The NBA has had eight different champions since 2019: the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks. Will the 2027 Finals follow the same script?
In the East, the reigning champion Knicks will face adversaries such as LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and the new-look Philadelphia 76ers as New York attempts to defend its title. Out West, the picture is equally competitive, with juggernauts such as the San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves and the 2024-25 champion Thunder vying to become the conference's representative.
As the calendar barrels toward opening night, which teams will rise above the rest come April, May and June 2027? After forecasting each team's record, our NBA insiders are projecting the teams most likely to reach their respective conference finals and which will win this season's title. Here's how the voting works: A first-place vote receives five points, a second-place vote receives three and a third-place vote receives one. (Note: Summer Forecast continues Wednesday with predictions for every major NBA award.)
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Who will win the Eastern Conference finals?
1. New York Knicks: 68 points 2. Philadelphia 76ers: 51 points T-3. Boston Celtics: 17 points T-3. Detroit Pistons: 17 points 5. Indiana Pacers:12 points 6. Cleveland Cavaliers: 9 points
The Knicks and 76ers will vie for a spot in the NBA Finals, according to our forecast, a year after the two teams met in a second-round series, which New York won handily in four games. If the Knicks make it back to the conference finals, it will be the second time in the parity era (since 2019) that a defending champion reached that level the following season (the 2025-26 Thunder were the first).
New York's record run through the playoffs and Finals cannot be ignored -- nor can the moves the 76ers made in a shocking offseason. The acquisitions of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James are critical pieces to the team's hopes of reaching its first conference finals since 2001.
An I-95/Amtrak conference finals would be tantalizing for the league office: James in a high-stakes series against the backdrop of Madison Square Garden? But Cleveland is banking on a repeat trip to the conference finals, and Detroit is looking to take another step after falling in the second round as a No. 1 seed last season.