After a very eventful offseason that consisted of many stars relocating to new teams, the NBA season is now underway. Through trades and free agency signings, new teams moved themselves into contention to compete for a spot in the Finals. The past two years were dominated by the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers who built themselves super teams that allowed them to dominate the rest of the league. However, this may come to an end as other teams have now built super teams of their own. This is a list of the teams that I believe have a legitimate shot at at potentially winning the title.

West:

Golden State Warriors– After only losing one game in the playoffs on their way to winning a title, the Warriors have a lot to prove this year. They have built their own super team through the process of player development and then signed Kevin Durant last year. They have been able to keep their team as it was and managed to improve their team even more. Their biggest addition was undoubtedly Nick Young (Swaggy P). Nick had a lot of success in LA considering how bad the Lakers have been, averaging 13 points per game, and has a lot to prove now that he is playing on a good team for the first time in his NBA career. Look for Nick to be a rock off the bench with a really good chance to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. His presence off the bench will allow for Klay Thompson, Steph Curry or Kevin Durant to have off days with no harm done to the team’s performance. However, many teams in the NBA, like the Rockets and Thunder, have taken a Golden-State approach to building their teams and caused the presence of new super teams that will likely give Golden State more competition. As a result of this, I believe Golden State will struggle, and it is unlikely that they will be able to make it to the Western Conference Finals.

Houston Rockets– The Rockets surprised many people last year after performing as well as they did. Although they didn’t make it out of the second round, James Harden proved that he can carry the team on his back as long as he has the ball in his hand. The problem is, the Rockets traded a lot of valuable players for Chris Paul, a guard who wants the ball in his hand, but is also a lockdown defender. James Harden is a great player, but he is dreadful on defense. To make matters worse the Rockets traded NBA All-Defensive First Team guard Patrick Beverley who was, without a doubt, their best player on defense. Although his offensive production was lacking, he still was able to compensate for Harden’s inability to play defense. The Rockets also traded their best player off of the bench and sixth man Lou Williams, who was able to step up when the team needed him. Although they are only minor players in the bigger picture of things, I believe that acquiring another ball-dominant guard was a mistake on Houston’s part. The move could prove to be great and they can still very likely contend for a title and possibly win it all. Until they prove me wrong, I will have doubts that they have the ability to perform at a high enough level to contend with the rest of the top tier teams in the Western Conference.

Oklahoma City Thunder– Last year, Russell Westbrook was named MVP, averaging a triple-double. Yet, the Thunder were only able to secure a six seed, getting knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Rockets in a near sweep. Most of this failure to succeed was a result of the Thunder’s inability to perform when Westbrook wasn’t on the court. During their offseason, they went out and got some major help by acquiring Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. These were some great trades and they didn’t have to give up anything significant. Although many think that Carmelo is washed out, I truly believe that he can bring a very much needed boost to the team’s offensive efficiency that was once a one-man offense. Paul George is a very consistent shooter and is almost always a reliable player with the ball in his hands. Not only will he help the offense, but George will also be able to improve the team’s defense significantly. After a year in which the Thunder had to play defensive specialists who were unable to positively contribute to the offense, George will be a much needed help to the team’s play on both sides of the court. Due to these offseason acquisitions, I believe that the Oklahoma City Thunder will be the 2017/2018 NBA Champions.

San Antonio Spurs– It is ridiculous that the Spurs have managed to stay so good for so long, but that is what happens when you have a great youth development program. Their program is what helped Kawhi Leonard get where he is now. With Pau Gasol and Lamarcus Aldridge running the paint, they have a post play that is unmatched anywhere in the rest of the league. With Aldridge’s ability to shoot threes, it opens the court up even more allowing the two big men to dominate. The Spurs also signed Rudy Gay to backup Aldridge, which allows the court to remain open when Aldridge isn’t on the floor, due to Rudy Gay’s similar style of play. The Spurs will also be witnessing a new backcourt consisting of Danny Green and Dejounte Murray. Murray is their 2016 first round pick who outplayed Patty Mills over the offseason to earn the starting spot as point guard. The Spurs have a great team and incredible depth on their team. However, I do not believe they can hang with the explosiveness of OKC and will ultimately lose to the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

East:

Boston Celtics– The Celtics are coming off of a year where they were able to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, and after making all the right moves this offseason, they have put themselves in contention to win the East. However, they will have to find a way to win without their new big signing, Gordon Hayward, who injured himself in the first quarter of his debut and will most likely be out for the year. The Celtics also traded Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and a first round pick for Kyrie Irving. The trade made them stronger as a team with the ability to run an offense with a top three guard. On top of this, the Celtics drafted Jayson Tatum out of Duke with their first round pick. Tatum will now be looked upon to fill the void left behind Gordon Hayward, and I believe that he will be able to fit right in. After proving himself in college, Tatum looked NBA-ready when declaring for the draft. Although the loss of Hayward is a major blow to the team, I still believe that the Celtics are a top three team in the East.

Cleveland Cavaliers– Although the Cavaliers’ road to the finals has become more difficult as a result of the strengthened Eastern Conference, they will more than likely still find themselves a place in it. LeBron James has now made it to the past seven finals, and it will take a lot to change that. With the greater improvement of the Cavaliers and minimal improvements of the rest of the conference, I believe that the change needed to stop the Cavaliers from reaching the finals is still not there. Although they lost Kyrie Irving to the Celtics in a trade, they were able receive Jae Crowder, Isaiah Thomas and a first round pick in return. On top of that, the Cavaliers signed Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade from free agency. I believe that the acquisitions of these two along with Thomas will allow the team to perform just as well as they did with Irving last season. Their newly created depth at the position will help improve their offensive ability as a team. The acquisition of Crowder through the trade will also help improve their defense drastically. Crowder is an amazing defender and can knock down a shot when asked to. By maintaining most of their assets from last year and acquiring even more, the rest of the Eastern Conference will not be a match for the Cavaliers in April.

Toronto Raptors– After a mediocre year for the Raptors, they went out and did exactly what they needed to do this offseason. They acquired Serge Ibaka through a trade that gave up Terrence Ross, a backup to DeMar DeRozan, and a first round pick. This was a big move for Toronto because they now have a player who can play alongside their center, Jonas Valanciunas. On top of this move, the Raptors drafted OG Anunoby who is a small forward out of Indiana. He has just recently recovered from an ACL injury  he acquired in January, which caused him to fall to the Raptors in the draft. Anunoby has slowly entered the team’s lineup and will prove to be a great draft pick once he returns to 100 percent health. The Raptors have an incredible team this year, and it won’t be a surprise to me if they go deep in the playoffs.

Washington Wizards– For the Wizards this year, it is no different from the last; they must let John Wall control the game and have everything flow through him. Also, we saw Otto Porter Jr. take a huge step in his game last year, and if he can improve on that, he can be a top 15 player in this league. On top of this, the Wizards have their solid shooting guard Bradley Beal, who is always a large contributor to Washington’s offense and has been consistently decent on defense. They also have strong center play from Marcin Gortat and Ian Mahinmi, who contribute massively on both sides of the ball and are huge for the Wizards around the boards. Where the Wizards fall short is their power forward position. The team failed to acquire a big player for the position, and this could potentially be the downfall of their season. Unless they can make a trade or have a player step up for them at the position, I do not believe the Wizards can win the Eastern Conference and will most likely not make it past the second round.

Honorable Mentions:

Milwaukee Bucks– All the teams listed so far have genuine chances to contend for a title. However, for the Bucks, it is different. They have a Greek 22-year-old named Giannis Antetokounmpo who I believe will be the face of the NBA once LeBron retires. The “Greek Freak” is following a season in which he finished top 25 in points per game, blocks per game, steals per game, assists per game and rebounds per game. Antetokounmpo will go into the season with even more to prove and will need to carry the Bucks on his back. This is why I believe he will be this year’s NBA MVP.

Minnesota Timberwolves– There is no chance that the young inexperienced Timberwolves can contend for a title. However, they will be a fun team to watch this year and will build to be a heavy contender next year. Players like Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins haven’t even entered their prime, yet still manage to perform at high levels day in and day out, making this team very exciting to watch. They also traded for Jimmy Butler from the Bulls for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the seventh overall pick, making their team even more worthy of contention. Also, with the pickup of Jeff Teague, I believe that the Timberwolves may be able to surprise a team in the first round, but will not make it any further into the playoffs after that.