The Southeast Division may not have a clear-cut title contender, but the division is still intriguing with a mix of teams all fighting for something.
Divisions are not what they used to be in the NBA. Not by a long shot.
There is still a fair bit of schedule imbalance — each team within the division plays each other four times during the season — but each team is guaranteed to play every other team in the conference at least three times. The imbalance is not what it was in the 1990s before expansion. And so division rivalries and division titles have gained decreased importance.
Winning the division does not even guarantee a team a top-three seed in the Playoffs anymore. Let alone guarantee home-court advantage for the first round.
Still, winning the division is a sign of some success. The team that wins it usually is still pretty good, even in the watered-down Eastern Conference. It is an accomplishment that is necessary to attain that ultimate goal.
When the Orlando Magic won the division for the first time in a dozen years in 2008, it was a signal the team was on the ascendence. The Magic finally got to hang another banner (somewhere).
Intra-division rivalries still run deep. These are the teams every team sees most often. And, for basic comparison’s sake, these are the teams that are most easy to compare to for rebuilding teams looking to measure themselves.
It is why we still obsess over how teams in the division are playing and analyze where they are at in their rebuilds. And it is just an easy way to break down previews for the NBA season.
The Southeast Division this year might be, at one point, one of the weaker divisions in the NBA but also one that could see a healthy amount of Playoff teams in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando Magic
The Washington Wizards are a clear favorite to win the division after their stellar season last year. The Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat knocked on the door of the postseason last year. They both made few changes to get themselves there relying instead on breaks coming their way and internal development. The Atlanta Hawks began a complete rebuild after losing Al Horford and Paul Millsap in free agency for consecutive summers. Their 10-year Playoff streak appears on the outs.
And then there is the Magic. A team that struggled all of last season and has struggled for the last five to find their identity. This is a team that is still trying to figure itself out and continues to manage expectations for a restless fan base.
But the team knows it is in it for the long haul. And there is still quiet optimism about what this season could be — although no one will mention the Playoffs directly.
To get a better sense of how the Southeast Division might play out and the questions facing each team, I joined Chris Platte of Strictly Hoops Talk to preview the five teams in the division.
In this podcast, we discussed the Magic’s potential rotations, who are the real Heat, what could help or keep the Hornets from the Playoffs (recorded before Nicolas Batum‘s injury), why the Wizards might underperform and where the Hawks go next.
The Southeast Division certainly will not be short on storylines this year. Even if it lacks a clear-cut Eastern Conference championship contender.
And the Magic will find themselves in the thick of a loaded Southeast Division race. It should have several teams competing for one of the last few Playoff spots.
Next: Orlando Magic need strong start to build their base
Be sure to check out Strictly Hoops on PodBean and iTunes. You can follow Chris on Twitter @realchrisplatte.