Basketball

Southwest Division

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1. San Antonio Spurs
Their old age will fool you, but they know how to win when it matters.
2. Memphis Grizzlies
They were close last year and they know the pressure is on to cash it in this year.
3. New Orleans Pelicans
They’re clearly ready to contend now with a fresh backcourt.
4. Houston Rockets
The winners of the Dwight Howard sweepstakes now must show for it.
5. Dallas Mavericks
They made a lot of moves that were puzzling at the time, but they will contend.

Head Coach: Gregg Popovich
Key Position: All – It’s not to say that the Spurs have any issues at any position, but rather they are now a year older with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.  If Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green can capitalize on a tremendous playoff performance last year the Spurs should be well within an earshot of another title.
Key Acquisitions: G Marco Belinelli
Key to Win the Finals: Keep doing what you do best.
Head Coach: David Joerger
Key Position: Frontcourt – There is a lot of familiarity with this team.  Their new head coach has been apart of the coaching staff for a while and knows the personnel he has.  The only question is can the Grizzlies repeat the success they had with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol dominating the paint against almost every team.
Key Acquisitions: G Mike Miller
Key to Win the Finals: Familiarity is a big plus.
Head Coach: Monty Williams
Key Position: Backcourt – They already had a good backcourt with Austin Rivers, Greivis Vasquez and Eric Gordon.  Now they have acquired Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday in trades to go along with Rivers and Gordon.  It bodes well for a team that instantly has expectations of competing for a playoff spot.
Key Acquisitions: G Tyreke Evans, G Jrue Holiday
Key to Win the Finals: Build on the new acquisitions.
Head Coach: Kevin McHale
Key Position: Frontcourt – Adding Dwight Howard will help a lot, but what will that do for Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik who were the Rockets big free agent acquisitions the year before?  It should help Lin to have a pick and roll player like Howard, but Asik is none too happy.  He does provide the Rockets an excellent trade chip, but for now he gives them good depth considering Howard’s injury history.
Key Acquisitions: C Marcus Camby, C Dwight Howard
Key to Win the Finals: Don’t waste this opportunity.
Head Coach: Rick Carlisle
Key Position: Frontcourt – They really wanted Dwight Howard to pair with Dirk Nowitzki, but Howard passed and now the Mavericks have Samuel Dalembert?  It makes sense with the Mavs horrible defense in the paint last year and with Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon in the backcourt this Dallas team should remain in contention.
Key Acquisitions: C Samuel Dalembert, G Monta Ellis, G Jose Calderon, G Devin Harris, F DeJuan Blair
Key to Win the Finals: Stay competitive.

Northwest Division

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1. Oklahoma City Thunder
They’re still contenders without Russell Westbrook, but won’t win without him.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
Injuries aside this will be an exciting team to watch.
3. Utah Jazz
Some young talent will be counted on to produce right away.
4. Denver Nuggets
A new direction for a franchise known for their run-and-gun style.
5. Portland Trail Blazers
If LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard play well again they will be in the playoff mix.

Head Coach: Scott Brooks
Key Position: Point Guard – Reggie Jackson did a good job filling in for Russell Westbrook, but the team didn’t function the same way when he hurt his knee.  While Westbrook recovers it will be important for the Thunder to establish a cohesive unit instead of constantly running it through Kevin Durant.
Key Acquisitions: G Andre Roberson (Rookie)
Key to Win the Finals: Find a rhythm without Russell Westbrook.
Head Coach: Rick Adelman
Key Position: Frontcourt – They actually did well without Kevin Love for most of last season, but they couldn’t have Nikola Pekovic doing all of the dirty work on the boards.  No one can replace what Kevin Love brings to the Wolves and with him back this team will be scary good.
Key Acquisitions: F Corey Brewer, G Kevin Martin, C Ronny Turiaf
Key to Win the Finals: Stay healthy.
Head Coach: Tyrone Corbin
Key Position: Frontcourt – Utah is now letting Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors control the paint with the departures of Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson.  Favors arrived in the trade for Deron Williams a few years ago and Kanter was a high draft choice.  Both are talented big men and the Jazz want them to succeed right away.
Key Acquisitions: G Trey Burke (Rookie)
Key to Win the Finals: Get the young guys to buy in.
Head Coach: Brian Shaw
Key Position: Point Guard – Carmelo Anthony is long gone and surprisingly so is the head coach George Karl.  The new face of the franchise now is Ty Lawson who has had his share of doubters throughout his NBA career.  He is becoming a very good point guard and a prolific scorer for a team that now desperately needs him to do more of the same.
Key Acquisitions: G Randy Foye, F J.J. Hickson, G Nate Robinson
Key to Win the Finals: Establish a new regime.
Head Coach: Terry Stotts
Key Position: Frontcourt – There isn’t much help for All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge.  He will need to continue and put up stellar numbers for the Blazers to remain competitive against teams with better forwards.  If former lottery pick Thomas Robinson is given a chance to show his worth then the Blazers will have won big time.
Key Acquisitions: F Thomas Robinson, G Mo Williams, G Dorell Wright
Key to Win the Finals: Do the best with what you have.

Pacific Division

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1. Los Angeles Clippers
Doc Rivers was brought aboard to get the Clippers a championship.
2. Golden State Warriors
A good learning experience last year will help them win those tough games.
3. Los Angeles Lakers
How long Kobe’s absence will be has the Lakers season up in the air.
4. Sacramento Kings
If they can reign in DeMarcus Cousins the Kings will be sneaky good.
5. Phoenix Suns
A clear re-building project is underway in the desert.

Head Coach: Doc Rivers
Key Position: Power Forward – Blake Griffin has be a better all around player if the Clippers want to take that next step.  Doc Rivers should be able to do that since he has coached Kevin Garnett to a championship in Boston.  If Griffin becomes a dominant power forward the Clippers will be contenders for many years.
Key Acquisitions: G Darren Collison, F Jared Dudley, F Antawn Jamison, C Byron Mullens, G J.J. Redick
Key to Win the Finals: The time to win is now.
Head Coach: Mark Jackson
Key Position: Frontcourt – The Warriors lacked size against the Spurs in the playoffs last year and they hope to have improved that with a few additions to bolster their depth.  With the injury history of Andrew Bogut the Warriors hope they have elevated any worries here.
Key Acquisitions: G Andre Iguodala, F Jermaine O’Neal, F Marreese Speights
Key to Win the Finals: You have to play defense sometimes.
Head Coach: Mike D’Antoni
Key Position: Frontcourt – With a duo of Pau Gasol and Chris Kaman most teams would be satisfied with that, but considering that the Lakers had Dwight Howard last season this looks like a major downgrade.  It will be interesting to see how the Lakers make it work this year.
Key Acquisitions: G Jordan Farmar, G Wesley Johnson, C Chris Kaman, G Nick Young
Key to Win the Finals: The health of Kobe Bryant.
Head Coach: Michael Malone
Key Position: Center – When he isn’t an emotional recking ball DeMarcus Cousins is one of the best centers in the league.  If the Kings can control that emotion and with a new extension this should be a big year for Cousins and the Kings.
Key Acquisitions: F Carl Landry, G Greivis Vasquez
Key to Win the Finals: A permanent home will ease their stress.
Head Coach: Jeff Hornacek
Key Position: All – There were a few spots that needed to be re-done and the Suns did so in a big way.  Adding Eric Bledsoe is a good addition, but they’ll have to decide if he’s a point guard or a shooting guard with Goran Dragic entrenched at the point.  The rest is up for grabs with holdovers and youngsters.
Key Acquisitions: G Eric Bledsoe
Key to Win the Finals: Build for the future.

Southeast Division

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1. Miami Heat
The favorites to win a third consecutive title in four straight Finals appearances.
2. Washington Wizards
A motivated John Wall should make them playoff contenders.
3. Atlanta Hawks
Some new faces at key positions, but a healthy Al Horford is pretty good.
4. Charlotte Bobcats
Signing Al Jefferson was nice, but the backcourt has a lot of questions.
5. Orlando Magic
They’re going in the right direction with drafting Victor Oladipo.

Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra
Key Position: Shooting Guard – With the health questions of Dwayne Wade this position will be closely scrutinized.  Even when LeBron James is still at his best he needs to have Wade healthy and at his best if the Heat are to truly live up to their billing as a dynasty.
Key Acquisitions: F Michael Beasley, C Greg Oden
Key to Win the Finals: Keep LeBron happy.
Head Coach: Randy Wittman
Key Position: Point Guard – It was a rather disappointing start for the Wizards last year and the evidence was apparent that if John Wall is at his best the Wizards are a tough team to beat.  With the pieces Washington has in place around him this should be a good year in D.C.
Key Acquisitions: F Al Harrington, C Marcin Gortat
Key to Win the Finals: Forget the past and move forward.
Head Coach: Mike Budenholzer
Key Position: Point Guard – This has always been a question mark for Atlanta.  Jeff Teague is a solid point guard, but he doesn’t exactly light up the stat sheet on a nightly basis.  The Hawks hope their future lies with the German product Dennis Schroder.  
Key Acquisitions: F Elton Brand, F Paul Millsap
Key to Win the Finals: Start fresh with a few new faces.
Head Coach: Steve Clifford
Key Position: Frontcourt – There are a lot of big bodies now in Charlotte’s frontcourt.  The biggest being Al Jefferson and first round pick Cody Zeller.  If Bismack Biyombo can realize his defensive prowess with Jefferson and Zeller on board the Bobcats could finally have a strength on their roster.
Key Acquisitions: C Al Jefferson
Key to Win the Finals: Build a consistent winner.
Head Coach: Jacque Vaughn
Key Position: Center – Most didn’t expect that Orlando would find a replacement for Dwight Howard so quickly.  They just might have with the breakout season of Nikola Vucevic.  If he can continue to improve the Magic will be in a good position to build around him and Victor Oladipo.
Key Acquisitions: G Victor Oladipo (Rookie)
Key to Win the Finals: Keep your franchise players.

2013 NBA Champions

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You could sum up this series with the question, ‘What if?’  What if the Miami Heat had not been so lackadaisical in Games 1 and 3? What if the San Antonio Spurs had Tim Duncan on the floor at the end of the fourth quarter in Game 6?  What if Ray Allen didn’t hit that shot to take Game 6 into overtime?  A lot of ‘what if’s’ indeed.
Without a doubt this series was a defining one for both teams.  If the San Antonio Spurs had one, it would have been their fifth title in as many chances.  All won during the reign of their head coach Gregg Popovich, who is perhaps the best coach in the NBA today. Since the Miami Heat overcame a near defeat in Game 6 to win in seven games they have now proven that they can win not one, but two titles.
Like any team would, Miami did use an us against the world mentality to their advantage.  And the fact that they have the best player in the NBA in LeBron James willing them to victory.  There was no doubt last year that he is the best right now.  The scary thing is that he is only getting better and in the prime of his career. The other scary thing is that teams around the league are gearing up again for his impending free agency in a few years i.e, ‘The Decision: Part 2’.
Going forward it will be interesting to see how Miami will try to stay relatively intact.  LeBron, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are taking up a huge chunk of their salary.  Some of their role players might decide to call it a career, but Miami will find it incredibly hard to replace some of their role players that helped during critical moments of their playoff run.  The Spurs will have the same problem, but there’s no doubt they will remain title contenders.
If the Heat truly want to be considered a dynasty in their critics minds, they’ll have to continue to make appearances in the NBA Finals.  Winning cures all and so far the signs are looking good. There will be a lot of folks that root against them while they’re together, but there’s no dispute that we are seeing something that doesn’t come around very often.  A truly dominant team that won’t go down without a fight.