by AAA Sports
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025Eastern Conference:
Cleveland Cavaliers ~
Cleveland was highly successful in the regular season last year. Finishing the year with a 64-18 record, it was the one seed in the Eastern Conference. But, the Cavaliers lost to the Indiana Pacers in the East Semifinals, failing to capitalize on their top seed. Given all of the talent on the roster and the manner in which some of the losses transpired (many meltdowns), that was undoubtedly a sad conclusion. Darius Garland, the Cavaliers' point guard, will not start this season. They remain expected to rank among the NBA's top teams without him for a few weeks, though There is no reason why this team can't return to the conference's top seed once Garland returns. They will be competing against teams with injuries across the league. For example: Tatum on the Celtics + Haliburton on the Pacers and so on.
Our Expectation is a 61-21 record -- another one seed for Cleveland.
New York Knicks ~
New York also begins the season somewhat knocked up. But, the Knicks were closer than they've been in any of the past few seasons last year and the team that they lost against will most definitely not be as great this season. With the addition of players like Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson, New York has improved. The Knicks have always seemed to struggle with depth in the final stages of the season, and this year they should finally see some productive play from the majority of their bench. After winning the Most Clutch Player Award during the previous season, Brunson has developed into one of the league's top players. The Knicks should gain a great deal from those injuries mentioned as well.
Our Expectation is a 56-26 record -- a two seed for New York.
Milwaukee Bucks ~
The NBA community was undoubtedly caught off guard by Milwaukee's decision to trade Damian Lillard this offseason. We are aware that his achilles tear sustained during the playoffs would prevent him from playing this next season. However, he was Giannis' top teammates, and trading a player in his rookie season just because he was hurt didn't seem fair. Myles Turner comes in as the best addition of the team to essential replace Lillard's role as the second star along side Antetokoumnpo. Cole Anthony was also acquired from Orlando to aid with the point guard loss, and Milwaukee continues to be among the league's best teams this season. Since Giannis has already won a Championship, they must be one of the teams to watch out for at the end of this season.
Our Expectation is a 52-30 record -- a three seed for Milwaukee.
Western Conference:
Oklahoma City ~
The Thunder's stellar play throughout the offseason brought the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy back to the state of Oklahoma. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the league's MVP, and Oklahoma City's decision to trade the older superstar players for draft selections has suddenly paid off spectacularly. But there's still a lot of damage to be done. OKC remains the favourite to win another NBA Finals Trophy given that they have so many players who can contribute significantly to the squad. Needless to say, it will be more difficult to accomplish. Shai and the rest of the Thunder, however, ought to feel extremely confident about their chances of winning again.
Our Expectation is a 66-16 record -- another one seed for Oklahoma City.
Houston Rockets ~
Kevin Durant arrived in H-Town in the most significant trade of the 2025 NBA offseason, which sent Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green to the Phoenix Suns. Both teams felt it was time to make a change and now Houston becomes a even bigger threat to everyone this season after an early exit against Golden State in the first round of last year's playoffs. Houston secured the second seed in the highly competitive Western Conference with 52 victories in the previous season. With insane size + length on the team, there's going to be some questions on who's going to play the point guard position without Fred VanVleet (injury.) But, the Houston team of this season is way too good to have any trouble in the regular season and should be one of the top seeds in the West again as it searches for a first title since 1995.
Our Expectation is a 57-25 record -- a two seed for Houston.
Denver Nuggets ~
Denver will always be among the top NBA teams as long as Jokic is on the team, having won the MVP award three of the previous five seasons. The Nuggets most likely would still be a playoff team even if he didn't have his current supporting group. But it's difficult to deny Denver's status as one of the top teams, especially after they've already won an NBA Championship with some of these players and given Gordon and Murray's terrific postseason performances in recent years. Coaching was a question mark at the end of last season with Michael Malone being fired with only a few games left. But, the Nuggets were still very good in the playoffs and will be a threat to any team that stands in their way in 2025-2026.
Our Expectation is a 52-30 record -- a four seed for Denver.
