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Tomorrow the NBA championship 2012/2013 is starting. Who are the favorites for the title? This summer has been marked by the trade that involved four teams and several players including some stars. This week and the last important trade was concluded with the transfer of James Harden, the best sixth man in the league last season, to the Houston Rockets in exchange for two players, two first picks and a second pick. Let’s see which teams may be the Conference semi-finalists.
Eastern Conference
Miami Heat
Winning the NBA title took a lot of pressure off them. Of course, now everyone expects them to win again, also because of the arrival of a veteran such as Ray Allen, but now all the major players are supposed to know how to win. Considering the level of their opponents, they’re still the favorites and a lower result than the NBA Finals would be considered a failure.
Chicago Bulls
The serious injury to Derrick Rose at the beginning of the last playoff created a big question mark on the possibilities of the Chicago Bulls. Rose will return to play only in 2013 and therefore it’s not known exactly when so the team must try to do its best in the meantime. If Rose manages to get in shape for the next playoffs, I think the Bulls could still get to the Conference finals.
Indiana Pacers
They were the last season’s surprise. They have players who can still improve and if they do it they could go very far in the playoffs because in the Eastern Conference behind the Miami Heat there are a number of teams that may fight to reach the Conference finals.
Boston Celtics
Despite the loss of Ray Allen they decided not to re-structure the team. Therefore they added to the veterans have a new star such as Jason Terry and some other good players such as Courtney Lee. Their advantage is their great experience and their ambition is to challenge the Miami Heat in the Conference finals but going there will be far from easy.
Western Conference
Los Angeles Lakers
The Big trade that brought Dwight Howard to Los Angeles clearly shows that the Lakers want to quickly go back to win an NBA title. Given the age of Kobe Bryant and the addition of a player still at the highest level but again not very young such as Steve Nash this team can try to win the title this season or in the season 2013/2014. The preseason was bad but Dwight Howard was put on court slowly due to the physical problems that forced him to cut off his activity during the last season and other players had minor injuries. Probably they’ll start the new season slowly but in the long term for a team with many veterans that may not be a disadvantage.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Despite the loss of James Harden, it’s clear that the Thunder have high ambitions after reaching the NBA Finals last season. The most important players could still improve so they’re likely to reach at least the Conference finals.
Denver Nuggets
They are one of the teams involved in the great summer trade and have added Andre Iguodala, a player who potentially is perfect for the George Karl’s style. This is a team that can grow thanks to other young players who are still improving. They really have the opportunity to pass at least the first round of the next playoffs.
Dallas Mavericks
After the disappointing result of last season they changed a lot. Jason Kidd and Jason Terry went away and we’ll have to see if their replacements will play at the same level. The Mavericks, however, reinforced in the paint with Chris Kaman and Elton Brand. A lot will depend on Dirk Nowitzki’s physical conditions: he had arthroscopy surgery to his knee and may need up to six weeks to return to play. If the German player will return to his levels I think the Mavericks can reach the Conference semifinals.
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