1
Thunder
Terrifying. The Thunder return every meaningful piece from a title season in which they also finished with the league’s best record. The formula is clear: Suffocating defense on one end, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s brilliance on the other. And with players like Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren still on an upward trajectory, OKC could be even better in its title defense. Good luck, NBA.
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68-14
2
Cavaliers
The Cavs didn’t panic after their unexpected playoff exit, with the only major offseason change being Lonzo Ball coming in from Chicago to replace backup guard Ty Jerome, whose price tag got too high. There’s no reason to think Cleveland won’t have a legitimate shot to earn the East’s No. 1 seed again, especially with Boston likely out of the picture. Kenny Atkinson has figured out a winning formula, and they could actually be even better as Evan Mobley and Darius Garland continue to grow.
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64-18
3
Knicks
After an exhaustive and occasionally hilarious coaching search, Mike Brown is reportedly the new man in New York. He led the Kings to the league’s best offense two seasons ago, so he should check the box of being a bit more creative on that end than his predecessor. The additions of Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele should also give the Knicks a bit more depth behind the most-used lineup in all of basketball last season. With the hits taken by the Celtics, Pacers and…..
