For the first time since Bruce Lee\u2019s \u201cEnter the Dragon\u201d was still in theaters, the New York Knicks enter the NBA season as the defending champions \u2014 and the favorites to come out of the East and defend their crown.<\/p>\n
As Adam Silver is all too happy to tell you, the NBA has had eight different champions in the past eight years. If Silver\u2019s quest for parity persists, which teams are poised to take the crown? Here are the five teams with the best chances to dethrone the Knicks.<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs<\/p>\n
San Antonio made it to the NBA Finals ahead of schedule last season, and it showed in the Finals \u2014 blowing a 20-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 4 is the prime example.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t imagine a better motivation,\u201d Victor Wembanyama said this week of losing in the Finals.<\/p>\n
This is still a young team: Wembanyama (22), Stephon Castle (21), and Dylan Harper (20) are still early in their careers and on a steep learning curve, they should improve this season. The \u201cold guys\u201d are not that old, for example Keldon Johnson is 26, and De\u2019Anthony Fox is 28. As a team, this group is still growing together.<\/p>\n
The addition of Tobias Harris is underrated. He\u2019s got an oversized group of online critics, largely because he was forced into situations in the past where he was asked to take on more responsibility \u2014 particularly in the postseason \u2014 than fits his skill set. However, with the Spurs he becomes a great third or fourth option, another guy who defenses have to respect and who can knock down 3s and create his own shot if the offense is stuck late in the clock.<\/p>\n
If we get a rematch of the Knicks and Spurs in the Finals, New York is going to learn quickly this is a very different San Antonio team than the young pups they dispatched last June.<\/p>\n
Oklahoma City Thunder<\/p>\n
If Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell had been healthy last May for Oklahoma City\u2019s seven-game series against San Antonio \u2014 or even if one of them had been \u2014 we likely would have had a very different Finals matchup last June. Heading into this season, both are back and healthy.<\/p>\n
On paper, Oklahoma City is still the best team in the NBA \u2014 they won 64 games and made the Western Conference Finals last year without J-Dub, who was coming off an All-NBA season. They are led by two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the peak of his powers, they have the second-best defensive center in the game protecting the rim in Chet Holmgren \u2014 who averaged 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds a game as well \u2014 and now they get back Williams after a hamstring sidelined him for much of last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what I am,\u201d Williams said at media day. \u201cSo, I\u2019m not too concerned about trying to prove to somebody \u2014 we\u2019ve all seen it. I\u2019m just excited to prove that I can play healthy and do that whole thing and move on. I\u2019m just excited to get going, bro.\u201d<\/p>\n
OKC lost some veteran depth for financial reasons (Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins) but this is still a deep roster with Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, and other guys who will get their chance to step up. If the Thunder are back in the Finals and poised to knock the Knicks off the top of the mountain, it will not be a surprise.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia 76ers<\/p>\n
Mike Gansey had a better offseason than any executive in the league: He added Jaylen Brown \u2014 coming off an All-NBA season and at the peak of his game \u2014 and LeBron James to a lineup with Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe, forming arguably the best starting five in the NBA. They have some solid depth behind them led by Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons\u2026<\/p>\n
If it all comes together. And everyone can stay healthy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order for us to be great, we have to do things that are just not comfortable. We have to be comfortable being uncomfortable,\u201d four-time NBA champion LeBron said, laying out the path forward for this team. \u201cThat is the best way to expedite being great. You have to fall in love with doing things that\u2019s uncomfortable, and if we can do that, then we can be a great team. If we don\u2019t do that, then we be like, oh man, it was a great team on paper, and we had a lot of great talent, and we lost in the second round. Like, I don\u2019t want to do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t leave my family to lose in the second round. I know that for sure. So, work needs to be done, and I\u2019m ready to put the work in.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are legitimate questions about how good Philadelphia\u2019s defense will be and whether they have enough shooting, but on paper, this team has a chance to dethrone New York. What the Knicks did to win a title was become a whole greater than the sum of their parts \u2014 can the 76ers do that?<\/p>\n
Cleveland Cavaliers<\/p>\n