Several of our NBA experts predict the Celtics to finish on top of the East standings.
Periodically, NBA.com’s writers will weigh in on key storylines or trending topics around the league.
Make your early predictions on how you see the Eastern Conference standings at the end of the season.
Steve Aschburner
1. Boston Celtics
2. Milwaukee Bucks
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Miami Heat
5. New York Knicks
6. Philadelphia 76ers
7. Atlanta Hawks
8. Toronto Raptors
The Bucks’ reign as preseason favorites due to their acquisition of Damian Lillard lasted about 72 hours until Portland flipped Jrue Holiday over to Milwaukee’s chief rivals in Boston.
The Celtics essentially got Kristaps Porzingis and a Marcus Smart replacement. Cleveland has taken enough baby steps – it’s time for a real stride in the standings as serious contenders. I expect Miami to overachieve (again) and Philadelphia to underachieve.
Brian Martin
1. Boston Celtics
2. Milwaukee Bucks
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Philadelphia 76ers
5. New York Knicks
6. Miami Heat
7. Atlanta Hawks
8. Chicago Bulls
Boston and Milwaukee enter the season virtually equal as conference favorites. The Bucks gained the edge by adding Damian Lillard, but the Celtics narrowly took it back by getting Jrue Holiday.
Cleveland holds third, followed by Philadelphia — a team nearly impossible to project as so much depends on what happens with James Harden’s future.
New York rounds the top five, followed by Miami, which lost two key members from its Finals squad and missed out on the marquee players on the move: Lillard, Holiday and Bradley Beal.
Jimmy Butler (left) and the Heat enter the 2023-24 season as the reigning East champs.
Shaun Powell
1. Milwaukee Bucks
2. Boston Celtics
3. Miami Heat
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
5. Philadelphia 76ers
6. New York Knicks
7. Brooklyn Nets
8. Atlanta Hawks
This is a two-team conference, meaning only two have a realistic chance at reaching the NBA Finals and/or winning a championship.
The Bucks and Celtics soar above the rest, for obvious reasons, and I suspect the Damian Lillard-Giannis Antetokounmpo pick-and-roll combo will give teams fits until they figure it out, which could take a while. That said, the Celtics are the deeper of the two and could emerge from the postseason grind as the victor, but that’s not what we’re debating here just yet.
If the East had more quality teams, the Sixers would be in for an even bigger stumble. With or without James Harden, they just seem tapped out. Miami lost out on Lillard but I suspect folks will make the mistake of holding it against them. I don’t see a generous leap by the Knicks or Nets, and as for the Hawks, that Eastern Conference Finals berth in 2021 seems like it happened a decade ago.
John Schuhmann
1. Boston Celtics
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Milwaukee Bucks
4. New York Knicks
5. Philadelphia 76ers
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Miami Heat
8. Indiana Pacers
The Celtics and Bucks should be the favorites to reach the conference finals, but both have depth issues.
The Cavs were, statistically, better than their record last season, have a lot of continuity, and the potential for improvement with additional shooting and the continued development of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. So give them a regular-season edge over the Bucks, who may have some growing pains with a new coach.
Atlanta, Miami and Philadelphia are tough to figure out, but the Hawks should be improved with coach Quin Snyder able to put his imprint on the team from Day 1. That eighth spot could go to any of four teams, but the Pacers have a budding star in guard Tyrese Haliburton and some critical additions, so give them the edge over Brooklyn, Orlando and Toronto.
After adding a new star (Damian Lillard) and coach (Adrian Griffin), Milwaukee looks formidable in the East.
Michael C. Wright
1. Boston Celtics
2. Milwaukee Bucks
3. Philadelphia 76ers
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
5. New York Knicks
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Miami Heat
8. Brooklyn Nets
Even after losing Marcus Smart in a trade and before acquiring Jrue Holiday, the Celtics seemed poised for a third consecutive 50-plus win season. Nothing has changed now that the teams in the East are set. The addition of Kristaps Porzingis should pay dividends in Boston if he stays healthy.
In Milwaukee, the thought of a Damian Lillard-Giannis Antetokounmpo pick-and-roll combo seems downright frightening. But the Bucks might slide some defensively.
The James Harden situation in Philadelphia needs to be resolved ASAP with the young Cavaliers and Knicks on the rise. Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s culture reset, the return of a healthy Ben Simmons and the growth of Mikal Bridges should have the Nets squarely in the mix. Look for the Pacers, Raptors, Hornets and Bulls to also contend for berths in the AT&T Play-In Tournament.
