CREDIT: SAINT JOHN’S TELEGRAPH JOURNAL
Anthony Anderson leads the Saint John Mill Rats in a very underrated Atlantic Division.

The London Lightning are gearing up for another big playoff run, along with the “Big Three” in the Central Division; that includes the Windsor Express and Brampton A's. Those clubs have the best records in the National Basketball League of Canada, by far. They have had the chance to beat up on teams like the Mississauga Power, but it seems like there is another good group of teams forming in the Atlantic Division out east.

In the four-team Atlantic division, the Halifax Rainmen, are the whipping boys. Sitting way below .500, they likely will not cause too many problems when it comes to the playoffs (every team in the NBLC makes the playoffs). However, they have managed to beat every team in the east at least once (including London), so don't count them out just yet.

The Moncton Miracles are in a similar boat; they don't have a whole lot of wins, yet they have proven they can play. Pushing teams like the Island Storm to split the games against them is no small task, yet they still only win about 30 per cent of their games. Led by a strong core of shooters, the Miracles likely won't come into the playoffs with a very hot hand, but if they draw the Storm (which is looking very likely), then they could find themselves in the next round.

The Island Storm has been right there with the Saint John Mill Rats all season for tops in the division but have since tailed off a bit, losing five straight to start the New Year. Led by former Lightning players in Jeremy Williams, Adrian Moss and Antwi Atuahene, the team has found a groove coming off a big win streak, beating only teams in their division. Looking ahead to the playoffs, it looks like they will have home court advantage for at least the first round with either Moncton or Halifax having to travel across the Confederation Bridge to play in a tough barn like the Eastlink Centre. Besides, the Storm plays the Mississauga Power and the Halifax Rainmen to end the season — the league's two worst teams. It should be good preparation ahead of a strong playoff run.

Finally, the Saint John Mill Rats are the cream of the crop in the Atlantic. The first team to hit 20 wins out east, they will more than likely take on Halifax in the first round. Through the first game, they've gone 7-1 against the boys from Nova Scotia, so another seven games should see them progress. This is my favourite to advance out of the east and find themselves in the final come March. They are led by Anthony Anderson, who is leading the league with 24ppg. When it comes to these teams in the Central, they haven't seen enough of a player like Anderson to guard him properly right of the gate. And if they do manage to guard him? Saint John has the best shooting percentage in the league for both field goals and three pointers. On paper, it looks like they should cruise through this division.

The London Lightning will get a look at both the Storm and the Mill Rats this month. Could it be a finals preview? We'll have a look at the Central Division in the March 3 issue.

Marty Thompson is the play-by-play voice of the London Lightning for their livestream, SportsLive24.net.