The long wait is finally over for basketball fans all over the world as the 2011-12 National Basketball Association starts on December 25.
A deadlock between team owners and the players' union delayed the start of the season, which resulted in the cancellation of some games. As a consequence, the league will only play 66 games this season.
Back to defend their title are the Dallas Mavericks, which underwent some facelift during the offseason. Gone are Tyson Chandler, JJ Barea, DeShawn Stevenson and Caron Butler. Joining the team this season are Lamar Odom and Vince Carter. They will join forces with old reliables Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Shawn Marion.
Eager to win the title this season are the Miami Heat, which lost to the Mavericks in the 2011 finals. The Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh return for another tour of duty as they aim to avenge their loss in the championship series.
The Chicago Bulls are another contender for the crown. Led by league MVP Derrick Rose, the Bulls owned the best record in the league last season. Of course, Rose needs ample support from the likes of Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng and new acquisition Rip Hamilton for Chicago to win its first NBA title in the post-Michael Jordan era.
The ageing Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are still the focal point of Boston's offense. Backing them up are Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal as the Celtics attempt to regain the crown they last won in 2008.
The New York Knicks also bring a lot of potential with All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire seeing action in their first full season together. The arrival of Chandler further boosted Mike D'Antoni's club and brought hopes of a longer season in the Big Apple.
Over in the West, the Los Angeles Lakers are out to bounce back after being booted out by the Mavericks in the previous season. Kobe Bryant is back to lead the multi-titled team, which now has Mike Brown as its new head coach following the retirement of Phil Jackson. Bryant, however, is still nursing an injury and the Lakers had a rough preseason. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are still in LA but not Lamar Odom, who has been traded to the Mavs.
The Oklahoma City Thunder also had a stellar 2011 campaign, thanks mainly to the youth-laden squad led by Kevin Durant. They are expected to duplicate or even suprass their feat last season with players like James Harden and Russell Westbrook opting to stay with the young team.
The Memphis Grizzlies are likewise looking forward to the new season after eliminating the top-ranked San Antonio Spurs last season. Holdovers Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley Jr. and Rudy Gay are all eager to lead the team to a higher finish this year.
Also out to make some noise this season are the Los Angeles Clippers, which are eager to finally get out of the shadow of the Lakers. The arrival of Chris Paul from New Orleans to join forces with Blake Griffin made the Clippers a much-watch team in the upcoming season.
