Basketball

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.

Central Division

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1. Indiana Pacers
Added depth with a stacked starting five will strengthen them.
2. Chicago Bulls
A healthy Derrick Rose puts them back in contention.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
A familiar head coach returns along with a winning formula.
4. Detroit Pistons
One free agent splash and trade positions them to win now.
5. Milwaukee Bucks
Their rebuilding to keep players that want to stay in Milwaukee.

Head Coach: Frank Vogel
Key Position: Small Forward – Paul George is clearly the best player on the team and a solid second is their center Roy Hibbert. However, Danny Granger was once the best player and he is still around albeit a bit banged up.  It will be interesting how the Pacers dole out the minutes with a healthy Granger available.
Key Acquisitions: F Luis Scola, G C.J. Watson
Key to Win the Finals: Defense wins championships.
Head Coach: Tom Thibodeau
Key Position: Point Guard – This is still the same team that fought and clawed their way through a season in which there were so many questions about when Derrick Rose would return.  He is back and fully recovered from a knee injury.  How far the Bulls go towards contending for a title rests on their talented point guard.
Key Acquisitions: G Mike Dunleavy
Key to Win the Finals: A fully healthy Derrick Rose.
Head Coach: Mike Brown
Key Position: Center – There is no doubt who is the face of this franchise, but if Andrew Bynum returns anywhere near his stats from 2011-12 then the Cavaliers will have gotten a steal in free agency giving him a 2-year incentive laden deal.  Time will tell if he’s motivated with a familiar head coach from that season.
Key Acquisitions: C Andrew Bynum, G Jarrett Jack
Key to Win the Finals: Establish an identity with Kyrie Irving as the face of the franchise.
Head Coach: Maurice Cheeks
Key Position: Small Forward – They made a splash by being the team to sign Josh Smith right from the beginning with hardly any competition.  Now that he’s on board it will be interesting to see how the rotation works with Kyle Singler and Jonas Jerebko seeing significant minutes last year.
Key Acquisitions: G Chauncey Billups, G Brandon Jennings, F Josh Smith
Key to Win the Finals: Follow the model of the Indiana Pacers.
Head Coach: Larry Drew
Key Position: Shooting Guard – Both Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings did not want to stay long term unless they were paid top dollar.  Milwaukee let Ellis go and traded away Jennings.  Signing O.J. Mayo is a bit of a reach, but for the Bucks it makes sense. They hope he and Brandon Knight can replace what Ellis and Jennings brought to the Bucks.
Key Acquisitions: F Caron Butler, G Brandon Knight, G O.J. Mayo, C Zaza Pachulia
Key to Win the Finals: Build a winner for many years.

Atlantic Division

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1. Brooklyn Nets

An influx of new faces means a ‘must win’ season is ahead.
2. New York Knicks
Carmelo’s impending free agency aside, the Knicks are contenders.
3. Boston Celtics
With the old guard gone it’s time to build a new legacy.
4. Toronto Raptors
They have some nice pieces to build upon in a stacked division.
5. Philadelphia 76ers
They have clearly established a rebuilding model for the next 2 seasons.
Head Coach: Jason Kidd
Key Position: Point Guard – He wasn’t playing at his usual level and if the Nets are going to contend for a title this year they will need the elite Deron Williams to return.  Brining in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will help a lot, but this team is built around their point guard and he must play at a high level.
Key Acquisitions: F Kevin Garnett, F Andrei Kirilenko, F Paul Pierce, G Jason Terry
Key to Win the Finals: Wake point guard Deron Williams up.
Head Coach: Mike Woodson
Key Position: Shooting Guard – How much do the New York Knicks trust J.R. Smith?  We’ll find out this season as he was given an extension, but not one that he was looking for.  He is still on a relatively short leash, but the Knicks know that they will need his help to contend in a hotly contested Eastern Conference.
Key Acquisitions: F Andrea Bargnani, G Beno Udrih, F Metta World Peace
Key to Win the Finals: Help Carmelo Anthony.
Head Coach: Brad Stevens
Key Position: All – They’ll be looking to build through the draft in the next two years and with the recovery to Rajon Rondo’s knee going at a cautious pace the Celtics will be having a tryout stage this season.  New coach Brad Stevens can relate to this roster, but he will need the star in Rondo get on board as well.
Key Acquisitions: G MarShon Brooks, F Gerald Wallace
Key to Win the Finals: Have a healthy Rajon Rondo.
Head Coach: Dwane Casey
Key Position: Small Forward – It was a puzzling trade last season with Memphis to get Rudy Gay, but it makes sense now with the departure of Andrea Bargnani.  He was never going to live up to his billing as the number one overall pick and Gay is seen as a top tier forward who can excel as the ‘man’ so to speak for a franchise.
Key Acquisitions: G D.J. Augustin, F Tyler Hansbrough, F Steve Novak
Key to Win the Finals: Stay healthy.
Head Coach: Brett Brown
Key Position: Point Guard – All eyes would be on Nerlens Noel had the Sixers not announce that they would be keeping him out of this upcoming season while recovering from his knee surgery.  Now the focus turns to Michael Carter-Williams who is replacing a talented point guard in Jrue Holiday who was traded away for Noel on draft day.  How Carter-Williams adjusts to the NBA will be interesting to watch.
Key Acquisitions: C Nerlens Noel (Rookie), G Michael Carter-Williams (Rookie)
Key to Win the Finals: Not happening this year.

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.

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.