some years).
In the division’s 50 year plus existence, many teams have come and gone with franchises such as the Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, and Washington Wizards also at one time making part of the division. The Atlantic Division currently consists of the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors. The newest team in the line-up is the Raptors who joined in 2004.
In recent years, the division has been considered home to some of the most competitive teams in the league in the form of the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors. The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets remain beating teams but at the very least the Knicks have won some Championships in the past and had a few good runs in the decades since.
It seems that teams in the division are sure to remain competitive in the years to come, with many standing a good chance of actually winning titles. If you’re looking for some future options, stick with the Raptors or Celtics.
Check out our other NBA Eastern Conference guides:
The NBA’s Atlantic Division is home to some of the oldest teams in the league, as well as some of the most successful. The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks are two of NBA founding teams. Although the Knicks have been famously terrible in recent years, the Celtics lead the league in most NBA Championship wins, which is why they always have such favorable odds of winning. But perhaps, it isn’t the legacy teams bettors should be focusing on but rather newer teams, such as recent league champions, the Toronto Raptors?
