2023-2024 NBA Season Preview: Eastern Conference Predictions
On Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, 134 days after the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in game 5 to win their first NBA championship, the 2023-2024 NBA regular season will begin. It looks like it will be another fun and exciting season. In this article, I’ll be giving my regular season predictions for the Eastern Conference, and next week, I’ll give my predictions for the Western Conference.
Eastern Conference Predictions:
- Milwaukee Bucks: 61-21 record
Last season, the Bucks finished with the best record in the NBA, yet disappointing lost in the first round of the playoffs 4 to 1 to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat. This offseason, the Bucks improved their roster greatly by trading for Damian Lillard, and I think they will yet again have the best record in the league.
- Boston Celtics: 58-24 record
Similarly to the Bucks, the Celtics had a great regular season last year but also lost to the Miami Heat in the playoffs. Also, like the Bucks, the Celtics made moves in the offseason to improve their team, adding Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. I predict they’ll be close behind the Bucks as the second seed in the East.
- New York Knicks: 52-30 record
The Knicks exceeded almost all expectations last year, going 47-35 and winning their first-round playoff series against the Cavaliers before losing, just like the Bucks and Celtics did, to the Miami Heat. The Knicks returned most of their roster from last year and added Donte DiVincenzo, and I think they will improve on last season to win five more games and get the third seed.
- Cavaliers: 50-32 record
Although the Cavaliers had a disappointing end to last season, they still have a good young roster that they have mostly kept intact for this season, and I think they will have another solid regular season and get this fourth seed.
- Miami Heat: 46-36 record
The Heat had a very mediocre regular season last year but made an amazing playoff run to the NBA Finals, showing this team has a lot of potential. Missing out on Damian Lillard was disappointing for the Heat, but I still think they have a good enough squad to get the fifth seed.
- Philadelphia 76ers: 45-37 record
The James Harden fiasco in Philadelphia has continued throughout the offseason and looks like it will carry into the regular season. With or without Harden, I don’t think this Philly team will be as good as last year, but they still have NBA MVP Joel Embiid, which will be enough to get them into the playoffs.
- Atlanta Hawks: 42-40:
I don’t think this Hawks team is that good, but just like last year, I predict they, led by Trae Young, will do enough to sneak into the playoffs as the seventh seed this season.
- Chicago Bulls:
This Bulls team is very mediocre, and at this level in the Eastern Conference, many teams could get this eighth seed, but Zach Lavine and Demar Derozan are good enough to get the Bulls the eighth seed.