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Projecting the best NBA offenses in 2015-16

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When the league tips off on Tuesday night, two of the best NBA offenses will be on display. However, neither the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors stake a claim to the top spot.

Despite the additions of DeMarre Carroll and LaMarcus Aldridge, respectively, the Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs narrowly missed the mark. Along with the Cavs and Warriors, though, which teams didn’t?

Note: “Best” is quantified based on team offensive ratings.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers

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Last year, the Cavs finished fourth in the league with a 107.7 offensive rating. They accomplished that mark despite LeBron James, Kevin Love and even Shawn Marion adapting to the team as well as Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith joining midseason.

Sure, Cleveland is facing injuries or lingering issues to Love, Kyrie Irving, Shumpert, Smith and others entering 2015-16, but the concern level isn’t high. As long as LeBron is leading a roster, the offense will be among the NBA’s best. When injuries aren’t issue, the Cavaliers will be even more explosive.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder

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The one-man show of Russell Westbrook guided the Thunder to a 104.5 rating, but Kevin Durant will be back alongside the All-Star point guard this season. In 2013-14, Oklahoma City posted a 108.1 mark, which would’ve tied the Raptors for No. 3 in the NBA last year.

Most importantly for OKC, new coach Billy Donovan brings a more established offensive system. At times it felt like Scott Brooks basically suggested Westbrook and Durant take turns with isolation, which worked well enough but wasn’t good enough for a championship. Serge Ibaka’s developed long-range game will complement the All-Star duo, and the Thunder will incite raucous crows because of their offense.

3. Houston Rockets

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Houston jumping up to No. 3 would be the largest increase of any team, but the franchise also added one of the league’s best passers to complement James Harden. Ty Lawson, who dished a career-best 9.6 assists per game on a mediocre Denver Nuggets team in 2014-15, signed with the Rockets, and his offensive prowess is the perfect opposite to Patrick Beverley’s defense.

In addition to Harden and Lawson, Dwight Howard is at the rim for alley-oops and to clean up the garbage, while Trevor Ariza roams the perimeter, Terrence Jones returns from injury and the list goes on. Plus, Houston plays a fast-paced game that rejects long twos and advocates threes. The Rockets won’t have any scoring problems.

2. Golden State Warriors

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What isn’t there to like about the Warriors? Their pace is faster than the Rockets, and thanks to Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, Golden State shoots triples at a more effective rate. The Dubs posted a 109.7 offensive rating as well as a league-high 57.1 true shooting percentage last season.

Golden State didn’t change much about its offensive identity, but that means there were no upgrades, either. The biggest question is since the Warriors didn’t change their makeup, can the Splash Brothers be even more efficient than a near-league-high clip without upgrades on the roster? That seems unlikely, yet it’s not like being No. 2 is a bad thing.

1. Los Angeles Clippers

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During each of the last four seasons, the Clippers have finished somewhere in the top five for offensive rating. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets have even appeared twice. On the other hand, Los Angeles has finished first—in two straight years.

And, perhaps because the bench was nonexistent, the roster is better in 2015-16. The Clippers signed Paul Pierce to essentially be a three-point specialist and added Josh Smith and Lance Stephenson. While the latter two are inefficient, Smith and Stephenson are upgrades over Glen Davis and Hedo Turkoglu. Behind Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and dunk machine DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers will have the most prolific offense in the NBA.

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