The NBA pre-season has begun with exhibition games being played in foreign countries. The 2012-2013 season promises to be an exciting one. There are many questions that have to be answered. Will the Heat repeat as NBA champions? Did the Oklahoma City Thunder gain any experience from losing in the Finals to the Heat? Will the edition of Dwight Howard make The L.A. Lakers a favorite to win the West? All of these questions will be answered in the upcoming season. The Eastern Conference will be more competitive than it has in years. There will be four teams with a legitimate shot of making the NBA Finals. The Miami Heat will go into the season as the favorite. The Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, and Indiana Pacers will challenge the Heat for the top spot in the East. The Brooklyn Nets have made significant changes that could guide them past the Heat. The resigning of Daron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Kris Humphries kept the core players together. They solidified the squad by trading for Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace. The Boston Celtics added Jason Terry and got a little younger via the NBA draft. The Indiana Pacers pushed the Heat to the limit in last year's NBA playoffs, so they will come back a year older and wiser. The Heat's Championship team is still intact with one key addition named Ray Allen who is still a major threat on the perimeter.
The Western Conference will also have a four team race with Oklahoma City leading the way. The Thunder will be stronger with the return of Eric Maynor as the team's steady backup point guard. The L.A. Lakers have made significant additions by adding Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to give Kobe Bryant the true point guard he's never had. The San Antonio Spurs will continue to pile up wins and be in the mix while the L.A. Clippers are an up and coming team that will make some noise. In my opinion, the surprise team in the NBA this season will be the Minnesota Timberwolves with the return of Ricky Rubio from knee surgery. The Philadelphia 76ers will be a much improved squad with the acquisition of Andrew Bynum. If Bynum can stay healthy, the young Sixers can make some serious noise in the Eastern Conference. I fully expect the NBA season to provide fans with plenty of last second shots and overtime thrillers.
My NBA Final's Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat II - Thunder wins 4-2
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