2023-24 NBA Season Preview: Who Will Win NBA Finals?
The newest edition of the best reality television known to man, the NBA, officially tips off tomorrow with the Los Angeles Lakers visiting the Denver Nuggets followed by the Phoenix Suns visiting the Golden State Warriors.
This may be the most intriguing season of basketball in some time, with many teams boasting impressive star-laden cores and the possibility of there being as many as six to seven true contenders.
We will predict full Eastern and Western conference standings, along with playoff predictions in what could be one of the wildest NBA seasons ever.
Western Conference Standings
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic could once again lead his team to the No. 1 seed in the West.
1. Denver Nuggets (59-23)
2. Phoenix Suns (56-26)
3. Golden State Warriors (52-30)
4. Sacramento Kings (48-34)
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (46-36)
6. Los Angeles Lakers (45-37)
Play-In Spots
7. Los Angeles Clippers (44-38)
8. Memphis Grizzlies (43-39)
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (42-40)
10. Dallas Mavericks (40-42)
Outside Looking In
11. New Orleans Pelicans (39-43)
12. San Antonio Spurs (37-45)
13. Utah Jazz (35-47)
14. Houston Rockets (32-50)
15. Portland Trail Blazers (28-54)
The most surprising thing on this list to some may be the teams participating in the play-in tournament, as while as OKC's placement and New Orleans' omission from the postseason.
Los Angeles and Memphis are without a doubt Uber-talented teams, but both have serious questions pertaining to health and how the rosters can withstand those concerns.
New Orleans is a team that seemingly looks strong on paper every single year, but the injury bug has already bitten them in the off-season, with key players such as Trey Murphy III and Jose Alvarado battling through injuries. Zion Williamson will make-or-break New Orleans' prospects in the next 82 games, as his health could truly contribute to a long-awaited breakout season.
Oklahoma City is primed for a true breakout season after a surprising play-in bid last season. The team has as many as five top-100 players in the world, a sneaky good bench, and possibly the best up-and-coming coach in Mark Daigneault.
Eastern Conference Standings
The Milwaukee Bucks added Damian Lillard but have a top-heavy conference to run through in order to reach the NBA Finals.
1. Boston Celtics (57-25)
2. Milwaukee Bucks (55-27)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32)
4. Philadelphia 76ers (47-35)
5. New York Knicks (46-36)
6. Miami Heat (44-38)
Play-In Spots
7. Brooklyn Nets (42-40)
8. Atlanta Hawks (41-41)
9. Indiana Pacers (39-43)
10. Chicago Bulls (37-45)
Outside Looking In
11. Orlando Magic (36-46)
12. Detroit Pistons (34-48)
13. Toronto Raptors (31-51)
14. Charlotte Hornets (27-55)
15. Washington Wizards (22-60)
The East will likely be the weaker of the two conferences this season. The standings from the three-seed on will be anyone's guess, as Boston and Milwaukee appear to be levels above everyone else.
Brooklyn, Atlanta, Indiana and Chicago feel like the safest group of teams to hit the play-in bracket. Brooklyn feels like a team that has enough talent to finish around .500, though Ben Simmons will need to play a big role in that. Atlanta feels like the most average team in the NBA, with a middling roster lead by an underrated star in Trae Young.
Indiana could potentially make a bigger leap than predicted here, but that would also require Ben Mathurin and new addition Obi Toppin to carry weight alongside Tyrese Haliburton. Chicago is the team to look out for, as more underwhelming results could lead to the team to look towards the reset button, which would possibly end with the departures of DeMar Derozan and Zach LaVine.
Orlando and Detroit are teams to look out for as potential teams that could sneak into the play-in picture as well.
Playoff Predictions
Western Conference
Play-In
(7) LA Clippers defeat (8) Memphis Grizzlies
(10) Dallas Mavericks defeat (9) Minnesota Timberwolves
(9) Minnesota Timberwolves defeat (8) Memphis Grizzlies
First Round
(1) Denver Nuggets defeat (8) Minnesota Timberwolves in five
(5) Oklahoma City Thunder defeat (4) Sacramento Kings in six
(2) Phoenix Suns defeat (7) LA Clippers in five
(6) Los Angeles Lakers defeat (3) Golden State Warriors in seven
Denver and Phoenix experience some headaches against teams they played in the first round the prior season, but both series ultimately end in the same fashion.
Oklahoma City continues their surprise breakout season, as the defensive versatility they possess causes headaches for Sac Town's offense and Chet Holmgren establishes himself as one of the better big-men in basketball.
The Lakers-Warriors series might be the toughest first-round series to predict, but it's difficult to bet against a healthy James/Davis in this spot, especially with the questions surrounding Golden State pertaining to their back-line depth.
Second Round
(1) Denver Nuggets defeat (5) Oklahoma City Thunder in four
(2) Phoenix Suns defeat (6) Los Angeles Lakers in five
The Nuggets match-up with OKC better than Minnesota and shouldn't have much trouble in putting them away.
Phoenix draws a good matchup in the second-round this year, as the depth and perimeter firepower James Jones added in the offseason really show here. Lakers such as D'Angelo Russell are exposed for being one-way players, and the Suns just have too much explosiveness for L.A. to handle.
Conference Finals
(2) Phoenix Suns defeat (1) Denver Nuggets in seven
This very well could be the magnum opus of basketball. A rematch from last year's playoffs. Potentially five top-25 players in the NBA. Versatile, potent offenses. A chess-match between a pair of championship-winning coaches.
The Suns' roster shake-ups in the offseason once again close the gap between these teams here. The addition of Beal is a CLEAR upgrade over the Shamet/Payne tandem the Suns were forced to run with most of last season's series, while the bench has members that defend much better and fit more naturally offensively than last season.
The Suns find a way to win a tight game seven in Denver, getting back to their second finals appearance in four seasons.
Eastern Conference
Play-In
(7) Brooklyn Nets defeat (8) Atlanta Hawks
(9) Indiana Pacers defeat (10) Chicago Bulls
(9) Indiana Pacers defeat (8) Atlanta Hawks
First Round
(1) Boston Celtics defeat (8) Indiana Pacers in five
(2) Milwaukee Bucks defeat (7) Brooklyn Nets in four
(6) Miami Heat defeat (3) Cleveland Cavaliers in six
(5) New York Knicks defeat (4) Philadelphia 76ers in six
Neither the Celtics nor Bucks should struggle in these matchups.
Miami shocks Cleveland, with Erik Spoelstra's system exposing the Cavs' offense much like Tom Thibodeau accomplished in the first round last season. Jimmy Butler also continues to play above his regular-season self in the playoffs.
Philadelphia is a mess. James Harden appears to be uninterested in ever suiting up for Philly again. The Sixers appear to be hesitant to commit to Tyrese Maxey long-term. Joel Embiid's happiness may be on volatile grounds.
On the other hand, the newfound culture in New York appears to be here for good, and Jalen Brunson continues growing into a bona-fide star.
The Knicks' depth proves to be a key advantage in this series.
Second Round
(1) Boston Celtics defeat (5) New York Knicks in six
(2) Milwaukee Bucks defeat (6) Miami Heat in five
Boston struggles but puts away New York, as the top-end talent proves to be too much for the balanced Knicks to overcome.
There's no stunning upset for Miami this time, as the Damian Lillard/Giannis Antetokounmpo duo is just too much to handle, even for the Heat and their gritty brand of play.
Conference Finals
(2) Milwaukee Bucks defeat (1) Boston Celtics six
Boston's roster might look better overall on paper, and they very well could be the team that can frustrate Antetokounmpo the most, but Milwaukee's experience in getting through moments like this, more so than Boston, gives them the edge.
NBA Finals
(2) Milwaukee Bucks defeat (2) Phoenix Suns in seven
A rematch of the classic 2021 NBA Finals is the perfect way to end the season. This matchup will be even better, with more star power, more headlines, and the re-up of the aforementioned classic series to build off of.
Phoenix will obviously struggle containing Antetokounmpo, but once again the clear advantage on the perimeter overall will prove to be the great equalizer. Phoenix will get their first chance ever to clinch a championship at home in game seven, but Milwaukee crushes those hopes in a nail-biting game.
