Sky Sports picks five teams to watch for the upcoming NBA season
By Alex Ferguson
Last Updated: 27/10/15 7:21pm
The new NBA season is upon us and we are pretty excited. Last year, Golden State fended off the Cleveland Cavaliers to win their first title in 40 years, thanks to season MVP Steph Curry.
Ahead of the start of this season, Sky Sports have taken a look at which teams will be vying for the title in 2015.
1) Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James and Kevin Love are back on a team that's not losing any talent and is going to be even more hell-bent on bringing Cleveland its first championship since 1964. And when Kyrie Irving returns from injury, this team will be a lot better. Saying that, the whole team could do with staying fit, too.
2) Golden State Warriors
What can you say about a team that has the league's MVP (who is a god from three-point range) and re-signed one of the league's best defensive players in Draymond Green, who just inked an $82m-over-five year deal? They haven't done a lot in terms of signing new talent….but they don't need to, do they?
3) San Antonio Spurs
We love the San Antonio Spurs because they are a well-coached, solid team which keeps consistently winning. Their stars - like Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili - make financial sacrifices for the team (as they did last season). Now, they sign superstar LaMarcus Aldridge for a four-year, $80m deal, and kept Danny Green, too. They are going to be a hot favourite to go to the NBA Finals.
4) Oklahoma City Thunder
Huge decisions were made in Oklahoma, including one of the biggest signings of the year - a new head coach in Billy Donovan, who was spectacularly successful in college basketball at the University of Florida. He has got a fit-again Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka at his disposal. This team - if it stays fit - will surely contend.
5) Houston Rockets
There's so much talent out West - a reason why four out of our five teams are from the NBA's Western Conference. That includes Houston, who are led by James Harden and brilliant defensive player Dwight Howard, while the signing of point guard Ty Lawson will ease the heavy scoring and ball-handling burden on Harden.
TOP FIVE NBA PLAYERS TO WATCH
1) LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Quite simply, the best player in the world right now. His hair might be getting shorter by the day, but his game certainly isn't. Fans will be slightly worried about his back, which he injured in the pre-season.
2) James Harden (Houston Rockets)
The Bearded One was a leader all over the court. Last season, he was first in minutes played (2,981), second in points per game (27.4) and first in points (2,217). Oh, and first in turnovers (321). But he's definitely exciting.
3) Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors)
We've got Curry behind Harden just to create a bit of controversy, but there's no question who was the biggest leader of the 2014-5 NBA Champs. Curry led the league in three-point scoring (286), was third in three-point percentage (0.443) and was second in the NBA with 1900 points. He's incredible.
4) Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)
Not particularly liked by New York fans after spending two seasons scoring more season-ending surgeries than points (it seemed), but 'Melo' is back and people are pretty excited. When Anthony's in-form, he can be unstoppable. Let's hope injuries don't stop him.
5) Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
It will be great to have Durant - and his team-mate Russell Westbrook - back playing together. One of the league's best scorers and best talents, he can dominate teams.
