A few months removed from a tough playoff exit against the Heat and now with added firepower from a busy offseason, anything less than a rematch with Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals would be unfathomable for the Celtics, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston. A panel made up of Celtics bloggers also weighed in on Boston's chances this season, with all predicting an appearance in the conference finals and one of them predicting a championship. Here's more of what we're hearing out of the Atlantic Division tonight:
- Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston (via Twitter) noted Celtics guard Avery Bradley's thoughts on Ray Allen leaving Boston: "We’re a family before anything… It’s tough, but we all wish him the best."
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes that Nets GM Billy King and head coach Avery Johnson will be in London this week to attend the Olympics, presumably to watch Deron Williams play.
- According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, Tyson Chandler sees the departure of assistant coach Kenny Atkinson to Atlanta as a big loss for the Knicks (Sulia link).