The Los Angeles Lakers created a lot of buzz with the moves made over the summer as many believe that adding Dwight Howard and Steve Nash was enough to propel them ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference.
With the start of the 2012-13 NBA season around corner, the debate continues about the Lakers and Thunder battling it out for the top spot in the West. It’s hard to argue that the Lakers haven’t improved enough to make the jump ahead of the Thunder, but it’s also difficult to say Oklahoma City doesn’t have a chance to continue their dominance in the West with their young and extremely talented roster.
The latest to chime in on the debate surrounding arguably the two best teams in the West is former Lakers great and current Miami Heat assistant Bob McAdoo according to Mark Berman of the NYPost.com via Sulia:
McAdoo expects to see the Thunder again in The Finals. “We got to get there but I still feel OKC is the team to beat in the West,’’ the Hall of Famer said. “Everyone’s talking about how they got better but I still think (OKC) is the team to beat. They’re still young and got experience of a championship series.’’
Last year, the predictions made by many were right on the money. The Heat and Thunder squared off in the NBA Finals and the more experienced team came out on top in convincing fashion.
The consensus was that Oklahoma City would put up more of a fight and the series might go the distance, but Miami proved to be the better all-around team with LeBron James leading the way and winning his first NBA title.
Coming into the upcoming NBA season, the landscape in the league looks much different with another powerhouse emerging out West. The Lakers have rebuilt the franchise and made moves in order to compete with the best of the best in both conferences.
It remains to be seen whether or not it’ll ultimately work out in Los Angeles, but there’s a good chance McAdoo will be forced to change his mind about his former team at some point during the regular season.