With the NBA regular season officially under way as of Tuesday, there’s plenty of chatter about which team should be considered the favorites to win the NBA Finals in June.

At the beginning of the season, it’s safe to say the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, and Oklahoma City Thunder should be considered the favorites heading into the regular season with the way things went last year and the moves made during the offseason. Along with the return of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, the Heat added Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to help them compete for a second-straight title.

As for the Lakers and Thunder, they’ve been quite busy themselves with numerous key additions and departures. While Los Angeles managed to land Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns and Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City recently shipped James Harden off to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Kevin Martin and a few other players.

All three teams certainly have the talent and experience to make a run at the NBA Finals this season, but the favorite matchup at this point may be the Heat and Thunder. With the Heat finally earning a championship with James, Wade, and Bosh, there won’t be as much pressure to come through this year–which could work to their advantage.

If the Heat do manage to reach the NBA Finals for the third-straight season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they met the Thunder again. It was a big step for Oklahoma City to reach the NBA Finals last season and don’t be surprised if they use that experience to their advantage in 2012-13.

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