Teams in the NBA that REALISTICALLY have a chance of winning the title?

heat, lakers, thunder - thats IT.

nobody else - even SA can't compete with those teams... the spurs are getting old.

if anyone else challenges those three teams this year i will be very surprised.

 

In this order:
1) Heat (coming off of Lebron's best year and a championship)
2) Lakers (stacked, but lack of chemistry keeps them off the top)
3) Thunder (very scary team, but they might have trouble against LA)

I would imagine for the next two years, the champions will be from these groups. My guess is that Miami wins this year, Lakers next year, and the Thunder after that.

Once Nash and Kobe retire, the West might open up a little more. And eventually Lebron is going to decline (remember, he's been playing for nearly a decade now and will be 30 in a couple of years).

 

Celtics and Bulls have no chance. Even with a healthy Rose, which they won't really have till 2014. That's basically why they are treading water, personnel wise, to save money until then.

 

I'd say the Celtics have a chance. They just need everything to fall right for them.
First and foremost, health. If Bradley is healthy and Jeff Green is healthy, that alone makes them better than this year. Assuming KG and Paul Pierce remain the same.
Secondly, OKC eliminates the Lakers in the West. I think the Lakers are by far the worst matchup for the Celtics.

Terry and Courtney Lee replace Ray Allen as scorers/shooters. I'd even say that's an upgrade at this point.
Jason Collins/Fab Melo only need to replace Stiemsma. KG will stay their starting 5.
Jeff Green and a healthy Bradley will be the pieces they missed this year.

Rondo/Bradley is an insane defensive backcourt. Solid vs. both OKC and Miami. And then there's not much drop off to Terry/Lee.
KG/Bass/Green big man rotation will be very solid vs. both Miami and OKC.
Paul Pierce can still hold his own vs. LeBron and Durant. Not outplay them, but be good enough to compete while superior backcourt (vs. Miami) or front court (vs. both Miami and OKC) does its job.

The Lakers look like a bad matchup for the Celtics. OKC/Miami, I think they are a reasonable bet.

 

And the 5th team are the Grizzlies imo, not the Bulls.
I'm not sure if they are "realistic", but... if Gay AND Randolph are BOTH healthy at the same time, they are scary.
Great defense in the backcourt.
Solid shooting.
Enough muscle and toughness to bully any of these contenders, even the Lakers.
But health is the key with them.

 

Rockets will surprise ya'll.

 

Definitely can't disagree that those three have got to be heavily favored contenders, but I wouldn't be so quick to write off the team with the best record in the league last year (tie), second best the year before, and which has retained virtually its entire roster from last year.

And if I were to write them off, it wouldn't be because of age. While yes, their big three are getting old, the Spurs were younger on average than the Heat, Celtics, and Lakers last year.

 

oh right, the Spurs. completely skipped my mind. They are absolutely capable. Why not? Can't they beat the Thunder? Sure they can. If Ibaka didn't hit all those jumpers in one game, they probably would've had. And they match up with the Heat fine, IMO.
You could argue that the Lakers are a tough matchup for them, but that means very little. Can the Lakers get knocked out by OKC? Sure. Can the Lakers get injured, or not reach their potential right away? Sure. Even if the Spurs meet the Lakers, is it hopeless? I wouldn't say so.

I'd say it's the Thunder, Miami, Lakers, Spurs in no particular order. And Celtics and the Grizzlies if they manage to heal up all their injuries from last year.

 

rockets, rockets and rockets

 

The NBA is hurt longterm by this fact. Because it's 5 players on the court and one matters so much more than another in any other sport, it's a situation where the fewest teams coming into any particular season have even a 1% shot at a title. In the NFL it's usually about 6-10 teams that you could say as a fan have a realistic shot to win it all. In MLB it's like 10-14 because of how random their playoffs are. If you can make the playoffs in baseball then you can win it all, so the list is as long as the number of teams that think they can make the playoffs.

In basketball the past few years it's been 3. Last year I told everyone it was down to Miami, OKC, and Chicago. I wasn't proven wrong. This year I and everyone else will say it's Miami, OKC, and LA. We won't be wrong either. It's even more unbalanced this year than last, in fact.

 

Championship, not lottery!

 

Celtics.
If we stay healthy alot of people are going to be surprised.

 

Lin=paul
lamb=kobe
white=lebron
dmo=dirk
asik=howard

=

Championship for the Houston Rockets

 

lin=nash
asik=ben wallace
lamb=tmac

otherwise, spot on!

 

Agree all the way. No one outside has a shot.

 

West: Lakers, OKC, Spurs, Clippers
East: Heat, Celtics.
Bolded have very good chances. Non-bolded have a chance though its slim.

 

I wouldn't rule out Indiana or Philly. They are capable of an upset.

 

Heat, Thunder, Lakers.

You have to see how well the Lakers mesh together though, there are a few question marks.

 

Seattle Kings