Eastern Conference Showdowns and Bold Finals Predictions: Which Teams Will Defy Expectations in NBA 2025-26?

My prediction is that Nikola Jokic gets ring number two. What Denver was lacking a season ago, the front office addressed this offseason (somewhere Michael Malone is frustrated and just shaking his head). Cameron Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas will play critical roles (this team isn’t going to fall off a cliff when Jokic sits, like previous years).

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There is a clear line drawn in the East, the top two teams appear a good step or two ahead of the rest of the pack. The Cavaliers won 64 games last season and learned the hard way about what it takes to win in the playoffs, now they are running back a talented and deep roster. They need to stay healthy (no Darius Garland to start the season) and Evan Mobley needs to take another step forward on the offensive end, but I expect those things to happen. New York feels it just needs to improve around the edges, and Mike Brown can bring a little more ball and player movement to New York to facilitate that, with a bench he can trust. The Knicks, led by the gritty Jalen Brunson and the sharp-shooting Karl-Anthony Towns, are still a team fully capable of taking the next step to the NBA Finals.