pacers for me. they couldve won last year if it werent for everything that happened. i think it will be a spurs v indi final.

miami wont lose a single playoff game - until they play indiana, then theyll lose 4.

new jersey all the way

At this time the Spurs ARE the favorites, no if, buts or maybes about it. Adding Finley and NVE for SFA is huge. Bigger than what Miami did. They also got Olberto who will surprise a lot of people this year.

I've got a feeling Miami may have gone backwards with additions. They will challenge, but when things get tough there are too many voices and ego's that will clash. I expect Pat Riley to be the coach by All-Star game. Coach V can't massage all the ego's on the squad, plus Pat will have the respect of the vet players. They'll go deep, but they won't get past the Pacers.

Nets will be there in the East, my only concern is the PF position. If SAR's knee's weren't so dodgy and he stayed they would of challenged.

West will go like:

Spurs
Suns (but Amare has just gone down with knee complaint that will need to get cut)
Houston (they are my darkhorse)
Mavericks

East will be:

Pacers
Miami
Pistons
Nets

Pacers to win in game 7 vs the Spurs.

- Healthy Jeff Foster, healthy JO, healthy Jamaal Tinsley.

- David Harrison, Fred Jones, Anthony Johnson all seeing extended minutes last season which greatly improved them all

- Danny Granger is NBA ready and will have an impact, plus the addition on Jaskavicuius (dont ask me how to spell it) who showed in Athens hes a world class pg

- Lastly and most importantly Ron Artest is back and is going to have a big year

Unlike Miami, Cleveland, and even the Spurs to an extent they do not have to incorporate new big name additions into their system and will not struggle juggling playing time. They also have the motivation and experience of what they went through last year and all seem to be focused on one thing....winning.

My two favourite teams are Spurs (since The Admiral was winning MVP's and Rodman first dyed his hair) and the Pacers, so this year is going to be great for me.

People, check out Sportsbet for the odds on the Pacers. Chuck a pineapple on them now, before the odds change

I still think the Spurs will go back-to-back and confirm their dynasty status, previously robbed by a Derek Fisher joke. (I'm still dirty on that!)

Finley won't start, and Van Exel will play limited minutes, but lead the league in points/per 48.

Spurs/Pacers final, Atlanta to finish dead last in the L, Cheezeburger to check into rehab after abusing Johnny Black and Valium, whilst harping on about the 'Nique era, and claiming Blair Rasmussen would have been the greatest C of all time, if only he wasn't white.

I would love Shaq to win with Miami!

"And Kobe Bryant......You were WRONG!!"

wow so much love for the Pacers, its good to see :D

I also think it will be a Pacers v Spurs final, with the Pacers taking it all.

i gotta say miami v san antonio final. with san antonio getting the ship in 7 games

I hope pacers don't win.

I like the Pacers but I'd rather not see the win for a while fresh from the greatest pacers player's retirement.

Reggie Miller, now that man deserved a ring for a championship and a ring for loyalty.

Detroit all the way baby. Same crew as last year and will play tough d. I expect Prince to step up this year. Should be pistons and spurs final once again with the pistons winning 4 games to two. Mark my words. No one gives the pistons credit. They took care of the highly rated miami last year in the conference finals and should not be underestimated.....DETROIT BASKETBALL!!!!!

Because wade and shaq weren't 100%

Houstons takin it all baby...im a lakers fan but oh well. The rockets have too much firepower on offence. w/ yao getting some much needed help on the boards with stromile and t-mac getting ready to put up averages of 28, 8, 6, and 1.2...this team is gonna be close to unbeatable. Yao... 20, 8, 2, 3 so please stop sucking up with the suns and spurs theyre whack as hell.

Heat is going all the way this year, beating Pistons in the Finals in 7 games. Though I wish I could say the Suns will take it all, Stoudemire and Nash, what a great team!

duuuuuuh heat and pistons r in the same conference

Diz, some people have no idea.....heat and pistons in the final bahahahahah.... It will never happen, I bet my $400,000 apartment on it.......

I think whoever wins out of miami and detroit in the east finals will beat the spurs for the title

Eric, go back to wherever you came from, you've got no clue!

West Finals
Houston v San Antonio (unless Jackson produces a minor miracle with his minor squad)

East Finals
Detriot v Miami (unless LBJ has a REALLY BIG breakout season)

milwaukee bucks all the way

Heat wont win it

Shaq will break down again, and fail to play his 82 games

Its Detroit V Spurs for me

How can anyone think anyone except the Spurs are going to win it? I mean seriously, think about it. Duncan, ginobili, Parker, FInely, NVE, Horry,Bowen, etc. Clevland is a pretty good team this year and the Spurs blew them out without one of their stars playing over 30 minutes. Thats a dynasty in the making.

No team from the east will win the title this season ... the Spurs must have been thinking on Oct 11 when Stoudemire went into microfracture knee surgery that their stars were in alignment for another title. Miami no ... Indiana ... no ... Detroit you have to be kidding ... shame Stoudemire is out for the next few months or i'd say Phoenix were up for a real chance ... they may still be. But Amare is out ... so the Spurs.

go u sacramento kings **** u ofa supportes

Why? Because one thumping one over the Raptors of all teams when you have teams like San Antonio ... Dallas and Phoenix still title contenders winning games they shouldn't win ... doesn't constitute a title threat

When you combine the nastiest defensive team of the last 5 years with an improved offensive game and a younger, deeper, more athletic bench...i don't think you can overlook the pistons at all.

Clown, Pistons "have to be kidding". No idea what so ever.

Miami are looking ugly at the moment, but to be expected given the new faces. 76ers are looking awful, 0-3 and then beat the Pacers in Indy to go 1-3. Go figure...

The Cats, giddy up 2-1 .667 record. Last time I probably say that for the season...

Knicks 0-3... bahahahaha eat it Isiah.....

I think it's gonna be a very tight season we seedings for the playoffs could come down to tie-breakers.

Spurs. End of discussion. Did anybody see the D they played on Cleveland? Their help and rotation is the best I have ever seen. They will go down as one of the best defensive teams in history.

They show you don't have to bash heads to play solid D.

Their D feeds their offense, with poor shots going up and Duncan, Rasho, Nazi and Horry cleaning the glass and hitting Parker or Manu for the running game.

Bog down in the half court and you have Manu's drive and dish, or TD's post up with shooters spotting up everywhere. This year Finley adds another threat in a guy who will run to spots, not just sit in the corner like Bowen.

Spurs have the best shooting team since the Bulls had Hodges, BJ and Paxson.

A healthy Spurs means another title and officially a dynasty.

ESPN on the weekend stated that over the last 8 years, the Spurs have the best record compared to any team in major professional sports. This does not include the Turkish handball standouts, the Balabandaglari Belters who have won an amazing 37 national titles in a row.

Well m dizzle and TR we'll see this Friday our time whether the Pistons are any form of title threat ... they play the Suns in Phoenix ... the Suns may be missing Stoudemire ... still ... they are doing better than expected. If they can't play nasty defense against the Kings tomorrow and whip them then we'll have a prelim prognosis.

Spurs a dynasty? That's clowning around. They are a good team and will probably take it out this year but they won't have the star players they have now forever. The Bulls are a perfect example.

If they win this year, 4 titles in 8 years. Is that a dynasty? What's the definition?

When they start winning titles in a row ... like 3? Better the Chicago line up of the late 80s early 90s and then you can start talking about a dynasty.

I think the Spurs can do it again . The new guy OBERTO can play and can give Duncan help on the boards, and has good hands - hit Bowen or Horry on the Wing !

Parker needs to take better shots and be a little more controlled - but he looks good this year so far.

Go Spurs!

Would love to see a Spurs V Miami GF Series.

I'd say a dynasty in basketball is 4 titles with largely the same team core.

e.g., I wouldn't call the Sydney Kings a dynasty because their key players have changed in each year. Successful for the club, definitely, but not quite a dynasty.

Definition:
"A dynasty is a family or extended family which retains political power across generations, or more generally, any organization which extends dominance in its field even as its particular members change"

So, it doesn't matter if the team memebers change, the team can still build the dynasty...

I would say its subjective if it is a dynasty or not, I'm sure the Spurs would claim it.

Morph, today the Pistons cleaned up Sac-Town.... bring on the Suns.

Oh, Detroit (4-0) extended the club's best start since 1996...

Thats my team baby.....DETROIT BASKETBALL, Hamilton is playing awesome first few games. Bring it on SUNS.

LOL @ you two. It looks like this season is going to be unpredictable. Detroit will look like a title contended if they smash the Suns ... somehow ... i doubt that will happen ... and considering Stoudemire is out? I beg to differ on a result if he was available ... but look at Marion's rebounding stats and his scoring ... LOLOL ... interesting months ahead ... i will give you guys this ... Detroit WILL be hard to beat at home.