No teams in the Atlantic division play on this quiet Thursday night, but the 2-2 76ers will visit the 2-2 Celtics tomorrow night in Boston. If the Knicks are anywhere as good as they've looked through two games, both of these teams will need every win they can get if they want to keep pace. After a grueling seven-game series last spring, Dei Lynam of CSN Philly says that the Sixers are excited to renew the historic rivalry in 2012. Here is what else is going on in the Atlantic:
- The Nets' Brook Lopez said he didn't let the possibility of going to Orlando for Dwight Howard distract him in the offseason, tweets Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports. Said Lopez, "It is what it is. I don't pay attention to sports media every day and watch TV and go on ESPN.com or anything like that. If my name was out there, I didn't really know it too much. I obviously knew of the situation. I didn't let it both me that much."
- Marcus Camby, one of several veterans additions to the Knicks, will make his season debut on Friday, writes Ian Begley of ESPN New York. Like many of the older Knicks, expect Mike Woodson to monitor Camby's minutes closely.
- According to Keith Schlosser of the Knicks Journal, Woodson hinted on a recent radio appearance that once $100MM man Amare Stoudemire is healthy, he will need to be eased back into the Knicks lineup, especially considering the team's early success. Schlosser opines that this could mean coming off the bench while he acclimates to Carmelo Anthony's new role as a post presence.
- Doc Rivers wants more out of Jeff Green, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston. Green is a bit more introverted than many of his teammates, but nevertheless Rivers says he needs to be better and the team needs to figure out a way to unlock his abilities.