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NBA season preview

Published on October 26, 2012 | By

It’s already here. Basketball season is ready to tip off again. After the lockout-shortened season last year, we will have another full season begin with the Heat raising a championship banner and LeBron James receiving his first ring before a home game against the Boston Celtics. Will LeBron be able to gain his second title and further his legacy closer to Michael Jordan? Will the new-look Lakers bring a title to Tinseltown? Will the hometown Spurs get one more title before their stars face retirement? Let’s take a look at the possibilities for the 2012-2013 season.

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division:

This division has had a massive makeover starting with the New Jersey Nets move to Brooklyn and the opening of the Barclays Center. However, many other moves have changed the landscape of the division: Philadelphia’s acquisition of Andrew Bynum, New York’s switch from Jeremy Lin to future Hall-of-Famer Jason Kidd, and Boston’s loss of Ray Allen. This division’s teams’ chances for success are best characterized by a series of “if” statements: “if” Brooklyn’s new cast of characters can mesh together, “if” Bynum can stay mature, “if” Carmelo Anthony can share the ball, “if” Boston’s core can stay healthy. This division will stay extremely competitive, so expect Boston’s recent dominance of the Atlantic to shift to an even balance between Brooklyn, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. This is by far the strongest division in the Eastern Conference, so I see all four of those teams making the playoffs.

Central Division:

The Bulls and Pacers sit atop this division after having some close playoff battles the last few seasons. The Bulls attempt to win the division for the third straight season, but will be starting the season without former MVP and superstar Derrick Rose, who is still recovering from a devastating knee injury suffered in last year’s playoffs. After a breakout season which saw them stay extremely competitive with the eventual champion Heat, the Pacers are looking to take another step towards their title aspirations. Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee are all teams who are still extremely young and remain a tier below Chicago and Indiana. The winner of this division will largely depend on how long it takes for Rose to return, which can be anywhere from February 2013 to the 2013-2014 season. Look for both Chicago and Indiana to make the playoffs, but don’t look for Chicago to be the East’s top seed for the third straight season.

Southeast Division:

The Heat look to defend their title with some new faces, including former Celtic Allen and Rashard Lewis. The Atlanta Hawks, under the leadership of former Spurs Vice President of Basketball Operations Danny Ferry, unloaded the contracts of Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams and look to remain competitive before they begin the 2013 offseason with massive amounts of salary cap space. Washington has a young nucleus of John Wall and rookie Bradley Beal, Orlando looks to move on without Dwight Howard, and Charlotte attempts to rebound from their historically awful season a year ago. The Heat will definitely lead the division and most likely the entire conference, but also expect the Hawks to sneak into the playoffs as well.

Playoff Seeds:

1) Miami Heat
2) Boston Celtics
3) Indiana Pacers
4) Brooklyn Nets
5) Chicago Bulls
6) New York Knicks
7) Philadelphia 76ers

Western Conference:

Northwest Division:

Oklahoma City made their first trip to the NBA Finals last season on the backs of their young nucleus of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Denver brings in Andre Iguodala to supplement their core group that pushed the Lakers to seven games in the first round last season. Minnesota will witness the return of Ricky Rubio from a devastating ACL injury, but will be missing Kevin Love for the first six to eight weeks with a broken right hand. Utah and Portland are in full-fledged rebuilding mode as they look to develop a roster that can keep them competitive in the future. Look for Oklahoma City to rival the Lakers and Spurs for the top seed in the conference, while the Nuggets and Timberwolves make playoff appearances.

Pacific Division:

This division is headlined by the new-look Lakers who made headlines with their acquisitions of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. Across town, the Clippers also look to come back strong from their first playoff appearance since the 2005-2006 season on the backs of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Phoenix looks to move on from the Nash era while Golden State and Sacramento attempt to tinker with their young players to build stronger squads. The new-look Lakers are extremely scary and will take the conference by storm, and the Clippers will be a top-five team in the conference for the second year in a row.

Southwest Division:

The Spurs shocked most of the basketball world by clinching the top seed in the Western Conference last season despite criticisms of an aging roster led by Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. However, behind the leadership of Gregg Popovich, the Spurs made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. Both Dallas and Houston attempted to land Dwight Howard, but with neither being successful, both teams’ rosters became a bit of a hodgepodge of mid-level NBA talent. New Orleans is hoping to make a big statement behind top overall pick Anthony Davis and his infamous, and now trademarked, unibrow. Memphis will be hoping to go back to the playoffs after losing OJ Mayo to division rival Dallas. Look for the Spurs to sit atop the division again with Memphis and Dallas making runs to the playoffs.

Playoff Seeds:

1) Los Angeles Lakers
2) Oklahoma City Thunder
3) San Antonio Spurs
4) Los Angeles Clippers
5) Denver Nuggets
6) Memphis Grizzlies
7) Dallas Mavericks
8) Minnesota Timberwolves

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