The good people of Las Vegas anointed the Atlanta Hawks as the team to beat in Southeast Division (by proxy) in setting the team’s over/under higher than any other squad among the quintet. While that proclamation may seem a touch off the mark to some (myself included), ESPN’s Marc Stein echoes that sentiment in his preseason NBA power rankings.
Stein is a veteran of the power rankings games, taking the responsibility for ESPN for many years, and he pegs Atlanta at No. 12 overall:
We're all on the same quest in the East.