According to sportsbooks like FanDuel, the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers — who faced off in the Eastern Conference Semifinals this past season — have the best odds of winning the Eastern Conference Finals.
In theory, that makes sense, as the Knicks are the defending champs, and no team added more star capital than the 76ers, who brought in LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. However, just because the sportsbook projects something doesn't necessarily mean it will happen. So, let's take a look at the five East teams that pose the biggest threat to the Knicks and 76ers.
5. Miami Heat
The Miami Heat had a busy offseason of their own, overhauling a good chunk of their roster to get Giannis Antetokounmpo from the only franchise he's ever known. Anyway, with Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, and Davion Mitchell there to fortify their defense, the Heat could have one of the most suffocating units in basketball.
As a general rule, great defensive teams can be a thorn in the side of even the fiercest competition. However, due to their lack of guard play and creation, we can't put the Heat any higher than the fifth spot.
4. Indiana Pacers
The last time we saw a fully healthy version of the Indiana Pacers, they were one win away from winning the NBA title. After a one year sabbatical, Tyrese Haliburton is back and ready to join Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and newcomer Ivica Zubac in the starting five.
For the Knicks in particular, a healthy version of the Pacers is an absolute doomsday situation. In both 2024 and 2025, the Pacers sent the Knicks home with their overwhelming brand of pace, ball movement, and shot making. The Knicks are better now than they were before, but are they good enough to solve the Pacers' unsolvable riddle?
3. Boston Celtics
Many people are expecting the Boston Celtics to get worse after they traded away Brown to the 76ers for Paul George and draft capital. But what if the analytics were actually right and the Celtics are better without Brown?
If this is the case, we are talking about a team that won 56 games last year with the inferior members of the Js, who now have Jayson Tatum healthy and Brown in a different area code. This is without factoring in the arrival of Mitchell Robinson (whose departure from the Big Apple makes the Knicks worse), and the potential growth we could see from the likes of Payton Pritchard, Hugo González, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr.
There is a chance that the Celtics take a huge step back from where they were last year (when the 76ers beat them in the first round), but there is also a reasonable pathway to them being way better.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
A few weeks ago, I'm not even sure I would have the Cleveland Cavaliers in the top five of a list like this. However, after their miraculous maneuver to get Peyton Watson in a sign-and-trade, color me intrigued.
Ever since this hour-glass quartet of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen was assembled, the Cavaliers have been desperately looking for a toolsy wing/forward that can fill in all the gaps for them.
Given how hamstrung they were financially, it's incredible that the Cavaliers were able to land a burgeoning young player like Watson, and it immediately makes them one of the best teams in the East. Maybe even better than the 76ers and Knicks.
1. Toronto Raptors
If you've been following along with my work here at FanSided, you know that I think the Toronto Raptors could be the best team in the Eastern Conference, which means that they are also the biggest threat to the Knicks and 76ers this season.
With the Clippers' circumvention scandal seemingly behind us and Kawhi Leonard virtually unscathed, the Raptors will be adding the two-time Finals MVP to an already formidable core of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Collin Murray-Boyles.
The Raptors have a chance to be elite on both sides of the ball, and if they live up to that potential, they will not only be a threat to the teams out East, but also to the entire league.
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