Now that Christmas is over and the NBA season has officially begun, it’s time to make early predictions for which teams will win their divisions.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic division: It’s hard to make a choice about this division because Boston’s big three may not remain healthy all year and without guard Ray Allen’s smooth jump shot or forward Kevin Garnett’s defense, the Celtics don’t stand much of a chance in the playoffs. If this big three stays healthy, including Paul Pierce as the third member, and with the help of newly acquired forward Brandon Bass and shot-blocking center Greg Stiemsma, the Celtics could eye another run to the Finals and should win this division. Their biggest division foe are the Philadelphia 76ers, led by  forwards Andre Igoudala and  Elton Brand. The 76ers have arguably one of the easiest schedules this season, but though the 76ers are 9-3 currently, they are not yet a championship team and a healthy Boston team should crush them for the division title.

Central division:  There’s no question that the Chicago Bulls will emerge at the top of the central division. With last year’s MVP Derrick Rose feeding two-time NBA all-star Carlos Boozer underneath and forward Luol Deng providing rebounding and defensive support, the Bulls should be nearly unstoppable.

Southeast division: The Southeast division is the most exciting division to watch this season, with three teams most likely battling to clinch the division. The Miami Heat with their “Big Three” and help from guard Mario Chalmers have looked truly impressive in their first few games, destroying teams with their transition game. All-Star Chris Bosh will need to contribute more points and rebounds, however, if the Heat want to guarantee a good playoff spot. The only team the Heat has lost to so far is the Atlanta Hawks, which are currently sitting at third in the division. If Atlanta guard Joe Johnson starts to look like his old self, the Hawks will be a serious contender this year, assuming they can stay healthy. Although the Orlando Magic have the potential to be a strong rival to the Heat and Hawks, the Magic could fall apart at any moment if franchise player Dwight Howard leaves the team for a chance to actually win a ring.

Western Conference

Northwest division: For yet another year, the young Oklahoma City Thunder should clinch the division if all goes right.  Forward Kevin Durant looks better than ever with his improved shot, and scoring 66 points at an offseason exhibition at  New York’s Rucker Park only boosted his confidence. Guard Russell Westbrook has another year under his belt and should be able to prove again why he is on the top five list of NBA point guards. Guard James Harden is also contributing 17 points per game right now and seldom seems to make any mistakes.

Pacific division: The NBA has grown accustomed to the winner of the Pacific division coming from L.A, but this year the Lakers are not the guaranteed team. The L.A Clippers are looking to change years of hardship with the acquisition of All-Star guard Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets. Paul, who led the league in steals last season, plays more of a passing role for the Clippers. His passes will be in the form of lobs rather than bounces this season, however, since he has teamed up with the NBA’s dunk man himself, Blake Griffin. On the other side of the city, the Lakers’ legendary head coach Phil Jackson retired after 22 years of coaching and 11 championship rings. New head coach Mike Brown has done an excellent job trying to fill the shoes left behind by Jackson, and even installed a new triangle offense for guard Kobe Bryant, center Andrew Bynum and forward Pau Gasol to run. Although the Clippers look better on paper, the Lakers have the history and the Clippers might be too young to have the chemistry and experience needed to capture the division and make a deep playoff run.

Southwest division: The defending champion Dallas Mavericks have traded away most of their talent from last year, except for Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki, of course. The team did pick up forward Lamar Odom and guard Delonte West, but lost key players like foward Caron Butler. Their biggest loss was center Tyson Chandler, who anchored the defense and low-post game. With the Mavericks struggling to find their grove at the beginning of the season, many experts began to choose the San Antonio Spurs as the top team in the Southwest division. Since then, however, the Maverick have found their winning touch and the Spurs lost key guard Manu Ginobli to a broken wrist, for which he could miss eight weeks of the season. But a rested Ginboli could actually be great for the Spurs coming down the home stretch towards the playoffs, because with so many games in so little time, fresh legs will make all the difference come postseason time.