NBA projections 2022-23 - Win-loss records for Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics and every Eastern Conference team

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?

Are the New York Knicks back in the playoff hunt? Which mid-tier teams will miss out on the play-in tournament? Who's still rebuilding?

Our expert panel is predicting the win-loss records for all 15 teams in the East.

Note: Our 2022-23 NBA Summer Forecast will continue Tuesday with our Western Conference standings predictions.

1. Boston Celtics: 54-28

2. Milwaukee Bucks: 54-28

3. Miami Heat: 51-31

4. Philadelphia 76ers: 50-32

5. Toronto Raptors: 47-35

6. Atlanta Hawks: 46-36

Note: Boston finished percentage points ahead of Milwaukee in our panel's projections.

Last season's Summer Forecast saw two teams that played a knockdown, dragout seven-game series in the East semifinals projected to finish with the best two records in the conference, and to be the favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals. Instead, neither made it past the second round.

Will the same hold true this time around?

The Celtics and Bucks, fresh off