Kobe & the Lakers finally got over the hump this past June, winning their first post-Shaq title while giving Phil Jackson his 10th championship ring by defeating the Magic in five games. While their fans were certainly excited, the rest of the NBA was left wondering what could have been from a potential matchup of Bryant versus Lebron James in the finals. Could that exciting matchup be in the cards for this upcoming June? Read on for a brief preview of the upcoming season, then be sure to click on the division links below for in-depth betting previews for each of the league's 30 teams.

ATLANTIC  CENTRAL  SOUTHEAST  NORTHWEST  PACIFIC  SOUTHWEST

The Cavaliers ran out of gas at the wrong time after a scintillating regular season that saw them win 66 games, and all but two of their home contests. Now, with the distaste of an upset loss in the East Finals still in their mouths, the Cavaliers look to get back to the title series in hopes of keeping Lebron James around past this season on a contract extension. You can’t fault them for not trying either, as the free agent fishing season landed the so-called biggest fish of them all, Shaquille O’Neal, who has now had the chance to play with Bryant, James, Dwyane Wade, and Penny Hardaway in his illustrious career.

The Lakers are a heavy favorite out West for 2009-10, with a pool of teams claiming to be second best. Portland is the most intriguing prospect to dethrone the Lakers after adding PG Andre Miller, but the Blazers are still maturing as a team and the their first goal would be to get over the hump of winning a series. The Spurs look to be formidable again and will be bolstered by the addition of Richard Jefferson, a consummate professional and productive player throughout his career. The Nuggets certainly can’t be overlooked either, after playing the Lakers very competitively in the West Finals. Elsewhere, Dallas seems to be a team on the rise, and New Orleans & Utah are potential 50-game winners. You have to feel for the Houston Rockets, who figure to be this year’s hard-luck club once again. They will spend the season without C Yao Ming and had to sit by and watch this past offseason while Ron Artest left for the sunnier pastures of L.A.

The biggest threat in the East to Cleveland is Boston, and not Orlando, the defending conference champs. The Celtics were a very competitive bunch in the postseason, even without Kevin Garnett. To the mix for this winter, they’ll add Rasheed Wallace, a proven scorer and clutch playoff performer. The Magic also made a big move, landing Vince Carter from New Jersey, but he will need to fill the roles vacated by the Hedo Turkoglu and Courtney Lee departures. Atlanta is the flavor of the month after reaching the second round of the playoffs last spring. Elsewhere, Toronto & Washington look to be much improved, while Miami will always be a threat with Dwyane Wade around. The Bulls & Pistons have made several changes in the offseason too, but it remains to be seen what affect those will have on their success.

It figures to be an exciting season of NBA Basketball, and we look forward to covering it at StatFox.com, FoxSheets.com, and in the Platinum Sheet.

Now, here are our predictions for the playoffs.

East Projected Playoff Teams
1. Cleveland
2. Boston
3. Orlando
4. Miami
5. Atlanta
6. Toronto
7. Detroit
8. Chicago

West Projected Playoff Teams
1. LA Lakers
2. Denver
3. San Antonio
4. Portland
5. Dallas
6. New Orleans
7. Phoenix
8. Utah