Could the NBA's 2022-23 season recreate one of the most thrilling Eastern Conference races ever? Last season, the East bracket was so tightly packed that the Nos.
1 through 10 seeds were separated by just 10 games. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, that was the closest for any conference since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77.
And according to the latest edition of ESPN Summer Forecast, we might get something similar — at least near the top. How many wins does our panel project for the defending conference champion Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat — the four teams that battled for East supremacy all last season?
Where are we placing the Brooklyn Nets, home to the offseason's biggest drama surrounding the futures of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving?