NBA season is back! we made it!
oklahoma city thunder Begin your quest to repeat against Tuesday night (7:30 p.m., Peacock) Kevin Durant and this Houston Rockets After an offseason in which they re-signed the 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderall Star jalen williams And Chet Holmgren Deals worth about $800 million.
Elsewhere in the loaded Western Conference, Stephen Curry and this Golden State Warriors Kick off his first full campaign with Jimmy Butler as he eyes the final stretch of a decade of dominance as he faces off (10 p.m. ET) luka doncic and this Los Angeles Lakers,
In the hurt east, cleveland cavaliers return a core – Donovan Mitchell, darius garland, evan mobley And jarrett allen – which led to 64 wins and a No. 1 seed last season. They’ll face a Knicks team with Finals or bust hopes on Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET on ESPN).
Then, San Antonio Spurs And Victor WembanyamaAfter a serious health crisis and a transformative offseason last season, play cooper flag, anthony davis and this dallas mavericksIn a game that features two of the most interesting teams in the West.
Will SGA and the Thunder repeat to start a dynasty? Or can MVP three times Nikola Jokic Return the Nuggets to the Western Conference elite? Will the Knicks reach their first Finals in the wide-open East since 1999? Our experts have cast their votes. Here’s what they think will win the East, West and the 2026 NBA Finals.
More: 30-team preview , nba rank 100-51 , 50-11 , 10-1
Eastern Conference Finals Selection
Tim Bontemps: Cavaliers at Knicks in 7
Jamal Collier: Knicks over Cavaliers in 7
Vincent Goodwill: Knicks over Cavaliers in 7
Baxter Homes: Knicks on magic in 6
Zack Cram: Knicks over Hawks in 6
Tim McMahon: Cavaliers at Knicks in 7
Bobby Marks: Knicks over Cavaliers in 6
Dave McMenamin: Cavaliers at Knicks in 7
Kevin Pelton: Knicks over Cavaliers in 7
Ramona Shelburne: Cavaliers at Knicks in 7
Anthony Slater: Knicks over Cavaliers in 6
Mark Spears: Cavaliers at Knicks in 7
Michael Wright: Cavaliers at Knicks in 7
Om Youngmisuk: Knicks on magic in 6
Final tally (East Champs): Knicks 8, Cavaliers 6
Western Conference Finals Selection
Bontemps: rumble on nuggets in 5
Collier: rumble on timberwolves in 6
Goodwill: Thunder over Nuggets in 7
Holmes: Heavy rain on Warriors in 6th
Cram: Thunder over Nuggets in 7
McMahon: rumble on rockets in 6
Mark: Nuggets over Thunder in 6
McMenamin: Mavericks over Thunder in 7
peloton: Heavy rain on Warriors in 6th
Shelburne: rocket over thunder in 7
Slater: rumble on rockets in 6
Spear: Nuggets over Thunder in 7
Right: Thunder over Nuggets in 7
Youngmisuk: Nuggets over Thunder in 7
Final Match (West Champs): Thunder 9, Nuggets 3, Mavericks 1, Rockets 1
nba finals selection
Bontemps: Thunder over Knicks in 5
Collier: Thunder over Knicks in 6
Goodwill: Thunder over Knicks in 5
Holmes: Thunder over Knicks in 5
Cram: Thunder over Knicks in 6
McMahon: Thunder over Cavaliers in 6
Mark: Nuggets over Knicks in 6
McMenamin: Mavericks over Cavaliers in 6
peloton: Thunder over Knicks in 6
shelburne:Rockets over Cavaliers in 6
harsh critic:Thunder over Knicks in 5
Spear: Cavaliers over Nuggets in 6
Right: Thunder over Cavaliers in 7
Youngmisuk: Nuggets over Knicks in 6
Final tally (NBA champion): Thunder 9, Nuggets 2, Cavaliers 1, Mavericks 1, Rockets 1
Bonus! Who won the 2025-2026 MVP award?
Bontemps: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Collier: Anthony Edwards
Goodwill: Nikola Jokic
Holmes: Jalen Brunson
Cram: Nikola Jokic
McMahon: luka doncic
Mark: Nikola Jokic
McMenamin: luka doncic
peloton: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shelburne: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Slater: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Spear: Nikola Jokic
Right: Nikola Jokic
Youngmisuk: Nikola Jokic
Final Match: Nikola Jokic 6, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 4, Luka Doncic 2, Jalen Brunson 1, Anthony Edwards 1
