2012-2013 NBA Preview

Here we go ladies, in about 3 weeks time the NBA will begin it's regular season. On that note, I will do my preview for the season, and seed the Eastern & Western conference playoff teams 1-8. There are numerous story lines that will be great to watch this season, so get in your car seat get your mommy to strap you in and let's go!!

The Heavyweights: 
These are pretty clear so I will make this short and sweet. Miami is poised to repeat with virtually their entire team back, oh and I almost forgot they added Ray Allen so when you're trying to double Lebron James the best three point shooter in history will be waiting in the corner. Oklahoma City should be slotted to make another deep postseason run with revenge on their minds and virtually the same team. Finally, the Los Angeles Lakers. Don't give me this crap about what if they don't find any chemistry, what if Dwight tries to take over the team. First, Kobe won't let that happen and when you add a 2 time MVP in Steve Nash and pretty much a shoe in to win defensive player of the year every year, you're a heavyweight in my mind.

The wannabe contenders but they just pretending:
This is when I'm sure things will get controversial. I'm sure everyone has a variety of opinions on who they think has a shot to go the finals but I'm not doing this to please New York Knick fans. The New York Knicks are yet again a pretender for me due to the fact that they just don't have those key ingredients to win a championship. To me that is something like the Heat going out and getting Shane Battier to complete their squad. Yes, much of the credit goes to Lebron but Battier brought a lot of intangibles to the team. Now, I love Melo but I think his track record speaks for itself that he tends to not get it done when it really really counts. The addition of Jason Kidd might help, but let's be real the Knicks are the Knicks and I smell an early first round exit. My other team that falls into this category is the San Antonio Spurs and you're probably wondering why. My reasoning for this is pretty simple, they will be a good regular season team again, but due to how the western conference teams are shaping up and the age of the Spurs I think you will see an earlier exit in the playoffs this year, especially after how they performed against the Thunder, talk about the engine running out of steam.

Where did those guys come from:
If you can't figure out my heading, these are my sleeper picks. Now I'm not talking about sleeper picks to win the whole thing, but sleeper picks to improve and/or get into the playoffs and possibly do some damage. Also, I just want to mention sleeper picks to me are teams that finished 6th or below last year in their respective conferences. First, let's start with the Utah Jazz. They finished 8th last year but I think have added some key pieces that if the chemistry goes well could be really good for the team. In the front court you have both Favors and Jefferson who are a strong presence, you added a guy like Marvin Williams who needed a  change and Mo Williams who is instant offense. Also, you have Gordon Hayward who in my mind is an upcoming star in the league. Look for the Jazz to improve upon their 8th place finish in the Western Conference.

Second, let's go with the Dallas Mavericks. Now, I know I will get the gears because they're my favorite team but having said that I think the upcoming season for the Mavs can go either way. They have added the likes of Brand, Kaman, Mayo, and Collison among others and have an interesting make-up. I think if this group can gel, while having Dirk lead the way you're going to see a dangerous team come playoff time. Although, they will probably finish pretty low to start the playoffs.

Let's wrap up the Western conference with the Golden State Warriors. Most of you might have thought I could go with the Blazers or T-Wolves but I like the Warriors for a couple reasons. They're going to get their guys back Curry & Bogut. They have a solid front court and a decent backcourt and I think they will surprise a lot of people this year in how they play.

Shifting to the Eastern conference, let's begin with the Toronto Raptors. Yes, I have optimism every year but this year might be a bit different. They have their coach and they have players that fit the style coach Casey wants to play. Do I think they will go deep into the playoffs, no. Just for the record I don't like the addition of Fields and I pray they get rid of Calderon. But, I do believe they will improve on their awful 23-43 record last year.

I had a couple teams in mind for my last sleeper in the East like the Cavs or the Bucks. But, I just have to go with the Washington Wizards because I'm looking at their roster and they should be a lot better this year. I think the drafting of Beal will pay dividends in how they play, because he can really stretch the floor for them. Also, I think Okafor brings stability to the front court and I like the addition of Webster as well. The key for the wizards every year is discipline but they don't have Blatche, so I'm confident moving forward.

Below is how I think each conference will be seeded for the playoffs. By the way I left the T-Wolves off due to the fact I believe it will be too little too late with no Rubio until December and the improvement of other Western conference teams.

Eastern Conference:
1. Miami Heat
2. Indiana Pacers
3. Philadelphia 76ers
4. Boston Celtics
5. Brooklyn Nets
6. New York Knicks
7. Chicago Bulls
8. Toronto Raptors


Western Conference:
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Memphis Grizzlies
5. Los Angeles Clippers
6. Utah Jazz
7. Dallas Mavericks
8. Denver Nuggets


Written By:

Garrett Daly
@DalyGarrett