Oct 21, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
The NBA season is back! We made it!
The Oklahoma City Thunder begin their quest to repeat Tuesday night (7:30 p.m., Peacock) against Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets after an offseason in which they re-signed 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to deals worth nearly $800 million.
Elsewhere in the loaded Western Conference, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors begin their first full campaign with Jimmy Butler, with their eyes on a final run to cap a decade of near-dominance, as they face off (10 p.m. ET) against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
In the injury-ravaged East, the Cleveland Cavaliers return a core — Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — that led them to 64 wins and a No. 1 seed last season. They face off Wednesday night against a Knicks team with Finals-or-bust expectations (7 p.m. ET on ESPN).
Then, the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama, after a serious health scare last season and a transformational offseason, play Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis and the Dallas Mavericks, in a game featuring two of the most tantalizing teams in the West.
Will SGA and the Thunder repeat to begin a dynasty? Or can three-time MVP Nikola Jokic return the Nuggets to the Western Conference elite? Will the Knicks reach their first Finals since 1999 in the wide-open East? Our experts have cast their votes. Here’s who 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 picks
Tim Bontemps:Cavaliers over Knicks in 7
Jamal Collier: Knicks over Cavaliers in 7
Vincent Goodwill: Knicks over Cavaliers in 7
Baxter Holmes:Knicks over Magic in 6
Zach Kram:Knicks over Hawks in 6
Tim MacMahon: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7
Bobby Marks:Knicks over Cavaliers in 6
Dave McMenamin: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7
Kevin Pelton:Knicks over Cavaliers in 7
Ramona Shelburne: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7
Anthony Slater: Knicks over Cavaliers in 6
Marc Spears: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7
Michael Wright: Cavaliers over Knicks in 7
Ohm Youngmisuk:Knicks over Magic in 6
Final tally (East champs):Knicks 8, Cavaliers 6
Western Conference finals picks
Bontemps: Thunder over Nuggets in 5
Collier: Thunder over Timberwolves in 6
Goodwill:Thunder over Nuggets in 7
Holmes:Thunder over Warriors in 6
Kram:Thunder over Nuggets in 7
MacMahon:Thunder over Rockets in 6
Marks:Nuggets over Thunder in 6
McMenamin:Mavericks over Thunder in 7
Pelton:Thunder over Warriors in 6
Shelburne:Rockets over Thunder in 7
Slater:Thunder over Rockets in 6
Spears:Nuggets over Thunder in 7
Wright: Thunder over Nuggets in 7
Youngmisuk:Nuggets over Thunder in 7
Final tally (West champs):Thunder 9, Nuggets 3, Mavericks 1, Rockets 1
New ESPN and FOX One Bundle
Bundle ESPN and FOX One and unlock more sports for one unbeatable price. Get the World Series, college football, NBA, NHL and more. Get access
NBA Finals picks
Bontemps: Thunder over Cavaliers in 5
Collier: Thunder over Knicks in 6
Goodwill:Thunder over Knicks in 5
Holmes: Thunder over Knicks in 5
Kram: Thunder over Knicks in 6
MacMahon: Thunder over Cavaliers in 6
Marks: Nuggets over Knicks in 6
McMenamin: Mavericks over Cavaliers in 6
Pelton:Thunder over Knicks in 6
Shelburne: Rockets over Cavaliers in 6
Slater: Thunder over Knicks in 5
Spears: Cavaliers over Nuggets in 6
Wright:Thunder over Cavaliers in 7
Youngmisuk: Nuggets over Knicks in 6
Final tally (NBA champs):Thunder 9, Nuggets 2, Cavaliers 1, Mavericks 1, Rockets 1
Bonus! Who wins the 2025-2026 MVP Award?
Bontemps: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Collier: Anthony Edwards
Goodwill: Nikola Jokic
Holmes: Jalen Brunson
Kram: Nikola Jokic
MacMahon: Luka Doncic
Marks: Nikola Jokic
McMenamin: Luka Doncic
Pelton: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shelburne: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Slater: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Spears: Nikola Jokic
Wright: Nikola Jokic
Youngmisuk: Nikola Jokic
Final tally:Nikola Jokic 6,Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 4, Luka Doncic 2, Jalen Brunson 1, Anthony Edwards 1
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.