My previous columns lead to this, where surprise and excitement fill the air.  The prediction column is here.  We know how this works, now that I’ve written three (NBA, NHL NFL).

So, let’s tip it off!

East

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

2. Chicago Bulls

3. Washington Wizards

4. Miami Heat

5. Toronto Raptors

6. Charlotte Hornets

7. Atlanta Hawks

8. Brooklyn Nets

9. Detroit Pistons

10. New York Knicks

11. Indiana Pacers

12. Orlando Magic

13. Boston Celtics

14. Milwaukee Bucks

15. Philadelphia 76ers

Again, as I reiterated in my previous columns, the Eastern Conference has a major shakeup this year.  A lot of teams are jumping in, and a couple are falling back.  I believe the Heat are going to slip back only a bit.  They’re still a very good team, even with the loss of Lebron James.  Chris Bosh is pretty good at basketball, and he’ll be leading this team.  I’m not sure their Summer additions are that great though.  Toronto slips back a spot due to Cleveland’s ascent, and Charlotte moves up.  Brooklyn isn’t as good as last year, which why the Hornets will gain the extra spot.  However, Atlanta and Brooklyn are still getting in.  I don’t see the Knicks or Pistons making a playoff push yet.  Orlando is a really tricky team.  They aren’t playoff worthy, but could make some kind of push in the standings.  This Orlando team is kind of like Denver, though Denver has better playoff odds.  The bottom three teams I already covered, but Milwaukee is probably the most interesting in that tier.

West

1. San Antonio Spurs

2. Los Angeles Clippers

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

4. Golden State Warriors

5. Houston Rockets

6. Dallas Mavericks

7. Portland Trail Blazers

8. Phoenix Suns

9. Memphis Grizzlies

10. Denver Nuggets

11. New Orleans Pelicans

12. Sacramento Kings

13. Minnesota Timberwolves

14. Los Angeles Lakers

15. Utah Jazz

Look, the Spurs have it figured out: no matter how old they are or whatever.  Their gonna get it done.  End of story.  The Clippers, as I noted yesterday, have a massive opportunity with Kevin Durant’s injury.  The Thunder are going to be okay, giving a serious setback with KD.  Golden State has a big opportunity here.  They can really show the league who they are.  Steve Kerr is going to figure out how to use people besides Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.  They’re going to surprise you this year.  A lot of people believe Houston is going to take a step back.  I’m not totally sold, but I do see where it’s coming from.  The Chandler Parson loss is big, but they still have people there.  They’ll be fine, but they need to play some defense.  No.6,7,8, are a crapshoot.  I could see any of these teams get No.6.  Memphis, I think, is going to slip.  I’m worried about their front-court depth, even though they have Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.  Denver is a really sneaky team.  They may be able to rumble some things.  They have to execute properly.  Now, we hit the bottom tier.  I don’t expect any of these teams to do anything.  The Timberwolves and Pelicans have bright, distant futures, but as for the rest: Do yourself a favor and don’t watch them.

Let the season begin!