The NBA in 1999 will be dominated by a cast of powerhouse west-coast squads. The top four teams are all from the Western Conference; the Portland Trailblazers, the San Antonio Spurs, the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers will all have to vie for one spot in the NBA Finals, and one of them will take home the trophy. The Western Conference playoffs will be the climax of the season.

The top teams in the west will not have an easy road ahead, however. Not only will they have to play each other, they will have to deal with a formidable collection of up and coming young teams. The Phoenix Suns, the Sacramento Kings, the Seattle Supersonics and the Minnesota Timberwolves are all teams that have the potential to win big games.

The Eastern Conference is a mixed bag. Coming off a season when the eighth seed in the conference made it to the NBA Finals, and collectively nursing the losses of a dream team cast of superstars—namely, Michael and Scottie (yes, still), Penny Hardaway (signed by the Suns), Steve Smith (traded to the Blazers), and Glen Rice (traded to the Lakers)—the Eastern Conference is looking worse than it has in years. It is not a totally dismal scene, though. The Milwaukee Bucks are a new team with coach George Karl at the helm and the Charlotte Hornets have a well-rounded squad. Last year’s powers will be back, too. The Miami Heat, the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks all return as dominant teams in the conference.

Here’s a breakdown of what the off-season did for the notable teams in the League:

The Blazers are the most improved team in the NBA and they made it to Western Conference Finals last year. They will better that this season. Not only did they bring back all the depth they had, they added three all-stars in Steve Smith, Detlef Schremf and Scottie Pippen. They gave up Isaiah Rider and Jim Jackson to acquire Smith, but the maturity and leadership that Smith provides will be essential to the Blazers come playoff time. With an all-star starting lineup of Scottie Pippen, Brian Grant, Arvidas Sabonis, Steve Smith and Damon Stoudamire, and a backup lineup that looks stronger than most other teams’ starting fives, the Blazers are the best team in the NBA. To date they have proved themselves with a 8-1 record, tied for the best in the league.

The Spurs are once again an incredibly strong team. With the twin towers of Tim Duncan and David Robinson in full effect, the Spurs will again challenge for the title. However, unless the Spurs deal with the loss of Sean Elliot (who was integral to their championship run) and a weak back-court, they can’t hang in the West when it comes down to the wire.

The Utah Jazz have all their key players back and this year really will be their last chance to win a title with their current cast. Karl Malone and John Stockton are looking sharp and the Jazz are still virtually unbeatable in Salt Lake City — they dealt Portland their only loss there.

The Lakers are the only other team that can challenge for the western title. Last year the Lakers were considered the most talented team in the NBA, but they didn’t have the leadership. This year not only did the Lakers return all of that talent (Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Glen Rice, to name a few) they hired the most talented coach in the NBA to lead them: the calmly spiritual Phil Jackson. Look out.

The sleepers in the West will provide the spice. The Timberwolves, the Suns and the Kings are each endowed with exciting young players. Kevin Garnet will win the MVP for his scoring, leadership and all-around play. Penny Hardaway and Jason Kidd make up the best back-court in the NBA (and potentially ever, if they stay together) for the Suns, and Jayson Williams and Chris Webber are an electrifying duo in Sacramento.

The East will be less predictable in terms of power structure. Pat Riley and the Heat brought back everybody from last season. Their suffocating defense—combined with good leadership from Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Jamal Mashburn—will help give the Heat the best record in the Eastern Conference, but their offense has yet to prove that it is championship caliber.

The Knicks, despite their playoff run last season, will be an underdog again, but that’s how they play best. Not only have Latrell Spreewell and Allan Houston proven to be compatible, last year they were two of the best all around players in the league. With a big man that can run in Marcus Camby, and Larry Johnson back and healthy, the Knicks will once again be a force in the Conference, and their regular season record, once again, won’t show it.

The Hornets are arguably the most talented team in the East. With the additions of Eddie Jones, Baron Davis and Elden Campbell, the return of Anthony Mason and a healthy Derrick Coleman the Hornets were preseason favorites to win the conference. Watch for Eddie Jones to really break out this season.

Like the Hornets, the Milwaukee Bucks have brought together a well-rounded team with Ray Allen and Sam Cassell in the back-court and Glen Robinson at forward. Coach Karl will make sure that the Bucks stay competitive in the East.

The Pacers are another team that is returning a lot of aging talent, and, like the Jazz in the west, they are on their last leg with a collection of rickety players, and young prodigy coach Larry Bird also on his way out the door. Reggie Miller, Mark Jackson and Rik Smits will give it a push, but will have to fend off injuries in order to go anywhere this season.

To provide the excitement in a more defensive-minded Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors both boast electrifying tandems in, respectively, Allen Iverson and Larry Hughes, and, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. Stephon Marbury of the New Jersey Nets could take home the scoring title and Detroit’s Grant Hill is a perennial force. All in all, expect to see a lot more high-flying acrobatics this season than last.

Dr. G’s early-season NBA Finals predictions: Portland wins over 65 games and beats Miami in six games in the finals.