Top Four Basketball Teams to Watch During the 2011 NBA Season

This NBA season will surely be an exciting one to watch, but can it possibly live up to its hype? During the summer of 2010, some of the most talented players from the league decided to change destinations. One player in particular decided to take his talents to South Beach all the way from Cleveland, Ohio. Most players from the 2010 free agency market wanted to play for teams located in large cities.

The Lakers are ranked last among the four teams to watch this season because they did not pull any major moves during the summer. Most fans already know what the Lakers are capable of achieving this season, but many don't care since Miami, New York, and Chicago have made the most of their summer dealings. The Lakers did however acquire two decent players, but can they replace the talented Jordan Farmar? Many analysts from www.espn.go.com/nba/ think not since the acquisitions of Matt Barnes and Steve Blake will not help the Lakers win their third consecutive crown. The Lakers are not as young as they use to be, but they are still the heavy favorite to win the NBA Championship in 2011. Both Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol must stay healthy in order for the Lakers to win more than fifty five games.

The San Antonio Spurs have proven that they can still win big games despite their aging superstars. For many years now, the Spurs have been trying to bring the Brazilian prodigy known as Tiago Splitter, to San Antonio. Fortunately, the Spurs finally offered him a three-year deal worth over eleven million dollars. This was a deal three years in the making since San Antonio could not match the salary offered by Tau Ceramica. They paid Splitter eight times more than the Spurs could at the time which was why he didn't play for them after the 2007 NBA draft according to www.euroleagueadventures.com. The Spurs should be able to win over fifty games this season, but Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili must stay healthy.

Believe it or not, the Miami Heat are not the first team to watch this season, but they are certainly up there. Miami's acquisition of LeBron James and Chris Bosh was enough to have basketball fans excited for the 2011 season. The Miami Heat are expected to win over sixty games, but they must have their best three players in excellent shape if they want to accomplish that. There really isn't much to say about this team, but their depth could be a concern since they lack talent in that area. Both analysts and fans alike expect LeBron James to win his very first title this season.

The one NBA team basketball fans must keep an eye on during the fresh season would be the Oklahoma Thunder. The Thunder made a name for themselves by giving the Los Angeles Lakers a rough time during the first round of the 2010 NBA playoffs. Also, they managed to accumulate fifty wins for the first time in franchise history. Their best player is none other than high flyer Kevin Durant, who led the league in scoring for this first time in his short successful career. The Oklahoma Thunder are looking to make lots of noise throughout the 2011 season, but in order to do that they must repeat what they did last season by winning over sixty percent of their games. As far as talent goes, Oklahoma has recently acquired three-point specialist Morris Peterson from the New Orleans Hornets. His veteran leadership may actually help the Thunder advance to the conference finals. Unfortunately, they will have to face the likes of both the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. Yes, the Spurs are still considered a thread in the NBA this season.