We’re all tired of seeing NBA teams play meaningless NBA preseason games. We all want the real season to start, where the San Antonio Spurs don’t have to sit their stars and earn the ire of opposing teams.
On October 28, the long wait will be over with the start of the 2014-2015 NBA season. Which teams are the favorites to win the NBA Championship? Who are the dark horses and the longshots? Find out more about the upcoming season when you read our breakdown of the favorites, high-value sleepers, and longshots below.
Want to know more about the new season? Click here to see a list of must-watch games on the NBA schedule.
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Complete 2014-2015 NBA Preview
Favorites: Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls
[sc:NBA240banner ]There’s a new axis of power in the NBA, and it’s no longer in South Beach. With LeBron James back in Cleveland, the Cavaliers’ chances to win an NBA title next June grew exponentially.
From being +3,300 long shots right at the end of the 2013-2014 season, the Cavs’ odds experienced a sharp plunge to +400 in July when the four-time MVP announced his decision to come back. It didn’t stop there, though, as bookmakers were forced to re-calibrate their forecasts when Kevin Love decided to leave Twin Cities for a chance to form a new fearsome trio with James and Kyrie Irving. As of now, the Cavs are +250 to win their first-ever NBA title.
Remember, if a young, championship-inexperienced LeBron James was able to carry a team (2006-2007 Cavs) mostly made up of scrubs to the NBA Finals, then any team who could put two in-their-prime All-Stars alongside him in the starting lineup is not far from the possibility of kissing the Larry O’Brien Trophy. It also helps the Cavs that they play in the Eastern Conference, where the competition is generally regarded as lighter than in the West.
Don’t count out the San Antonio Spurs, though. By now, people should have learned a thing or two about not dismissing the Spurs. As they’ve repeatedly shown in previous seasons, a terrific front office, a core of future Hall-of-Famers, and a great coach can embarrass a lot of naysayers.
Tim Duncan can still ball. Tony Parker remains among the best point guards in the league. Manu Ginobili is still a headache. Kawhi Leonard is nearing superstar status. Almost the entire roster of the last season’s championship team is back. The Spurs are going to be a tough nut to crack in the West and their fans must like their team’s chances on delivering a title to San Antonio once again.
Back in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls have reinforced their roster impressively. This team is stacked to the gills. General manager Gar Forman went down to work in the offseason like a man on a mission. Despite his failure to lure Carmelo Anthony to play for the team, the GM made huge additions to the team by means of subtraction: he amnestied Carlos Boozer and cleared a big space in the team’s salary cap.
That allowed the Bulls to sign unrestricted free agent Pau Gasol, Euro-star Nikola Mirotic, and spitfire guard Aaron Brooks, whose arrival at Windy City gives Chicago one of the deepest guard rotations in the NBA with Kirk Hinrich and Derrick Rose already in the fold. Then there’s the pair of rookies in Cameron Bairstow and Doug McDermott injecting fresh quality talents to the team. Give Tom Thibodeau this roster and leave the defensive guru to transform it into a championship team.
High-Value Sleepers: Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat
The Warriors ditched Mark Jackson and won a tug-of-war against the New York Knicks to get the service of Steve Kerr, who’ll be given the benefit of the doubt despite being a rookie coach. That’s practically because he arrives at Golden State with a ready-made contender lineup poised to go deep in the postseason.
The reluctance of the front office to package Klay Thompson in a trade that would have brought in Kevin Love to the team may be a decision that’ll haunt GM Bob Myers in the future but on the flipside, that prevented him from breaking up perhaps the best backcourt tandem in the league today in Stephen Curry and Thompson. If Andrew Bogut, David Lee, and Andre Iguodala could avoid their bodies from breaking down and stay healthy for a run in the postseason, then the Warriors are one sexy pick to win the NBA title with their current odds of +2,500.
King James changed his kingdom’s address but you won’t find Pat Riley sulking in a corner. Replacing LeBron is one heck of a difficult task but by picking up Luol Deng, Josh McRoberts, and Danny Granger from the market to join Big Three remnants Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, the Heat made sure that they’re going to remain a force to reckon with in the weak Eastern Conference.
Long shots: Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors
The Lakers would have easily made it into the favorites category had they managed to reel in any of the big fishes during the free agency frenzy.
Instead, they were left to pin much of their hopes for title no. 17 on Kobe Bryant’s increasingly delicate knees, Steve Nash’s 70-year-old body masquerading as that of a 40-year-old’s, a couple of guys named Jordan Hill and Wesley Johnson, and a consolation free agent prize in Carlos Boozer. That’s the projected starting lineup of the Lakers. They’re going to be lucky to win 40 games. For what it’s worth, the Lakers are +7,000 to win the NBA title this season.
Unlike the Lakers, things don’t look bleak for the fast-rising Raptors, who are priced +4,000 to win the franchise’s first NBA championship. This team is bound to get better after a successful season, in which Dwane Casey guided the team to a surprising trip to the playoffs. Powered by the combustible backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan and an ever-improving Jonas Valanciunas down low, Toronto is currently priced -160 to defend their Atlantic Division title. Winning the division would be key for the Raptors’ title hunt as doing so will give them no lower than a third seed in the first round of the playoffs.
Writer’s Prediction
San Antonio goes back-to-back and wins the club’s sixth NBA championship by defeating the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Final. Got a different prediction? Create a betting account now and put your guess to the test.
