NBA predictions: Can the Knicks stop the Celtics from repeating?

The 2024-25 NBA season tips off on Tuesday and FOX Sports’ NBA staff is locking in their predictions before the games get going.

The Boston Celtics will enter the season as the favorites to win the Eastern Conference after winning an NBA-record 18th championship last season, but can the New York Knicks stop them from repeating after trading for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges in the offseason?

Let’s see what our experts had to say:

1. The Knicks had a busy offseason, adding Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns in blockbuster trades. How much do those additions change the ceiling of this team? Does the talent addition make up for the loss in culture and continuity?

Yaron Weitzman: Continuity and culture are nice, but in the NBA talent wins. The Knicks with KAT are a more talented team than they were last season. It’s going to be fascinating to see how things all fit together, and how Tom Thibodeau builds a defense around Jalen Brunson and Towns. But with Towns’ spacing and with the addition of Bridges the Knicks are going to be an incredible offensive team. With Bridges and OG Anunoby on the wings, the bet here is that they give the Celtics a run.  

Melissa Rohlin: This is an exciting time for the Knicks, who now boast one of the strongest starting fives in the league in Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. For a team that hasn’t reached the Conference Finals since 2000, making those aggressive trades puts them in the mix to really be able to compete. But are they stacked enough and will they have enough chemistry and cohesion to beat the defending champion Boston Celtics in a seven-game series? That’s questionable at this point. 

2. Daryl Morey’s latest attempt to build a contender around Joel Embiid involves Paul George, arguably the most dynamic star Embiid has played with. How do you view George’s fit with the Sixers? Is he someone that can keep the Sixers competitive in the event of another long-term Embiid injury?

Weitzman: George is a perfect fit for this Sixers team. He gives them everything they didn’t have, and that Joel Embiid hasn’t had since the team’s breakup with Jimmy Butler: A big, dynamic wing who can generate offense and lock down opposing scores. Add that alongside Embiid and the explosive Tyrese Maxey, and you have what is probably the NBA’s best Big 3. His presence will also allow the Sixers to give Embiid more days off during the regular season so that, come playoff time, he’s healthy and fresh. 

Rohlin: This was the best-possible move for the 76ers, who now have an All-Star at the guard, wing and center positions in Tyrese Maxey, George and Joel Embiid. If Embiid is sidelined because of an injury, Maxey and George should be able to carry enough of the load to keep the 76ers near the top of the Eastern Conference. And if all three stay healthy, I could see the 76ers being legitimate championship contenders this season. 

3. The Bucks are entering the second season of the Giannis Antetokounmpo–Damian Lillard project and the first full season under Doc Rivers. Is there a reason for Bucks fans to be more optimistic about Milwaukee’s championship prospects this season, or should we expect more of the same?

Weitzman: It’d be hard to imagine things going worse this year. Doc Rivers now gets a full offseason and training camp with the team, and Giannis and Lillard get a full training camp together. Adding Gary Trent Jr. should help the group, too. The question is whether Khris Middleton can get healthy after undergoing surgery on both his ankles over the offseason. I’m dubious about Milwaukee’s ability to pass the Knicks, Sixers or Celtics, but I also wouldn’t bet against Giannis. 

Rohlin: I expect this team to be much better than last season. Lillard wasn’t the Lillard we know after getting traded in the middle of training camp to a team he wasn’t expecting to join. To make matters tougher, he was going through a divorce and apart from his children. Ahead of this season, he vowed he was in a better head space and he showed up to training camp in top shape. Also, Lillard and Antetokounmpo have very different styles and needed more time to learn and adjust to each other’s play. Now, they’ll have a full training camp under their belt, and they’ll have stability from the top under coach Doc Rivers. I expect this to be a revenge year for the Bucks following getting eliminated from the first round of the playoffs last season. 

[RELATED: Damian Lillard is out for ‘revenge’ with Bucks after ‘toughest year of my life’]

4. As the rest of the Eastern Conference reset, the Celtics reloaded with the same championship roster from last season. Should they be viewed as the unanimous favorites to make it out of the Eastern Conference again this season or will there be some regression?

Weitzman: The Celtics didn’t just win the Eastern Conference last season, they lapped the field. They finished the regular season 14 games (!) ahead of the No. 2 seed New York Knicks, and dropped just three games the entire postseason. They’re also bringing back their entire core. They will be without Kristaps Porzingis for a bit, and the rest of the conference improved, so things won’t be easy for the Celtics this season. But this team is still, very clearly, the favorite to come out of the conference. 

Rohlin: The Celtics aren’t only the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference, they’re the favorites to win a championship. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finally got over the hump together and the team returned its core. Last season, they were No. 1 in offensive rating and No. 2 in defensive rating and then they only lost three games during the playoffs. Much of the league improved over the offseason and they’re run might not be so easy this time around, but the Celtics are definitely the team to be afraid of this season, 

5. Looking at the landscape of the Eastern Conference, it’s easy to envision a high-profile player asking out before the trade deadline. Which star or star’s situation will you be keeping your eye on as the season develops?

Weitzman: Jimmy Butler. He wanted an extension over the offseason, didn’t get it, and if he declines his player option he can be a free agent in the summer. So far he’s been diplomatic. But we’ve seen in the past how things with Butler can go when he’s not given the contract he wants. 

Rohlin: I’ve gotta go with Jimmy Butler as well. There were no fun shenanigans during Media Day, such as emo Jimmy, which signaled he means business right now. He didn’t get a contact extension from the Heat and he has the ability to be a free agent this summer if he doesn’t exercise his player option. Those are the makings of a very tricky situation in Miami between the franchise and its superstar.

6. Predict where each team will finish in the Eastern Conference, 1-15:

Weitzman: 

1. Celtics
2. Knicks
3. Sixers
4. Bucks
5. Cavaliers
6. Magic
7. Pacers
8. Heat
9. Hawks
10. Raptors
11. Bulls
12. Pistons
13. Hornets
14. Nets
15. Wizards

Rohlin:

1. Celtics
2. Sixers
3. Bucks
4. Knicks
5. Cavaliers
6. Pacers
7. Magic
8. Heat
9. Bulls
10. Hawks
11. Pistons
12. Raptors
13. Nets
14. Hornets
15. Wizards

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of “Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports.” Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

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