NBA Power Rankings: All eyes on Golden State Warriors as regular season begins

12. Miami Heat

The Miami Heat was one game away from a second NBA Finals appearance in three seasons. Now many prognosticators are predicting that the Heat won’t finish as a top 4 team in the conference. That could end up being true, but the Heat are still a really good team on paper.

The big question for this team is whether they’re going to get the internal improvement that it’s going to take for them to keep pace with the rest of the contenders in the East. That falls on Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.

11. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers made the big splash of the offseason by acquiring Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. They came out of nowhere and now have one of the most dynamic backcourts in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavs will need to prove that they have the consistency to be a contender in the East, but the talent is on the roster. They have the chance to be special this season.