With the All-Star break behind us and the teams preparing for the home stretch, it’s time to start thinking about which teams have what it takes to win it all, and which are only regular season superstars.
Contenders:
San Antonio Spurs: The defending champs. They won the NBA finals last year by a record margin in point differential over the Miami Heat, who were led by the league’s best player in LeBron James. San Antonio almost returned the exact same team this year which gives them the right to be considered the “favorites.” They are getting hot at the right time, playing their best ball of the season the past three weeks.
Health has been an issue for them this year, but now have everyone back in the lineup and the All-Star weekend coming up. Look for them to get back on track record-wise after the break, and gear up for a championship run.
Golden State Warriors: Golden State is heading into the All-Star break with the best record in the NBA. The Warriors are talented, deep and have serious star power in a league dominated by big names.
Besides the fact that they have the most dynamic backcourt in the NBA in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors defensive efficiency ranks first in the league. Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green have significantly exceeded expectations in their starting roles, while having former All-Star Andre Iguodala off the bench certainly doesn’t hurt. While playoff experience is not in their favor, the Warriors have the talent to succeed.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Cleveland had an unsteady start to the season to say the least. Starting center Anderson Varejao had a season ending injury, new Coach David Blatt was on the verge of being fired, the team wasn’t winning at the rate they expected and LeBron James was unhappy. Since those struggles the Cavs have made some moves, acquiring J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert from the New York Knicks. They also traded for 7-footer Timofey Mozgov from Denver to give them interior toughness. They now have won 14 of their last 16 games, and things are starting to click all around. Kyrie Irving is having a phenomenal season at point guard and Kevin Love is finally starting to play like the All-Star they expected him to be. There is a deep bench with plenty of playoff experience in guys like Shawn Marion and Mike Miller as well, giving them a shot to come out of the East.
Pretenders:
Dallas Mavericks:
Trading for All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo was supposed to push the Mavericks over the top, but they haven’t improved at all. If anything, they have looked a bit worse since the acquisition. The trade required them to get rid of a lot of good pieces off of their bench, and now are left with practically no depth. The only good defender on Dallas is their aging center, Tyson Chandler. They also lack good defensive players on the wing where the league’s best scorers reside. An elite offense will only take a team so far into the playoffs, while an elite defense is what wins championships.
Washington Wizards:
The Washington Wizards are a year or two away from being serious title contenders. John Wall is a young and already established superstar, coming back to life after an admittedly slow start to the season. Bradley Beal’s growth has slowed down this season and he has had a hard time staying on the court for such a young player. Age is starting to get the best of Paul Pierce, and his days of being great are now history. Starting big men, Nene and Marcin Gortat have been inconsistent. Washington is one great player, or a couple years of development for Wall and Beal, away to be able to take over the East.
Houston Rockets:
Houston Rockets starting shooting guard James Harden is a front-runner for the MVP this season with the way he has been playing. Unfortunately, star center Dwight Howard is sidelined for two months with a knee injury, casting doubt on how he will be when he returns. Patrick Beverley, the feisty starting point guard is a great defender but definitely not a playmaker. Starting small forward Trevor Ariza is mostly just a spot up shooter, while new signing Josh Smith always finds a way to hurt his team somehow. Unfortunately for Harden, this is not the year to win it all.