1 reason every NBA Playoff contender can win the championship

Dec 15, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) after a play during the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs beat the Hornets 97-88. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 15, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) after a play during the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs beat the Hornets 97-88. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with guard Kyrie Irving (2) after scoring in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with guard Kyrie Irving (2) after scoring in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2015 NBA Playoffs are less than three weeks away.

This is, of course, music to the ears of the diehard NBA supporter, but beyond that, the dawning of the playoffs brings newfound optimism in many cities across the country. In fairness, there are only a few markets where that optimism is actually well-founded, but the playoffs do provide an opportunity to make a lasting mark and that is part of what makes them riveting.

In this space, we will take a look at each and every “contender” for the NBA title. It must be stated that many of these teams are longshots (to say the least) at this stage of game, but each guaranteed playoff team (plus one or two) is included in our breakdown, simply for the purposes of being thorough.

For each squad, we will provide you with a reason that a championship parade could be taking place in their city. In some cases, the reason is exceedingly obvious, but every team has strengths that must be magnified in order to achieve the ultimate success, and we will remind you of those strong points.

Let’s take a look at the teams, coming to you in alphabetical order.

Next: Atlanta