When an NBA team fields the likes of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love within the confines of it's starting line-up, it's pretty easy to assume that this will be the team that escapes the (relatively) soft Eastern Conference to challenge the Spurs, Warriors, Clippers or any other bone-jarring juggernaut that emerges from the West. However, such an assumption would be grossly premature. Not because the Cavaliers have somehow worsened, but because three teams in particular have improved to a point to which they might not only challenge but overthrow the kings of the Eastern Conference. Here they are, ranked from least threatening to most.

3. The Milwaukee Bucks

I'm going to catch some ridicule for this, I know. Originally, I thought about putting the Washington Wizards here with their burgeoning back court, the Toronto Raptors with their new defensive upgrades, or the Atlanta Hawks with their flexible offensive system. It's actually quite possible all three of those teams will end with better records than the Bucks. However, they don't pose as much of a threat to the Cavaliers specifically, and therein lies the interest with Milwaukee. The Bucks have managed to build a defensive behemoth, ranking second behind your NBA champion Golden State Warriors in overall defensive rating, allowing 99.3 points per 100 possessions. (For reference, the Warriors allowed 98.2) This stingy defense is due to the personnel Jason Kidd has been acquiring throughout his tenure there. Kidd fields a roster that starts Michael Carter-Williams, Giannis Antentokoumpo, Khris Middleton and last year's no. two overall pick, Jabari Parker. Not a single one of those players are under 6'6, all of them are rangy and long-armed, and all of them can handle the ball. This allows the Bucks to play a brand of basketball that includes innumerable defensive switches and totally position-less offence. No matter what sets or plays an opponent runs, the Milwaukee Bucks are going to be able to react faster than the ball can find the open man, effectively covering all 47 feet of the half-court. Not only this, but Kidd then went out and signed Greg Monroe and Grieivis Vasquez in free agency, the former a low-post maestro on the offensive end who averages double-digit rebounds, and the latter yet another rangy 6'6 point guard to play off the bench. In this sense, Jason Kidd has crafted a team than can adapt to any game-situation and can control the tempo and flow of most outings. Their versatility matches up very well with the Cavaliers; and due to both their incredible defense and rapidly-improving offense, they are indeed a threat. Fear the Deer!

2. The Chicago Bulls

Over the course of the past five or so years, the Chicago Bulls have been one of the most frustrating teams in the NBA. It seems as though their seasons follow one of two story-lines. The first is as follows: Behind the explosive offence of Derrick Rose and brilliant defensive sets of former head coach Tom Thibodeau, the Chicago Bulls destroy competition en route to regular season dominance, only to run out of gas in the playoffs. The second storyline involves Derrick Rose injuring himself, the Chicago Bulls doing relatively well in the regular season by means of that impenetrable defence, making the playoffs, but then simply not having the offense to match up with some of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. This season, however, may well follow a totally different route altogether. Gone is Tom Thibodeau due to his renowned hard-nosed tactics. (Fun fact: Jimmy Butler led the league in minutes per game this season, with an average of 38.7 per outing. Before that, who was it? Luol Deng, formerly of the Thibodeau-era Chicago Bulls.) Replacing Tom Thibodeau is Fred Hoiberg, the former coach of Iowa State, a coach known for his creative offensive sets. Gone is the over-reliance on Derrick Rose to create offence for the entire team. Jimmy Butler has emerged as a 20-point per game scorer with a capable 3-point shot and physical defence. Pau Gasol returned to prominence through a 20-point, 10-rebound season. Nikola Mirotic actually averaged 20 points and 8 rebounds in the month of March (his only month averaging more than 20 minutes per game, with 30.8). This is a team with a healthy balance of offence and defence. They have a perimeter scorer, a low-post scorer, a low-post defender (Joakim Noah) and the constant x-factor of Derrick Rose. This mixture of stability, along with the potential for some real offensive explosions, may be enough to put the Bulls over the edge.

1. The Miami Heat

This pick might come as a surprise to some people. However, if you are doubting the Miami Heat's potential to not just win the Eastern Conference, but the Finals as well – you're wrong. I'll tell you why.

The Miami Heat suffered somewhat of a lost season this year. LeBron James left the team, Chris Bosh was out for the season with an injury, and the Heat were left to rely (far too much) on an aging Dwyane Wade. Wade is a fantastic player by all standards: however, his injury history reflects his inability to be a true number-one option for a successful basketball team at this point in his career. When Dwyane Wade was on the shelf, the Heat were left with absolutely nobody to run the show, until they pulled the trade for Goran Dragic mid-season. Goran Dragic just signed a 5-year contract with the Heat. Dwyane Wade has returned. Luol Deng has returned. Chris Bosh is active. Hassan Whiteside averaged 11 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game! The starting line-up for this team is incredibly potent, and it goes beyond that. Through what I can only assume was a decision by the gods on Mount Olympus, Justise Winslow fell to them at 10th in the NBA Draft. (Keep in mind, this was a player most projected to go fourth.) Miami then went out and signed Gerald Green, a dynamite scorer in his own right, averaging 16 points per game on 40 percent three-point shooting just a season ago as a starter for Phoenix. Offensively, Goran Dragic is going to have his options. Imagine the set: Goran Dragic brings the ball up the court. He finds a pick set by Hassan Whiteside. Dragic has not one, not two, not three, not even four, but five legitimate options here. If the defender bites on the pick, Dragic has an instant two-points for the taking with a pass to the rolling, uber-athletic Hassan Whiteside. If the defence adjusts to cover Whiteside, Dragic can either find the perimeter-shooting Bosh or Luol Deng. If the defence adjusts again, Bosh and Deng (both good passers for their positions) find a cutting Wade or a posted-up Whiteside after stopping his roll. And should the defence adjust yet again to chase down the cutters, the ball returns right back to... a wide-open, high-percentage three-point attempt for Dragic himself. This is a team that is offensively a threat no matter who is holding the ball at what time.

Consider the match-up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Goran Dragic and Kyrie Irving, in terms of offensive output, are a coin-flip on any given night. They are both potent scorers possessing excellent shooting mechanics, prowess in the pick-and-roll and slithery body control. Both are capable of scoring 30+ points on any given night, causing this positional matchup to end in somewhat of a dead heat. Dwyane Wade is significantly better than J.R. Smith: but in that same breath, LeBron James is worlds better than Luol Deng (in spite of his excellent defensive efforts and capable scoring). Kevin Love is a more talented player at this point in his career than Chris Bosh: however, Kevin Love's scoring prowess is greatly stagnated by the Cleveland offence. His demotion to a tertiary scoring option has caused his offensive touches to change. Kevin Love took 263 above-the-break three-pointers last season, averaging the most shots from that area than anywhere on the court. His relegation to the perimeter not only wounds his scoring efficiency, but also his rebounding potential, due to the majority of his operation happening about 25 feet from the basket. For this reason, Chris Bosh, as Miami's number-one scoring option (against Kevin Love's well-documented poor defence) really evens out this match-up, perhaps even giving a slight advantage to Bosh, who is an excellent two-way player in his own right. Hassan Whiteside and Timofey Mozgov are both asked to do the same things for their teams – this being rebounding and protecting the paint. They both average similar statistics in similar minutes as they are both athletic centres with minimal shooting range. The matchups and story-lines between these two teams could make the Eastern Conference finals this season an instant classic spanning all seven games, to be decided ultimately by the efforts of three former team-mates turned foes. For these reasons, the Miami Heat pose the biggest threat in the Eastern Conference to not just beat the Cavaliers, but to win the Finals outright.