The Atlantic Files #97: Central Division Predictions

The annual Year in Review series is now out of the way. We broke down each team in the Atlantic Division, but what about the rest of the competition that the Atlantic teams have to worry about? Which teams will be up against the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs? Mike Bash and Alex Fischbein start off the Around the League Predictions series with the Central Division in the East. Colin Sexton and Kevin Love look to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers post-LeBron James. Both Mike and Alex believe it will be a struggle for them this coming season. James can't bail them out anymore, and they'll be relying on a rookie point guard. A finish near the bottom of the division looks to be on the docket, but Mike thinks they may have an outside shot at the eighth seed. Which brings us to the top dogs. The Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks will be fighting to see who takes the division crown. Indiana gave James and company a run for their money last season, and they brought back a lot of the same core. Milwaukee boasts a new coach and still has one of the best players in the league. Can they finally make it out of the first round this year? Finally, we have the two misfits of sorts. In Chicago, the Bulls are still in the midst of a rebuild as they added some more young talent in Jabari Parker and Wendell Carter Jr. Then there is the Detroit Pistons. A team that has a star-studded frontcourt, but not much else to write home about. They did add the coach of the year, Dwayne Casey, but a lot is left to wait and see about this team.