Though the Lakers and Clippers have taken turns being the best team in town in recent years, both Los Angeles teams are in the unique position of being the two favorites to win the title in the same season.

To most NBA fans, the road to NBA gold leads through Hollywood. It’s hard to find fault in that assumption.

Lakers and Clippers fans certainly have reason to be optimistic. Both of their superstar duos are in prime position to win the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Here’s a breakdown of the top six teams, and why they have a shot at the title this year.

LA Clippers

The Clippers were the unquestioned winners of the summer. They didn’t just manage to snag reigning finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, but also brought in another superstar in Paul George.

Leonard is undoubtedly the most dangerous player in the league. In his prime at age 28, Leonard already proved to the world that he could carry a limited team to the promised land. One could say that the Raptors got a lot of help from injuries, especially in the finals, but that could be said of almost any championship team.

With the addition of George, the Clippers now boast the two best perimeter defenders in the league – something that will be extremely important in the playoffs. The fact that they are also both elite scorers will ensure that opponents are going to have a hard time double teaming anyone.

The rest of the squad isn’t exactly shabby, either. Landry Shamet, who is entering his sophomore season, has considerable upside. He shot 45% from beyond the arc in his 25 games with the Clippers, and is certain to get a lot more open looks with Leonard and George commanding all of the attention from opposing defenders. Few second-year players will ever get such a great opportunity to grow at their own pace.

The Clippers also boast the dogged defense that Patrick Beverley brings to the table. He’s backed up by the talented Lou Williams, who is the reigning top sixth man of the year and has won the award 3 of the last 5 years. They’ve also got prospect Ivica Zubac leading the frontcourt, and he’s backed up by the endless energy of Montrezl Harrell.

LA Lakers

The Lakers aren’t far behind the Clippers, either. LeBron James might be getting older, but it would be foolish to doubt his basketball abilities, especially if he is in a position to win. After a season full of drama, James also finally got his running mate in Anthony Davis.

The problem that the Lakers face is depth. They did sign a great 3-and-D player in Danny Green, who has championship pedigree and was an important cog for the championship runs of both the 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs and 2018-19 Toronto Raptors. Unfortunately, they also signed DeMarcus Cousins, who’s been lost to injury before the season’s even started.

The rest of the team faces a few question marks, as well. With the loss of Cousins, the Lakers will be relying on a center duo of Dwight Howard and Javale McGee. Howard, once a superstar in his own right, still needs to prove that he can function as a tertiary option on offense. McGee is also a mercurial option, at best. Kyle Kuzma remains promising, but he also continues to rehab from injury and may need some time to get into game shape. They’ll also have to see how Rajon Rondo plays, and whether or not he can still summon the ‘Playoff Rondo’ of old when the Lakers need him most.

Even with all of these question marks, one certainty remains: it is foolish to ever count out a team led by King James. He’s going to have a chip on his shoulder as well, having been in the NBA Finals 8 straight times from 2011-18 before seeing the Lakers finish as the 10^th seed in 2019. Last season was also the first time he’d missed the playoffs since 2005.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks, and their star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, have a lot to be angry about after how last season ended. Winning the regular season MVP award will mean little to the Greek Freak, considering how his team was trounced from the eastern finals.

Leading the series 2-0, the storyline seemed to be set for Antetokounmpo’s first foray into the NBA finals. However, they reeled off four losses in a row to the Toronto Raptors, who then took the trophy home.

Thanks to a depleted eastern conference, the Bucks also don’t have a difficult road to the finals. Their only true threat are the Philadelphia 76ers.

Even after the losses of Malcolm Brogdon, Nikola Mirotic, and Tony Snell, the Bucks will still be able to field a good core around Antetokounmpo. They’ve still got Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, and Brook Lopez. The addition of sharpshooter Kyle Korver could also prove to be a big difference maker.

Antetokounmpo only turns 25 in December, and is poised for many deep playoff runs in the future. Like the Raptors, his Bucks could conceivably also run into some good luck and face a depleted opponent in the finals. The western conference is a bloodbath this season, and the road to the finals is much tougher for any opponent they face in June.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets will certainly be happy to have ended the acrimonious relationship between James Harden and Chris Paul. Russell Westbrook, Harden’s former Oklahoma teammate and close friend, takes the place of the aging floor general.

The burning question that comes for the Rockets is whether or not Harden and Westbrook can share the ball. As two of the most ball-dominant guards of their era, it remains to be seen whether or not coach Mike D’Antoni will find enough possessions for his two backcourt superstars. Westbrook’s game is also predicated on his freakish athleticism, and his erratic shooting may become a problem for a team that relies on run and gun style.

The Rockets retained Eric Gordon and Clint Capela, but their roster leaves much to be desired. Ben McLemore has never really found his fit in the NBA, and both Nene and Tyson Chandler recently turned 37.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers may have had the biggest heartbreak of the 2019 NBA playoffs, having become a footnote in Kawhi Leonard’s legend thanks to a buzzer-beating game winner that took four bounces before falling into the hoop.

They swung for the fences last season, trading for both Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler in mid-season trades and put together a formidable team. Sadly, Butler decided to part ways with the team after less than a season, taking his talents to the Miami Heat instead.

However, the 76ers boast the best starting five in the league. They’ll see Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, and Joel Embiid start games when they’re at full strength.

That team will be a threat to any other NBA squad, but their depth could be called into question. Losing JJ Redick will cost them a lot on the offensive end, especially in a league that continues to place more value on the 3-point shot. Ben Simmons still hasn’t shown that he can evolve his game further away from the basket, which has always caused spacing problems with Joel Embiid.

The 76ers and the Bucks are almost destined to meet in the eastern finals. It’s still a toss-up as to who is going to win that series. A healthy Philadelphia squad will be a force to be reckoned with in June. They may have a better shot at the title if they face the Lakers, but it’s going to be hard to get past Kawhi Leonard, especially since he’s bringing more firepower with him this time around.

Golden State Warriors

The fact that the Warriors are still in the top six title contenders speaks volumes for the job that Steve Kerr has done since he took over the coaching reigns from Mark Jackson.

It’s almost outlandish to see the Warriors ranked so highly, considering that they lost most of their championship core. Kevin Durant, their finals MVP in 2018 and 2017, decided to join his best friends Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan in Brooklyn. Andre Iguodala, a glue guy and their 2015 finals MVP, is now playing in Memphis. They also lost key reserve Shaun Livingston to retirement, and role players Jordan Bell, Damian Jones, and Quinn Cook also found new homes. DeMarcus Cousins also signed for the Lakers before tearing his leg.

They did manage to get D’Angelo Russell in return for Durant, at least. The fearless guard averaged 21.1 points and 7 assists for the Nets and should provide a solid scoring punch for the Dubs while they wait for Klay Thompson to return from his injury. Draymond Green is also still around, and his unique skillset will be put into even greater use by coach Kerr while the team is depleted.

However, there is likely one reason that the Warriors are still ranked so highly: Stephen Curry.

Curry will be unleashed again in the 2019-20 season, freed from the burden of having to share possessions and defer to Durant in key moments. He’ll need to bring out his MVP form again, because that will be the key to Golden State’s fortunes.

There may even be a return to the more free-wheeling offense that the whole world fell in love with, and that offense turns Curry into a near-unguardable threat.

It’s going to be fun to watch the Warriors chuck threes with little abandon. If Curry, Green and Russell can stay in the race until Thompson’s return, then there’s no counting the Dubs out.