The recent trade of James Harden from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets makes the whole NBA excited about what they can do.

It was a great time for the Nets in a way because they became a hot topic in sports media because of absence of their point guard, Kyrie Irving. Bringing James Harden to the Nets distracted the focus of the trouble inside the Nets organization.

To be honest, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden combo is one of the most offensive dominant combos in recent eras. The last Big Three with that much impact may have been with the Miami Heat featuring LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Currently, the East has four championship contenders, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets. The Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Charlotte Hornets are currently in the top eight, but I want to wait and see whether they can sustain that record.

Out of the four contenders in the East, the Nets show the most star power, and the sports media is already giving them pressure of “championship or bust” season. Remember who got that kind of pressure? Los Angeles Clippers. What happened to them? A second-round exit.

With uncertainty regarding Kyrie Irving and chemistry among Big Three and a thinner bench, I cannot say for sure how far this team will go. However, if they stick together for two years, regardless of the result this year, they can contend for that championship.

The west has its usual suspects in the top two featuring Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. The Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors are surprisingly in the top eight to show that they belong in the playoffs, while the Cinderella Denver Nuggets sit with 6-7 record, slightly better than New York Knicks (6-8).

To be honest, I was eager to see the Golden State Warriors this year with both Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson and Step Curry, the team I believe can be top four in the West. However, I doubted the Warriors after seeing Thompson go out with the injury, so it is good to see them Warriors back in the top eight.