ESPN: Predictions for NBA Champions

[EricB]

if LeBron has improved his mid-range game

This is about year 4 or 5 of waiting for this to happen.

[The_Game]

Best teams in the league:

1) Cavs - going with the defending champs. They didn't beat the Cavs, and they won against ty compe ion.

2) Spurs - The more I think about it, the Lakers bench is terrible. The Spurs are better on paper. The Lakers haven't beat a healthy Spurs team in almost a decade in the playoffs.

3) Lakers - Won against watered down compe ion, almost lost to a team without its 2 best players and a team starting 6'6" Chuck Hayes at center. The stars truly aligned for them to win this championship.

4) Orlando - Carter/Lewis cancel out Pierce/Allen. Plus, Lewis is a matchup problem... he's too fast for Garnett and too big for Pierce. Dwight is way better than KG at this point in their careers. Nelson < Rondo, but not by that much. Also, I like Gortat as a player right now more than Rasheed Wallace at his age.

5) Boston - Their bench is terrible. They're old. Pierce isn't the go-to guy in the 4th that he once was. Who knows what Garnett has left. Who is their backup point guard? Marquis Daniels? LOL

6) ... who cares? Nobody else has a remote chance at winning a ring.

[z0sa]

You can laugh at everything else, but the stars did "truly align" for the Lakers last season. Everyone was injured and the Cavs discovered, like the Spurs who would've challenged LA far more but not won had they been healthy, that they just weren't good enough. LA will have a MUCH harder time this season.

[Bukefal]

We're going to get the championship this season!!!! It will be all about and between Spurs and Cavs. Those 2 in the finals, with spurs winning. Can't wait until the start of the season.

BRING IT ON!!!

[The_Game]

You can laugh at everything else, but the stars did "truly align" for the Lakers last season. Everyone was injured and the Cavs discovered, like the Spurs who would've challenged LA far more but not won had they been healthy, that they just weren't good enough. LA will have a MUCH harder time this season.

you mean like the year before when boston won it? it's the same crap every year..every team gets hurt..it's not a valid excuse.

Lakers were the best team all season long.

[BadMoodBob]

Spurs are fcuking deep.

I almost feel guilty for knowing what is coming this season while all of the outsiders expect more of the same.

[spurtech09]

im a big spurs fan but I think the celtics are the fav. to win the whole thing....If it wasn't for garnett being hurt the celtics would of won the championship not the the lakers...but the lakers got lucky.....the celtics are going to be tough to beat adding sheed to the mix with a healthy garnett I see the celtics in the finals....hope the spurs are there too!!!!!!!!go spurs

[widowmaker]

Blah, Blah, Blah. When dose training camp start?

[The_Game]

Lakers destroyed them both times they played...Lakers had a great record against all the elite. They swept Boston as well. They proved all season long they were better than everybody else and proved it in the playoffs too.

[2Cleva]

Really? Why was the Cavs record better?

The bottom of the East was so weak.

Look at the Cavs regular season games vs Orl, Bos, and LA and it was obvious they weren't winning it all. They didn't match up with the elite well at all.

[Agloco]

No worries as log as Cleveland doesn't get their hands on Captain Jack. Time to some bricks if that goes down.

[Blackjack]

im a big spurs fan but I think the celtics are the fav. to win the whole thing....If it wasn't for garnett being hurt the celtics would of won the championship not the the lakers...but the lakers got lucky.....the celtics are going to be tough to beat adding sheed to the mix with a healthy garnett I see the celtics in the finals....hope the spurs are there too!!!!!!!!go spurs

You're not the only one perpetuating this myth, so I'm not singling you out, but that's just not true.

The only team that was going to beat the Cavs out of the East last year were the Magic. The Cavs took the Celtics of '08 to all of seven games without home-court advantage, and unlike the Celtics of '09, they actually significantly upgraded their roster; not to mention gained home-court throughout with the leagues best record.

Skip Bayless', my first and last time referring to a comment of his, rock-paper-scissors comment, in reference to the top three teams in the East last year, was probably one of the most intelligent things I've heard come out of his mouth.

Cavs > Celtics

Celtics > Magic

Magic > Cavs

The Lakers are the favorite but, maybe more than any recent time, the matchups could very well decide who brings home the le. Because if Boston faces LA in the Finals, Boston could take it home. But if they meet the Spurs, who play a similar style and are on par talent-wise, the Spurs could take it home.

The Lakers most likely beat any other team other than Boston in the Finals and The Spurs, while I'd favor against the C's, would pretty much be a toss-up against whatever of the three they'd face. --The only team of the three I've got somewhat of a feel for is the C's and although the Cavs have definitely improved, I'm not sure about a matchup with the Spurs. The Magic were a pretty bad matchup for the Spurs last year but the Carter trade could change that; for better or worse.

The bottom-line, at least imo, the le's got five potential suitors: Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, Cavs and Magic. -- in no particular order.--

The Lakers are no doubt the favorite, but as they say in boxing, `Styles make fights.'

[HarlemHeat37]

Orlando is being slept on heavily IMO..

They really weren't killed by LA in the Finals..2 of their games were lost due to huge choke jobs..the Courney Lee missed floater + missed wide open alley oop that would have won the game..Dwight Howard missing both FTs when he only needed 1 to win the game..

They clearly upgraded with Carter over Turkoglu, no question there..they add a healthy all-star in Nelson..they added serious depth with Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, and Matt Barnes..they have the best defensive player in the NBA, and he should improve..

I wouldn't sleep on them at all..