The Miami Heat are widely regarded as the favorite to win the championship again but face a few challenges this upcoming season they will have to overcome if they want a second ring. First, Miami’s biggest problem will be figuring out a way to win games without overusing LeBron James. Last season James averaged 43 minutes per game, far too much playing time for a team that also has Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on it. The Heat face little to no competition in the eastern conference. The Chicago Bulls will play the majority of the season without former M.V.P. Derrick Rose and the Boston Celtics are riddled with injuries and old age. Miami’s second and greatest challenge will be facing teams in the western conference. The Los Angels Lakers added Dwight Howard and Steve Nash and the Thunder are only more experienced and focused after losing the finals. They will almost certainly play one of these teams in the Finals, which will be a true test for the Heat.

It looked as though for a while that the Lakers had fallen on rough times. They missed out on getting Chris Paul, they lost to Thunder in the playoffs and many felt it was the end of the Kobe-Pau dynasty. A few months have passed since then and now the Lakers have re-solidified their place atop the western conference by making a few upgrades. They added Steve Nash who is the single best point guard of the past ten years and while he is no longer in his prime he is still a major threat. They also added the leagues best defensive player in Dwight Howard who unlike Nash is in the prime of his career. If this team can figure out how to play with each other they could win over 65 games and the championship.