This is a looming question on a lot of basketball fans minds, particularly in the Western Conference. They're so many loaded teams in the West. It's very difficult to say there is a definite number 1 seed. The easy choice would be the reining NBA champion, Golden State Warriors, especially given their recent out lashes of criticism of their NBA Championship.
It goes far deeper than that.....
I will break down who I feel has the potential to be the overall number one seed in the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference.
The Western Conference, aka the Mount Everest Conference, will go down to the wire for the first place spot. For starters, there are six distinct teams on paper ready to win an NBA championship in the West. I feel there are three teams that have addressed major issues during their offs-season putting them strides above the rest. The Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs. You might ask, Why the San Antonio Spurs? or the Houston Rockets? These two teams over the past three seasons (minus last season for the Spurs) have consistently shown growth. The Houston Rockers addressed their dire need for another ball handler and playmaker outside of James Harden. While Patrick Beverly and Trevor Ariza tried their best to create for others ...the reality of the situation is they couldn't. They were exposed during the Western Conference finals. For this team that was an excellent step in the right direction after two failed runs. With the addition of Ty Lawson's play making and shooting ability, this team addressed their major question mark following their loss to the Warriors in the Conference finals. This team still has a mental block to over come, which was exposed during the Conference Semi- Finals, against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors on the other end are sitting on top of a "The World" or so they thought..... well.. until critiques began to question the legitimacy of their championship....The anger and hostility built up following comments from people within the league has created a chip on the reining World Champions shoulders. What ever the case is the Warriors are still "the hunted." All of their key players that contributed to their championship run are returning and the team even has something to prove...well kind of... well to a few people within the league... At the end of the day, this team has set a trend that many around the league have followed following their Championship win so it sounds like these insiders within the league might be expressing some level of jealousy. The San Antonio Spurs will always be " the hunted" regardless of who is on their team. As long as the franchise has Tim Duncan and Popovich, the team will be a key target for any team in the league. With the addition of LeMarcus Aldridge this team became an even larger threat. (Aldridge has gotten off to a slow start during the Preseason, but that is to be expected as he adjusts to a new team and new coaching staff.)
On to the Eastern Conference......
The Eastern Conference... All we need to talk about are the expectations for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season and we can call it a day...I mean they will continue to be the Eastern Conference champion...?... Well, it won't be that simple this year. There are two distinct teams that could challenge the Cavaliers this season for the Eastern Conference Championship. In an average Eastern Conference, The Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks are my top three teams in the East. The Cleveland Cavaliers, are the reining Eastern Conference champions and are worthy of the spot but with the injury bug seemly hitting the team at every corner this team is probable to mess up. Let's be clear the Cavaliers are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference but with the teams brittle nature its hard to say they are the definite winner of the East. With their additions in their back court and at forward and center this team is more prepared for injuries this season then last but that doesn't give them a free pass to the finals. The Miami Heat, on the other end, battled for a playoff birth at the end of the season, but would ultimately be on the outside looking in... This season the team has made major upgrades to compete with the reining Eastern Conference Champion, Cleveland Cavaliers. Chris Bosh return to the line up will be crucial for this team if they plan to compete with the Cavaliers or possibly defeat the Cavaliers during the playoffs. Different then either one of these teams, The Milwaukee Bucks are new to the scene... this is a series statement... the average age of the Bucks starters is 23 in comparison to 27 and 30 for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat respectively. The Bucks are the team to beat as Dwyane Wade and LeBron James come out of their prime. This team made a statement during the post season last year against the Bulls stretching the series to 6 games. With the addition of Greg Monroe this team could be a true spoiler come playoff time.
Over all, I feel the Western Conference first place team will be a coin flip. If the Warriors are truly as angry as they are showing about the chatter around the league of their championship win, that could prove to be a problem. Over all the Rockets and Warriors are the two teams that in contention for the first place spot. I feel the Spurs will need another season. Tim Duncan will be playing center, for the first time in his 19 season career. That could prove to be something smaller than it seems because the game is moving toward " small ball" so it might not be a big adjustment. The Eastern Conference, on the other hand, has a clear Champion. It is the Cleveland Cavaliers win to lose. The Bucks could be a spoiler but I think they have another season before I could say they could test LeBron and company. But please believe the Bucks are coming ......
