At long last the NBA season is upon us. This is shaping up to be a great one.† The NBA is not like other sports organizations like the NFL or MLB; parity does not do the NBA any good.† The NBA is best when there are several dominant teams and then everyone else.† Here are the teams I look to contend for the title this year.
1. Los Angeles Lakers ó The Lakers get the top spot, because they are the defending champs and they look poised to make a repeat.† They lost guard Trevor Ariza, a key piece in the 2009 championship run, but replaced him with forward Ron Artest, who is a solid replacement and should give them toughness, defense, and outside shooting.† Artest has struggled when he has been the second or third scoring option. Being a part of a true championship contender, I can see him deferring to Kobe Bryant happily.† Also worth watching is young center Andrew Bynum.† Every year we hear that itís his coming out year, only to have him disappoint either by injury or lackadaisical play.† With Phil Jackson looking to get him more involved on offense, itís put up or shut up time for Bynum.† With Kobe looking to take another step closer to Jordan, and having maybe his best supporting cast, itís hard to bet against the Lakers.† Predicted Record: 63-19, First in the West
2. Boston Celtics ó The Celtics come next, simply by virtue of being healthy.† With Kevin Garnett back, the Celtics are ready to stake their claim as the beast of the east.† The Celtics were able to sign Rasheed Wallace in free agency, but I question his commitment and if he has anything left.† A signing that I really like is Marquis Daniels from the Pacers.† His versatility allows for the Celtics to play small more effectively, something that caused them problems in Atlanta two years ago, and doomed them against the Magic last year.† The bench is still iffy, as the Celtics lack a proper backup point guard and center, but if they stay healthy and if Wallace is still motivated the Celtics will probably be making room for that 18th banner.† Predicted Record:† 60-22, First in the East.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers ó The team closest to my heart.† This is going to be a rollercoaster year for the Cavs. After their disappointing exit in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, the LeBron 2010 stories started to appear again.† Make no mistake, it is finals or bust for the Cavs in 2010.† With the big addition of Shaquille Oí Neal (see what I did there?), the Cavs have a strong post option for the first time since Shawn Kemp.† He may not be able to stop Dwight Howard, but hopefully he can slow him down enough to allow the Cavs to cover those three point specialists on the Magic.† As for the Celtics, I think that until one team shows the ability to win in the otherís home court, that matchup will continue to be a tossup.†† I also like the additions of Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon, two strong wing defenders who can also shoot the three at a high percentage. With the addition of Parker and Moon the Cavs bench is much stronger as well.† This is the best team LeBron has ever played on, but is it good enough?† Iím not sure yet.† Predicted Record: 57-25 second in the East.
4. Orlando Magic ó While Iíve put them fourth in my preview; I am not disrespecting the Magic by any means.† With the addition of Vince Carter, the Magic finally have someone who can take over a game like Dwight.† Vince may be older, but he averaged 20 points per game, and has never played on a good team.† This could be the year that Vince Carter finally reaches his potential and becomes a memorable player.† With the loss of Hedo Turkoglu the Magic have become a more conventional team, which might make them easier for the teams whose weaknesses they could exploit (Cavs) but makes them tougher for others (Celtics).† The Magic also made some great bench additions in Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson; they will give a great boost to sixth man of the year candidate Mickael Pietrus.† With his first taste of the finals, Iím sure Dwight Howard will make the leap from star to dominating force. The Magic are very dangerous and will look to take to the top of the East once again.† Predicted Record: 55-27 third in the East
5. San Antonio Spurs† ó Easily had the best off season of any team in the league.† They totally stole Richard Jefferson from the Bucks, signed Antonio McDyess (a dependable jump shooting power forward) as a free agent and snatched up Dejuan Blair in the second round of the draft.† The Spurs see their championship window closing, and are making one last push towards another title.† With their additions and a healthy Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker, the Spurs are extremely dangerous and could easily win the title this year, if everything goes right.† Even more so than the Celtics, health is a major factor for this team, but if they avoid the injury bug, I think Tim Duncan gets his fifth ring this year.† Predicted Record: 61-21 second in the West.
Conference Finals Predictions: Boston over Cleveland, San Antonio over Los Angeles
NBA Finals Prediction: San Antonio over Boston in seven.