The Lakers won the offseason, but the Heat enter the season at No. 1

It was about this time last year that the dark reality was beginning to set in that there might not be an NBA season in 2011-12. The first two weeks of the regular season had already been canceled, and the prospect of a lost season -- coming off one of the NBA's most scintillating -- seemed more inevitable than preventable.

Much to the delight of NBA fans, this offseason has been a lot less stressful. Rather than hang on the every word of a well-dressed Derek Fisher, we've hung on every move of one of the league's signature franchises, the Lakers, who acquired two of the league's premier players, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. We've watched the Nets go from horrific to hip overnight with a move to Brooklyn and an influx of talent. And we've seen a slew of elite teams -- including the Heat, Thunder, Celtics and Spurs -- keep their contending cores intact and improve already-formidable rosters.

Call it a breath of fresh air after a year that featured bickering and an onslaught of sluggish back-to-back games. More than anything, this offseason has set us up for a delectable 2012-13 season, one that features a half-dozen contenders and superstars teaming up to make title runs.

With the regular season just a week away, it's time to examine how all 30 teams stack up. Here's the preseason edition of SI.com's NBA Power Rankings.

NBA Power Rankings