The new NBA season is underway, and we couldn’t be more excited. Finally, the big questions that have been lingering since the offseason will slowly but surely begin to be answered. As the regular season gets going, here are five questions we have for the league’s players and teams.
To get yourself better prepped for the upcoming season, check out our NBA Preseason Power Rankings, where we rank all 30 teams based on their current outlook to start the year.
Top Five Questions Heading Into the 2014-2015 NBA Season
Can the Spurs repeat?
The San Antonio Spurs accomplished something last season which they’d never done in the 16-year Duncan-Gregg Popovich era: make back-to-back Finals appearances. And not only did they return to the Finals, they won it.
[sc:NBA240banner ]This year, they’re out to do something else they’ve never done: repeat as champions. They’re currently priced at +400 to do just that. But in the stacked Western Conference, making a third-straight trip to the Finals sounds close to impossible.
Despite losing MVP Kevin Durant for the first few weeks of the season with a broken foot, the Thunder are the top candidates to oust the Spurs. Once Durant returns, he, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka form the most fearsome threesome this side of Cleveland.
The Clippers, Rockets and Warriors all have a pair of stars who can also push the Spurs in any playoff series. And don’t forget the Mavericks, who’ve restocked themselves with Chandlers (Tyson and Parsons) this season to make one more push at the title.
How well will the Cavs gel?
If the Spurs do indeed make it out of the West, LeBron James will most likely be waiting for them once again, this time with his new super team in the Cavaliers. With the arrival of James and Kevin Love –no. 2 and no. 3 terms of Player Efficiency Rating, respectively, last season – to the mix, the Cavs boast a truly terrifying lineup that includes young studs Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. The Cavs are currently overall favorites at +250 to win this year’s NBA title.
But newsflash: there’s only one ball to go around, and all four are accustomed to having it in their hands, and, more often than not, shooting. LeBron, Love and Irving were fourth, eighth and 11th, respectively, in terms of usage rate last season.
Irving and Waiters’ problems co-existing with one another have been well-documented, so James and new head coach David Blatt have some work to do in order to satisfy the egos in their team.
How will the Heat and Pacers cope without their stars?
No two teams lost more star power this offseason than the two Eastern Conference finalists – the Heat and the Pacers. The Heat waved goodbye to LeBron James AKA the best player in the world, while the Pacers’ two key losses in Paul George and Lance Stephenson probably equate to one LeBron James. Possibly more.
Miami still has two-thirds of the Big 3 in Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, with a very solid Luol Deng coming in to be a homeless man’s LeBron. However, it remains to be seen just how effective Bosh will be without James setting up his looks from the corners, as well as Wade’s ability and durability to be “The Man” again. He played just 54 games last season, averaging 20.8 PPG, his lowest scoring output since his rookie year.
The situation looks much bleaker in Indiana, where the Pacers essentially lost their two best offensive weapons. And even with those weapons, Indy still finished near the bottom of the league in offensive efficiency last season. One could only imagine how they will be able to manufacture points with lesser talent on the wings. The over/under for the Pacers this season is 34.0 wins.
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Who can stop the Cavs in the East?
With the Heat and Pacers presumably out of the equation, the door has been opened for another contender (or contenders) in the East to challenge the Cavs, who have been all but coronated as the team to beat this season with the return of King James.
The Chicago Bulls are the big favorites to give the Cavs the biggest challenge. As we noted with the arrival of All-Star big man Pau Gasol, the Bulls now have a frontcourt that could be capable of dominating what is currently a very questionable Cavs frontline. And of course, there’s the much anticipated return of Derrick Rose, who has his own set of question marks. The Bulls are +275 to win the East.
The Washington Wizards are also a very interesting team to watch. The Wiz beat up the Bulls in last year’s first round matchup, and have one of the best young guard tandems in the league in John Wall and Bradley Beal (who will be out for the beginning of the year). They’ve also added veteran wing Paul Pierce, who could prove very useful in crunch time and in the postseason.
Which team will be the surprise package of the season?
The Phoenix Suns and Portland Trailblazers grossly outperformed just about all of the expectations for them coming into last season. The Suns were expected to be one of the worst teams in the league; instead, they were a razor’s edge away from the playoffs. The Blazers were expected to be in the periphery of the playoff race; instead, they were in the top four in the West for most of the season.
This season, a possible candidate for such an out-of-nowhere rise is the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets’ over/under wins projection is set at 41.5 this season, which would be up five games from their 36-46 record. But with a healthy Danilo Gallinari and JaVale McGee, the return of Arron Afflalo and a potential impact rookie in Gary Harris, this team may just find its way back into the playoff picture.
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