NBA Preview: Heat’s on for rare 3-peat

MANILA, Philippines - The Miami Heat will attempt to become the first team since the Chicago Bulls (1996-98) to win three consecutive NBA championships. If LeBron James and company do hoist the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy next June, it likely will mark the end of Miami’s most arduous journey to an NBA crown as the 2013-14 promises to be one of the most competitive NBA seasons in recent memory.

Miami returns with a nearly intact roster from a team that won a league-best 66 games in the regular season en route to repeating as NBA champion; and most significantly – and troubling for the rest of league – James, who won his fourth Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award in five seasons in 2012-13, only now is entering the prime of his career, while Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen also are future Hall of Famers with championship pedigree. That said, the NBA has at least another 10 teams capable of winning the title.

In the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers, who pushed the Heat to Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals, will welcome the return of former All-Star Danny Granger, who missed most of last season with a left knee injury, to a nucleus headlined by reigning Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award winner Paul George and Roy Hibbert.

The New York Knicks traded for long-range threat and former overall No. 1 Draft selection Andrea Bargnani, adding him to an offensive juggernaut headed by Carmelo Anthony, the league’s top scorer last season with a 28.7-point norm while former MVP Derrick Rose is back – and in top shape – after missing last season rehabbing a torn ACL, and rejoins a Chicago Bulls team that reached the conference semifinals.

The new-look Brooklyn Nets are also tipped to become instant contenders with four impact players beefing up the roster. They acquired Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry in a trade with the Boston Celtics and signed free agent Andrei Kirilenko, giving rookie coach Jason Kidd a loaded roster that already includes Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson.

That should the Eastern Conference derby a wide-open race.

In the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs, who came within a free throw of defeating the Heat in Game 6 of The Finals last season before falling in seven, have two burgeoning stars in Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to complement the veteran trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

On the other hand, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, also back from an injury, form arguably the most potent offensive duo in the league, and with Serge Ibaka, the Oklahoma City Thunder boast of three of the top young players aged 25 and under in the league.

The Los Angeles Clippers hired Doc Rivers as head coach and improved their perimeter game significantly by adding J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley, giving All-Star point guard Chris Paul even more offensive options. In Northern California, the Golden State Warriors feature arguably the best backcourt in the league in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, and two do-everything forwards in Andre Iguodala and David Lee.

The Memphis Grizzlies, meanwhile, led the league in fewest points allowed last season and will be bannered by Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Marc Gasol, Tony Allen and Mike Conley again this season.

Focus will also be on the Houston Rockets, who signed the NBA’s best big man, Dwight Howard, who will team up with James Harden, among the NBA’s best perimeter players, forming what should be one of the league’s most formidable inside-outside tandem.

With the Western Conference also a toss-up among a slew of talented teams as that of the Eastern side, the Miami Heat are indeed in for tough season in their quest for a rare three-peat.