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See? It's not all bad, Miami fans.

LeBron James may finish in second place behind Kevin Durant for the 2013 regular-season MVP, but here's guessing he'd gladly trade that for a repeat Finals MVP award.

The Miami Heat's road back to the NBA Finals for a third straight year won't be a cakewalk, as the Eastern Conference contenders only got stronger this summer. The Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers all loom as challengers for the Heat, and the Chicago Bulls are lurking if Derrick Rose can come back from his ACL tear early enough.

There's only one problem for the rest of the East: Miami got better this summer, too.

The additions of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis provide the Heat with even more positional flexibility than they possessed in their championship-winning 2011-12 season. Neither Lewis nor Allen will likely provide much help on the defensive end, but their offensive contributions will take some much-needed pressure off James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

As long as the Heat have all three of their Big Three healthy for the playoffs, they'll be the favorites to make it through to the NBA Finals once more. Presumably, either the Los Angeles Lakers or Oklahoma City Thunder will await.

While both teams would wage a slugfest with the Heat, James and company should have the upper hand against either. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Lakers' chemistry crumble during the Finals (a la the 2010-11 Miami Heat) if they manage to emerge from the West, and the Thunder would largely be relying on internal improvement to beat a team that won four straight games against them in the 2012 Finals.

It's James' world now, and we're all just living in it.

Don't be surprised to see the Heat repeat as NBA champions in 2013, with James taking home his second straight Finals MVP award.

Keep your eye out for: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder; Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder; Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers; Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat; Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers.