Fortified by acquisitions of various degrees, the lords of the rings find themselves back in the hunt for title No. 5, leaving us wondering how deep LeBron James and Stephen Curry can pull from their respective reservoirs to make it to June — one more time.

The pieces are in place for this to be a very compelling NBA postseason, with a mix of a new guard as the top seeds in both the East and West while a repeat threat is more than real in Boston and the duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic try to go on a deep run to a title.

LeBron James is ready for action. As the Lakers get ready to open their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, head coach JJ Redick made it clear that James isn’t just the face of the franchise—he’s the heartbeat of the team’s defense.