Unpredictability Reigns in the NBA Playoffs and Draft

The NBA season that opened in October 2023 began with an unusually competitive picture at the top of both conferences, according to a preview by Kurt Helin.

In the Western Conference, the defending champion Denver Nuggets entered as favorites at plus 260, just ahead of the retooled Phoenix Suns at plus 350, with the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors close behind.

The Eastern race looked even tighter, as the Boston Celtics at plus 160 and Milwaukee Bucks at plus 180 separated themselves through major offseason moves, adding Kristaps Porzingis in Boston and Damian Lillard in Milwaukee.

The Warriors bolstered their bench by bringing in Chris Paul to steady the minutes when Stephen Curry rests, while Cleveland leaned on Max Strus and the continued growth of Evan Mobley.

The preview projected a Suns victory over the Nuggets in the Western finals and a Celtics win over the Bucks in the East, weighing Milwaukee's star duo of Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo against Boston's deeper roster around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Ultimately it predicted the Boston Celtics to defeat the Phoenix Suns in six games to win the championship, capping a season defined by parity and a wide open title chase.

Parity was the preview's thesis; three Junes later the champion is a franchise that had not won since 1973. The Knicks beat San Antonio 4 games to 1, Jalen Brunson scoring 45 in the clincher, including 13 straight in the fourth quarter, per ESPN. NBA.com says the series averaged 20.6 million viewers, the most since 1998, so the league's business is riding a New York story nobody scripted. The losers are the superteam builders the preview priced as favorites; the Spurs, built around Victor Wembanyama, got the runner up trophy. Washington used the No. 1 pick on BYU's AJ Dybantsa on June 23. The defense opens when the new season tips off on October 20.