Over the past few years, the landscape of the National Basketball Association (NBA) has changed dramatically. There has been a rise of “super teams” that contain several superstars. While some argue that this ruins the competitive factor of the league, many others believe that watching the best players face off against one another on the biggest stage is much more exciting. This past summer, many teams responded to this trend by attempting to build super teams of their own. While every team has its own aspects that make it unique, there are certain squads that deserve special attention.

First, there are the defending Eastern Conference Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers (Cavs). After three straight trips to the Finals, they come into this season with many more questions surrounding them. Kyrie Irving is gone, and Isaiah Thomas, his replacement, is injured. Will Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade be enough to help keep the team afloat? One thing is for sure, with LeBron James, you can never count the Cavs out.

However, the Cavs will not have as easy of a time in the East this year, and that’s because of the Celtics. When they signed Gordon Hayward from Utah, they expected to have a star to pair with new point guard Kyrie Irving from the Celtics. However, those plans went out the window when Hayward broke his leg in the season opener. Despite the loss of their star forward, the Celtics still have Al Horford and a deep roster which should keep them competitive. The question is, will Irving be able to lead his team to postseason success after being in LeBron’s shadow for much of his career?

Looking at the Western Conference, the Rockets are one team that stands out. After going 55-27 last season, Houston refused to stand pat. They traded for superstar point guard Chris Paul to pair with MVP runner-up James Harden. On offense, the Rockets should be borderline unstoppable. The real problem will be on defense, where they may have trouble stopping the talented backcourts in the Western Conference.

Another exciting team to watch in the Western Conference is the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder needed to make the most out of defending Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook’s prime. They put it all on the line by trading for ex-Pacers forward Paul George and then traded for the mercurial ex-Knicks scorer Carmelo Anthony. One problem that this team may have is that there may not be enough shots for everyone. Someone will have to sacrifice shot opportunities for the good of the team. This team has the potential to be great, but it also has the potential to be a disaster for Oklahoma City fans.

Heading back to our nation’s capital, we have the Washington Wizards. In terms of record, last season was one of the best in Wizards’ history. Behind talented players like John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter, the Wizards should be in the top four in the Eastern Conference again. The most important thing for Washington this season will be their bench. Last year, their second unit was among the worst in the game while their starting five was one of the best. If they can find a way to improve the bench unit to league-average, then D.C.’s team has the potential to make some noise.

The Spurs have made the playoffs for twenty years in a row. Year in and year out, San Antonio is consistently one of the best teams in the league. The Spurs-Warriors series last spring was relatively even before Kawhi Leonard was injured in Game 1. This team is notorious for meticulous game-planning from coach Gregg Popovich and top-tier defense. While the rest of the NBA changes from season to season, the Spurs remain the one constant. Don’t be surprised if they finish with a top-2 record in the Western Conference again.

Let’s face it, when it comes to the NBA, there’s the Warriors, and then there’s everybody else. With Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Warriors are unguardable on offense and unbreakable on defense. They were nearly undefeated in the playoffs last season, and this year, they could break their own all-time wins record. Barring injury, the Warriors are the obvious title favorite.

For three straight years, the Cavaliers and the Warriors have squared off in the Finals. For the first time in a while, there is a chance for another combination of teams to play on the NBA’s biggest stage. Whether you love or hate the new superteam-rich NBA, one thing is for sure: this next season is going to be fun to watch.