MIAMI -- Happy new NBA season.It starts Tuesday night in Cleveland, where the champion Cavaliers will raise a banner and the visiting New York Knicks will see if Derrick Rose can help them start rising back to the upper echelon of the league.Also this week: Dwyane Wade makes his official debut in Chicago after 13 seasons in Miami, life after the retirements of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan begins, and Golden State takes a team that won a record 73 games last season -- plus led Cleveland 3-1 in the NBA Finals before falling -- and adds Kevin Durant to the mix.So without further ado, to start off our weekly look at the NBA, three AP basketball writers offer up their predictions for the coming season:CHAMPIONJon Krawczynski : Golden State. I wish I had more guts, but there is just too much firepower there.Brian Mahoney : Golden State. Cant make a much better case for anyone else.Tim Reynolds : Cleveland. LeBron James chasedown block in Game 7 is yet another reminder that hes the best player alive.MVPKrawczynski: Chris Paul. Kevin Durant and Steph Curry will split the Warrior vote and LeBron will be all about playoffs, so the door is open for CP3.Mahoney: James Harden. Numbers will be sensational and Rockets will be improved.Reynolds: LeBron James. He averages 25, 7 and 7 and makes it look too easy. Besides, hes still owed a trophy from 2011.EAST RUNNER-UP (SINCE CLEVELAND WILL WIN, RIGHT?)Krawczynski: Boston. Al Horford and coach Brad Stevens are perfect together.Mahoney: Boston. Same as every year: whoever faces LeBron in the conference finals.Reynolds: Toronto. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan will be even better this year.WEST RUNNER-UP (SINCE GOLDEN STATE WILL WIN, RIGHT?)Krawczynski: Los Angeles Clippers. Theyre desperate for another run, enough to push past San Antonio.Mahoney: Clippers. Youth gets them past the Spurs for the right to lose to the Warriors.Reynolds: San Antonio. I thought about the Clippers, Utah and Portland here as well, but the Spurs still command respect.SURPRISE TEAMKrawczynski: Minnesota. Young legs plus coach Tom Thibodeaus intensity will fuel a playoff push.Mahoney: New York. Derrick Rose has to stay healthy sometime. And Olympic years seem to agree with Carmelo Anthony.Reynolds: Utah. Coach Quin Snyder is underrated, the Jazz are sneaky deep and can defend. Good combination.BREAKOUT PLAYERKrawczynski: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota. First Team All-NBA, here he comes.Mahoney: DAngelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers. Bryants final year in L.A. was wrong time, wrong place, wrong coach for the rookie. Now hell flourish.Reynolds: Damian Lillard, Portland. Disclaimer: Hes already broken out, but hes the pick here because people will finally notice this year.---THE WEEK AHEADHeres some of the games to keep an eye on this week:- New York at Cleveland, Tuesday: Ring night for the Cavaliers, the NBAs season opener, next door to Game 1 of the World Series.- San Antonio at Golden State, Tuesday: The Kevin Durant debut for the Warriors, and the only time these clubs will meet until March 11.- Miami at Orlando, Wednesday: The post-Dwyane Wade era starts for Miami, and the Magic will honor Pride nightclub victims and survivors.- Houston at L.A. Lakers, Wednesday: Luke Walton makes his sort-of debut as a head coach, as the Lakers begin anew without Kobe Bryant.- Minnesota at Sacramento, Saturday: A first-week big-man showdown -- the Wolves Karl-Anthony Towns and the Kings DeMarcus Cousins.---NUMBERS WATCH- Dirk Nowitzki enters 509 points shy of being the fifth 30,000-point scorer in NBA history.- If the Celtics win 15 more games than the Lakers, they would take over as the NBAs all-time wins leader. The Lakers have 3,235 wins coming into this season, the Celtics 3,221.- Stephen Curry has a chance to be the fourth back-to-back-to-back MVP in NBA history, joining Bill Russell (1961-63), Wilt Chamberlain (1966-68) and Larry Bird (1984-86). Since Bird pulled off the three-peat, five other players -- Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash and LeBron James (twice in his case) -- have won two straight but saw their reigns end there.---STAT OF THE WEEKJust like when last season ended, the Spurs have the NBAs active career blocked-shot leader. In April, it was Tim Duncan (3,020). Now its Pau Gasol (1,777).---Follow AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ByTimReynolds Wholesale NCAA China Jerseys . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Cheap Lonzo Ball College Jersey . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. http://www.ncaajerseyscheap.com/ . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Cheap Authentic College Jerseys .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Cheap Lonzo Ball UCLA Jersey . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. ATLANTA -- Julio Jones knows his Falcons teammates are watching to see how he responds in every situation on the field.Thats one reason that Jones, arguably the NFLs best wide receiver, is careful to measure his emotions carefully. He doesnt over-celebrate. He doesnt pout.So thats why Jones is trying not to get caught up in a blame game when opponents arent flagged for what appears to be obvious pass interference.A no-call two weeks ago at Seattle and one last week at home against San Diego each came late in the game and cost the Falcons a chance to win.Jones made a point of not getting outraged. He wants to set a good example for his teammates.I dont want to have a foul after the play for going after the referee or doing something else -- just to show them the way to handle things, he said Thursday. When things dont go your way and you think they should, theres always a positive way to handle things.Its so easy to handle it negatively, but I just handle it in a positive way and everything else will be ok.He doesnt know if Green Bays depleted secondary will follow suit Sunday at the Georgia Dome. If Seattles Richard Sherman can blatantly grab his right arm and San Diegos Steve Williams can hold down his left arm, Jones isnt sure if the less-experienced Packers will try something similar.His hope is that game officials will call the game fair for both sides.The thing is Im not out here playing around, Jones said. This is my job. I take it very, very seriously, you know? Not being able to do your job -- I wouldnt say I was frustrated. Im doing my job. I want you to do your job, in a sense, but its over and done with.I dont harp on it. Its not like, `Oh, man, I cant get through today because I didnt get a pass interference call. Its over and done with. Its on to the next one.The Packers are without top cornerbacks Sam Shields and Damarioous Randall.dddddddddddd Quentin Rollins could miss a third straight game with a groin injury.So that leaves youngsters LaDarius Gunter and Demetri Goodson as outclassed in potential one-on-one matchups, but Jones believes Green Bay (4-2) can compensate against Atlanta (4-3) with strong play from safeties Morgan Burnett and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.Their front seven is a problem, Jones said. They can get a lot of pressure. Those guys can kind of sit and guess at a lot of things, but they have two of the best safeties I think were going to face this year.As is the case every week, Jones expects to see plenty of double-team coverage.When guys are taking me away, Im looking at it as a positive that Im taking two guys away on one play, he said. That allows my teammates to have one-on-one.Selected as an All-Pro for the first time last season after having the second-most single-season yards and catches in NFL history, Jones is just as tough to defend this year. He leads the league with 830 yards receiving, and 32 of his 40 catches have given the Falcons a first down.If his looks are there, hes going to make you pay, Atlanta coach Dan Quinn said. If he gets his opp -- depending on where the coverage goes or where the route takes him -- hes usually more than ready to capitalize on them.Game notes Pro Bowl RB Devonta Freeman (hip) fully participated in practice after being limited Wednesday. Thats good news for Atlanta, which likely wont have RB Tevin Coleman active this week. Coleman (hamstring) and DE Dwight Freeney (quadriceps) didnt practice for the second straight day. ... WR Taylor Gabriel (concussion) was back to full speed after missing last weeks game.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Cheap Jerseys Stitched Jerseys Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Throwback Discount Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys China Stitched Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Throwback Discount NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '