However, there are several teams that are capable of playing the spoiler and preventing Cavs vs. Dubs part three. As the regular season gets underway, let’s look at the two frontrunners as well as the other potential contenders and rank the top 10 teams in the league.
The top spot belongs to the defending champion, the Cavaliers, and they should be considered the best team in basketball until proven otherwise. LeBron James is not only the greatest player on the planet, but he has a case for being one of the two greatest players of all time. All of the other key players from Cleveland’s championship team are returning as well and are led by Kyrie Irving, who elevated his stature among point guards to the highest echelon with his clutch performance in the playoffs.
Barring injuries, there is no reason to believe that Cleveland will not return to the NBA Finals at the season’s end. Coming in not too far behind the champs are the reigning runner-ups, the Warriors.
This team will need some time to gel, as evidenced by their opening night blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs. However, there is no need to panic, as history has shown that a brief adjustment period is needed for super-teams.
For example, the star-studded Miami Heat started its “Big Three” era just 9-8, but ended up reaching the NBA Finals at the end of the season. This team will simply need a month or so to develop a strong rapport, after which Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and company will be playing at or above the level of last year’s 73-9 team.
The number three spot goes to Gregg Popovich and the Spurs. As he has proven time and time again, Popovich is the ultimate tactician at transforming his team to maximize the abilities of the players on his roster. The post-Tim Duncan era should be no different, with Pau Gasol coming in to take his place in the frontcourt alongside LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard.
Veterans Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili should provide valuable performance and leadership, while up-and-comers Kyle Anderson and Jonathan Simmons are poised to breakout with their increased playing time. The Spurs are undoubtedly the biggest threat to the Warriors in the Western Conference.
With Durant’s departure from Oklahoma City, expect the Portland Trail Blazers to become not only the cream of the crop of the Northwest Division, but also a top three team in the West.
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are second to only Golden State’s “Splash Brothers” among the league’s top backcourt duos. Lillard has been off to an extraordinary start this season and has a legitimate shot at winning the MVP, while McCollum has picked up right where he left off last year in his breakout season. Last season, the Blazers were eliminated by Golden State, so look for Terry Stotts’ team to focus on exacting its revenge on the Warriors in order to make a deep playoff run.
Rounding out the top five is the young, talented and promising Boston Celtics team, headed by coach Brad Stevens.
The Celtics were unable to reach the second round of last year’s playoffs — falling in six games to the Hawks. However, Stevens has done a masterful job of developing this team, and the addition of the Hawks’ own Al Horford to the mix should go a long way in stabilizing the Celtics’ frontcourt.
Furthermore, guards Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley are emerging as two of the league’s most compelling young stars.
Look for the Celtics to continue trending upwards this season and to win the Atlantic Division.
Not far behind the Celtics are their division mates, the Toronto Raptors. Despite losing big man Bismack Biyombo in the offseason, the Raptors still return a solid core of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valančiūnas. However, Lowry hits free agency next summer, and it will be difficult for Toronto to retain the all-star point guard, after they signed DeRozan to astronomical contract of his own this past offseason. Therefore, with the championship window quickly closing, the time for this team to win is now. After reaching the conference finals last season, the Raptors are primed to make another deep run during this season’s playoffs.
After an offseason spending spree, the Memphis Grizzlies have propelled themselves to the number-seven position in the rankings.
The Grizzlies resigned point guard Mike Conley and brought in forward Chandler Parsons to compliment Marc Gasol, JaMychal Green and Zach Randolph in the front court.
Green has moved into the starting role at power forward, which will allow the veteran Randolph to dominate in his new role coming off the bench.
Most importantly, this team is finally healthy. When healthy, few teams present as aggressive and as powerful a lineup as the Grizzlies.
They are more than capable of giving the other elite teams in the West a run for their money.
The final team from the Western Conference in the top ten is the Los Angeles Clippers. In recent years, the Clippers have failed to live up to high expectations and have upheld the franchise’s reputation for losing big games. All-star Blake Griffin could very well leave the team following this season, so if the Clippers are finally going to play up to their greatest potential, it is now or never. They have all of the pieces to do so, with Griffin, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Jordan in the starting lineup and Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers coming off the bench. The Clippers would be higher in this ranking if they did not disappoint so often, but they still remain in the top ten with a little bit of wiggle room.
The Southeast Division finally gets its first team on the list, as the Atlanta Hawks claim the number nine ranking.
The Hawks changed without really changing this summer, bringing in Dwight Howard to replace Al Horford at center, and promoting Dennis Schröder to the starting point guard role to replace Jeff Teague.
In recent years, the Hawks have consistently been one of the East’s better teams, but they have been unable to take the next step and reach the NBA Finals, even two seasons ago when they had the best record in the conference. However, they are by far the best team in a division of mediocrity and will therefore still be among the conference’s contenders come playoff time.
Rounding out the top ten are the Indiana Pacers, led by newly appointed coach Nate McMillan. With Paul George, McMillan has the good fortune of having one of the best players in the game lead the way for his team.
The Pacers also have a budding star in versatile center Myles Turner, who is blocking shots left and right and is a double-double threat on a nightly basis. Additionally, the team made some quiet, but shrewd transactions this offseason, bringing in Al Jefferson, Thaddeus Young, and the aforementioned Jeff Teague. The Pacers are a very talented team, and it would not be at all surprising if they found themselves in the conference finals.
With these ten teams, along with Westbrook and the Durant-less Thunder, Wade in Chicago and the new-look Knicks, this NBA season should provide plenty of excitement.
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