Our postseason was a pretty surprising one, as both teams that made the Finals weren’t even the favorites to come out of their own conference. But that’s why we play the game!

Here is the most recent roster video, and below is my analysis of the teams as we head into the new year. Good luck to everyone!

Tier 1: Legit contenders

1. Boston Celtics - Steph and Jokic have teamed up again, and this team still has picks aplenty to round out the roster, as well as significantly more depth than the Raptors had last year. Even with a barren rotation outside of its two stars, the Raptors managed to make the conference finals. With an improved supporting cast, and possibly more help along the way, the sky's the limit.

2. Portland Trail Blazers - I'm tempted to put them #1 again, but perhaps it's my article that has been jinxing them. Let's let them be the underdog for a year! LeBron is no longer on the team, but frankly, that doesn't mean they're not still stacked. Look at this roster: Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson, Clint Capela, Pascal Siakam, both D. Mitchell's (Donovan and Davion), 82 overall Caleb Love, Andre Drummond. That's a pretty dang nice team, King or no King.

3. New York Knicks - They're the reigning champs, and the team is pretty much still all here. Tatum and SGA are a heck of a two-way star tandem, and Sabonis adds a third option and good rebounding. They could make some upgrades on the margins, but even if they don't this team is primed for another deep playoff run.

4. Brooklyn Nets - Giannis has been freed at last! Darius Garland and Zach LaVine make up a frighetening scoring backcourt that complements his inside game well, and Wiseman is a solid starting center with some potential as well. With picks saved up in the asset chest (and a GM clearly willing to spend them), this team might even move higher up the rankings before the season ends.

5. Mexico City Aztecs - This team is a Threat with a capital T. Beal and Brogdon form a strong offense-defense backcourt, Jaylen Brown is an excellent second scoring option and primary defender on the wing, and the combination of Mobley and Ayton are the best young frontcourt in the league. Jusuf Nurkic, De'Andre Hunter, and Tre Mann make this team a legit 8-deep too. Their issue is that their best layer (Beal) won't be the best player on the floor in any series with any of the four teams above them here. But still, they're definitely the deepest and most well-rounded team.

Tier 2: Should make the playoffs

6. Houston Rockets - They did just make the Finals, so maybe they should be considered contenders again this year with the same basic squad. Moving Jamal Murray for Josh Giddey seems to promise some regression though, and I'm still not sold on the team. They have a lot of mid-80's guys, but no true star. At least, not unless Chet Holmgren takes anoter big step.

7. Miami Heat - Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are on the same team again, what a perfect fit!!! All jokes aside though, this is a very good team. Guys like Julius Randle, C.J. McCollum, OG Anunoby, and Terry Rozier are solid complementary pieces. This teams runs on the larger side with Ben, Joel, OG, and Randle all in the starting lineup, but they might make a trade to balance that out. They should completely own the glass and shut people down on defense, and their offense should be at least decent. If that offense can be a top-10 unit next to their dominant defense, they could be a real contender.

8. Dallas Mavericks - They're still definitely a solid playoff team, make no mistake about it. But after their hectic offseason last year, they've mostly stayed pat, when they're a team that's still a move or two away from being a true contender. With Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris starting to regress, it's possible that they've already peaked.

9. Minnesota Timberwolves - A backcourt of Lonzo Ball, Anthony Edwards, and even a creaky LeBron is still good enough to win a championship easily. However, a frontcourt of Jalen Duren and Mo Bamba needs a bit to be desired still. If they can upgrade there though, this will be a team no one wants to face in the playoffs.

10. Memphis Grizzlies - They picked a young squad to start, and commitment to the rebuild (and a few savvy trades) have kept them trending up for our entire sim. Now, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green are up to an 89, and ready to make a playoff run. They've got 7 players above an 80 overall, and all are 27 or younger, including #2 overall pick Victor Wembanyama. If they can get another player who's an 88+ (or if Wembanyama develops like crazy), they could even hop up into the next tier.

11. Philadelphia 76ers - I'd think that this 76ers team isn't all that good, but they defy my expectations every year. They've still got Devin Booker holding it down, but now they've even added Kristaps Porzingis alongside forwards Saddiq Bey and Andrew Wiggins. That should be just good enough for a first-round exit... but again, I'm always wrong on this team.

12. Charlotte Hornets - LaMelo Ball is going crazy, up to a 94. Brandon Ingram is a really nice second option as well. However, their third best player is an 80 overall, so I can't put them any higher until they get a more fleshed out supporting cast.

Tier 3: Right on the bubble

13. Baltimore Bananas - Any team with Zion is always a threat. Sexton and R.J. Barrett have both progressed a bit to an 84 overall, which should give him some help. The rest of the depth is solid too. However, this team hasn't made too much noise in the past, and I just don't think they made enough of a meaningful upgrade yet to really change that fact.

14. Golden State Warriors - This team could make a jump into the next tier, and given how young its roster is, it's not inconceivable. As of now though, this team is mostly Scottie Barnes (at an 89 overall) and then a bunch of guys in the mid-to-low 80s. That's still good, and they could progress in-season, but I still see them as a play-in team right now.

15. Los Angeles Lakers - This team still has KD, and KAT is a solid second option. Paul George and Chris Paul are starters as well, though they're aging fast. On paper, this team should be a contender... but I've said that for two years, and they've drastically underperformed. This ranking reflects me guessing that it will happen again, and that they might decide to finally sell.

16. Phoenix Suns - These Suns have Ja Morant leading the charge, but their second best player is 83 overall Christian Wood. Patrick Baldwin has developed into a solid starter, but they'll need more from him (plus probably at least one trade for a better second option) if they want to avoid the play-in.

17. Milwaukee Bucks - Dejounte Murray has shot up to an 88 overall, which is a welcome sign for Milwaukee.They've got a decent roster around him too, with guys like John Collins, Tyrese Maxey, and Wendel Carter Jr. But DeMar DeRozan has regressed all the way to an 81, and this team just isn't that good. Murray would be a solid second option, and the others are fine as complimentary starters, but they need a true #1 guy on offense to be a serious threat.

18. Chicago Bulls - Kawhi regressed to a 91, but luckily Miles Bridges went up to an 85. There's some decent young talent around them, but no one too crazy. At the end of the day though, this is still the same basic Chicago Bulls team from the last few years. Those ones didn't go too far, and I doubt this one will either.

19. Utah Jazz - This team is pretty similar to the Chicago Bulls, honestly. They've got an aging Kyrie at a 91, Khris Middleton at an 84, and then a bunch of meh guys below an 80. That's a fine team, but unless Kyrie starts dropping 35 a night, this team might not even make the playoffs.

20. Baltimore Bullets - They were near the bottom of the play-in last year, and despite a lot of trades in the offseason, haven't really changed the roster that much. #4 pick Dereck Lively is replacing Isaiah Jackson in the rotation at center, while #7 pick Amari Bailey and Jerami Grant are a slight upgrade on the wings over Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert. Still, it remains to be seen if 77 overall Ousmane Dieng is capable of averaging 20+ points again. Whether he does or not though, it does seem like this team will need more development out of its youngsters to really be anything special. Time is on their side.

Tier 4: Not in the play-in, but not horrible

21. Detroit Pistons - Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard are pretty good (though Lillard is down to an 86 now), but the rest of their roster is meh. If they had picks, maybe I'd expect them to actually try and contend. But since their asset cupboard is barren, I find it much more likely that they’ll end up selling.

22. Denver Nuggets - Bam Adebayo and James Harden are both solid, but Harden has regressed all the way down to an 85; his days are a true lead guard are over. This team is just in a holding pattern for right now, unless Jaden Hardy or Adrian Griffin Jr. take an unexpected major leap forward.

23. Toronto Raptors - They gave it a shot with Steph and Jokic, but didn't have enough pieces to quite make it work. Still, it was a heck of a ride. Now, Jokic has left in free agency, and Steph has been traded for Jamal and picks. With Jamal, they won't completely bottom out, but it looks like the playoffs aren't in the cards either.

24. Cleveland Cavaliers - They've got Gobert, Spencer Dinwiddie, and some young guys. I'm not sure who's going to lead the team in scoring, but at least Gobert is Gobert on the other end, even if he's starting to regress. Prepare for an above-average defense, but an offense that may rival for one of the wost in the league.

25. Los Angeles Clippers - De'Aaron Fox is theoretically a solid person to build your team around, but no one else on the squad is above an 80. Maybe they'll make some moves, but as currently constructed, there's no way they're making the playoffs.

Tier 5: Let's hope next year is better

26. Orlando Magic - This team is deep in talent, but it has no one on the high end. If 83 Jonas Valanciunas is your best player, you're going to struggle to win too many games, no matter how good the supporting cast is.

27. Sacramento Kings - Trading what ended up being the #2 pick for an expiring D'Angelo Russell (and then failing to re-sign him in free agency) could be a move that haunts the Kings for years. This team's best players are two underized guards in Fred Van Vleet and Coby White, and neither of them are all that good. It might be another rough year for the long-uffering Sacramento fans.

28. Seattle Sonics - This team was pretty bad last year. Then they traded Ben Simmons for one of the worst contracts in the league, a backup, and a second round pick. This team will be very bad now, and probably for a long time afterwards.

29. Indiana Pacers - Let's be honest; this team sucks. However, they got Emoni Bates (who's already their best player), so it's clear now isn't the time to compete for them. All of their top five players are 21 or younger, so this team definitely has a bright future at least, which is more than some teams can say.

30. San Antonio Spurs - Three of the top four players on this team (Desmond Bane, Mitchell Robinson, and P.J. Washington) are probably already at their potential in the low 80s. They have a really intriguing sophomore in forward Damion Collins, and he could be their one blue chip prospect. But he's the only real bright spot on this team.

31. Oklahoma City Thunder -Their best players are Kevin Porter Jr. and Richard Holmes, who are both low 80s; everyone else is below an 80. There aren't any super high potential rookies either who you can expect to develop too high this year either. Really not too much to look at in OKC.

32. New Orleans Pelicans - I could've sworn they had a decent roster just last year, but now I'm seeing a roster headlined by Talen Horton-Tucker, Ziaire Williams, and Monte Morris. Yeesh. At least Brandon Miller has good potential!