With the 2024-2025 NBA season about to start, it’s time to make predictions! Will there be a new champion this year? Our writers are participating.
Who will win the East?
Vincent Goodwill: Celts. It won’t be as easy as last year, the primrose path is perfectly laid out for the hardly challenged Celtics. But trusting the Knicks or the 76ers seems like too much of a task at this point, and who knows if the Bucks can muster real consistency beyond tempting stretches. The Celtics are motivated enough and certainly complete enough to get through the gauntlet and be ready for June.
Kevin O’Connor: Celtics. They brought everyone back and could be even better next season thanks to their still young core. I expect them to win 60+ games again as the deepest, best team in the East.
Dan Devine: Celts. They return the full rotation of the team that decimated the league last season. They now know how to play Joe Mazzulla’s style, and he seems intent on pushing its boundaries even further. Despite being champions with contracts worth over $300 million, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have chips on their shoulders, and with all due respect to Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and Paul George, I haven’t found a better top six yet. I’m not saying Boston is unbeatable. I’m just not picking anyone in the East to beat them.
Ben Rohrbach: Celts. What did the East do to close the fourteen-game gap between Boston and the No. 2 seed? The 76ers added Paul George, who is already injured, and the Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns, who a league source said isn’t his coach’s biggest fan. Maybe one of them will challenge the Celtics for more than a five-game series this time.
Tom Haberstroh: Celts. The only question mark is Kristaps Porziņģis, but they should roll through the East just like last season. Even if all goes well in Milwaukee, Philly or New York, the Celtics have plenty of ammunition to withstand a lower-tier offense.
Then Titus: Celts. Most (serious) contenders in the Eastern Conference received wing depth to match the Boston duo of Tatum and Brown – but that doesn’t matter. The field has too many holes and question marks to take down a team like the Celtics. Remember, the Celtics went 12-2 in the playoffs before reaching the NBA Finals last season. They own the East.
Who will win the West?
Rohrbach: Thunder. They are the most complete team in the West. At the very least, it will take some time for the Timberwolves to get used to the city’s trade. The Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Mavericks have too many problems on defense. Meanwhile, OKC added two of the NBA’s best role players to fill the few holes left by last season’s 57-win team.
Haberstroh: Thunder. You could say that every contender in the West has taken a step back this season, except the Thunder. OKC added Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein as the rest of the roster moved closer to their peak. The Hartenstein injury will sting, but like tearing off a band-aid, it will only hurt for a short time.
Titus: Outsiders. Last season was no fluke, and having a dynamic duo of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving leading an improved supporting cast of floor spacers and defenders will help the Mavs return to the Finals. OKC doesn’t have the experience, the Suns aren’t reliable and Memphis and Minnesota aren’t ready yet.
O’Connor: Thunder. They won 57 games last season and solved both of their problems by adding Caruso and Hartenstein. Now that Sam Presti is sitting on a mountain of assets, they can also make any acquisition they need.
Goodwill: Timber wolves. It’s too tempting to root for the Thunder, and it’s no surprise they’re the favorites. At this point it’s a coin toss. Going all in on Edwards, Chris Finch and even Rudy Gobert seems somewhat risky, but they will round themselves into postseason form even with the increased attention after last year’s success. Honestly, you can imagine five teams playing in June. It’s just in this simulation that betting on a 23-year-old’s endurance seems sensible – if you can ever be wise with a 23-year-old.
Divine: Thunder. They stress-tested their core last season, discovered its weaknesses and strengthened it with two of the best role players in the NBA. Progress is not always linear; however, in this case I think it will be exponential.
Who will be the NBA champions?
O’Connor: Celtics. I’ll take them over the Thunder in 6. Boston has been through it before and has the pieces to match OKC. If this team is indeed the matchup, it likely won’t be the last time they face each other in the NBA Finals.
Divine: Thunder. Boston vs. Oklahoma City will be a great Spider-Man that points to the Spider-Man meme: two teams playing 5 out to drive-and-kick, who can play double-bigs without sacrificing distance and playmaking, who can shrink without being too small at the edge, and who have shooting, passing, driving, cutting, screening and defensive steel at every position. But one of those Spider-Men is a little older and just completed a 101-game season; one of them is younger, deeper and maybe just a little hungrier. OKC wins the race for the prize; up to the forefront.
Goodwill: Celts. Matchups, matchups. It feels like Boston is destined to be here, while the West will be a gauntlet. Getting enough rest during the marathon can be key, along with home field advantage. Tatum and Brown, individually motivated, could spark another title fight against whoever is on the other side. Continuity and health are the main reasons why there hasn’t been a returning champion since the 2018 Warriors. The C’s are healthy enough at the top to hang in there, and probably arrogant enough to do it again and rub it in everyone’s faces.
Haberstroh: Thunder. They improved their wing defense and strengthened the centre. I don’t see any holes in this team. I’m afraid the Celtics won’t have the staying power to come back. The Thunder will be ready.
Titus: Celts. It’s chalky, but Boston is one ring away from impending dynasty talk. The path through the Western Conference is rough – and seeing Boston as the final boss in winning a ‘ship’ is even worse. Boston has perhaps the best-rounded roster in the league and is determined to do whatever it takes to win. Celtics in 6 with Jayson Tatum winning Finals MVP.
Rohrbach: Celts. They have the best starting lineup in the competition by a wide margin. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are 26 and 27 years old respectively, and the Olympics gave both reasons to maintain their motivation after winning a championship. Given the likelihood that Kristaps Porzingis could be healthy for the playoffs and Tatum could emerge from his shooting slump, the Celtics could very well be better, and that’s a scary thought for the rest of the league.
