NBA Preview

What a difference a year makes. This time last year, the NBA’s Eastern Conference looked to continue it existence as the Big 10 to the Western Conference’s SEC. The top contenders for the conference crown entering the season appeared to be old and in decline (Detroit and Miami) or young with a limited ceiling (Chicago and Cleveland). Eventual league champion Boston was an unknown as few could guess as to how well their Big 3 of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen would fit together.

Here we sit now, nearing the dawn of a new season. The gap between the two conferences has shrunk considerably. In the Atlantic Division alone, there are three strong contenders for 50 wins. Orlando, Cleveland, and Detroit make for three more. The very bottom of the conference still remains awful, but there are a slew of mediocre teams that, one of which could turn into a good Cinderella story for the season. The top of the West may be stronger, but the East is at least no longer a wasteland of mediocrity.

As previously stated, I believe the West should have another epic battle royale for the top spot in the conference. Last year saw a beginning in the changing of the guard. Dallas and Phoenix revealed immense desperation for that elusive title by adding the over the hill Jason Kidd and Shaquille O’Neal respectively. Instead of battling for a spot in The Finals, both teams found themselves battling to the end just to make the playoffs. San Antonio remains as the lone representative of the old guard.

The representatives of the new guard are numerous. The Lakers, New Orleans, Utah, and Houston all possess the potential to make trips to The Finals. The rest of the conference, though, is filled with a couple teams falling fast, one team on the rise, and a few others who seem light years away. As quickly as the East has caught up to the West, how long will it take for the West to begin to fall behind?

To follow will be a series of team previews, division by division. You can look forward to a couple quick paragraphs about each team, best and worst case scenarios for next season, and prediction that will likely turn out horribly wrong.