Mark your calendars toppers, the big tip-off for NBA 2014-2015 season starts on Oct. 28. Defending champion, San Antonio Spurs will host in-state rival Dallas Mavericks.

After big trades were made throughout the offseason, there’s much debate as to how the NBA season will start out.

The Western Conference and Eastern Conference teams are preparing hard to reach one goal in which they all want, that NBA championship ring.

LeBron James recently went back to his home state of Ohio, after playing on the Miami Heat for four seasons. In Miami, he went to the NBA Finals all four years, winning two championships. He certainly stirred up a lot of commotion when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers to go to south beach. Between the media and so many fans either loving the change or hating it, he made most headlines on all sports shows this past summer.

Then there are teams like the San Antonio Spurs.

Regardless of the media, and fans, as viewing them as old, they had one heck of a year. Small recap of this past summer includes them going up against the Miami Heat in the finals, one of the biggest rematches for all fans viewing.

The only difference between this past summer is the final outcome in which the Spurs defeated the Heat in an intense series 4-1.

Now they have their whole team back together plus new additions like Austin Daye.

Junior Scott Hammel predicts the Spurs will do a repeat and win this year.

“We added Becky Haman who was the first female assistant coach into the league, plus the (current) great coaching staff, leading to another Spurs championship,” Hammel said.

However, sophomore Dominque Pearson thinks the Warriors will take the victory because of players like Stephen Curry.

“They’ve improved a lot, some of their players have made the USA team and their techniques will be different due to the new coaching this year,” Pearson said.

With even more teams improving and coming back better than ever, it’s not easy to tell who will take next year’s trophy. Junior Mike Rubbo is with Hammel on the Spurs.

“The Spurs are the favorites since the only team that could beat them was the Heat, but the Heat no longer exist,” Rubbo said. “The Cavs are going to need a season to get comfortable playing with each other.”

Plenty of students will be watching the NBA season, and only time will tell who is standing alone in June with a championship.