Expert picks for the East, West and NBA champions — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the expert ballot, earning 10 of 15 votes as Western Conference champion and 10 of 15 as NBA Finals pick, making them the consensus favorite entering Tuesday's opener against Victor Wembanyama's Spurs.
- The East was a perfect 5-5 split between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, with the Boston Celtics drawing 3 votes and the Pacers and Raptors one apiece — a 15-insider vote that underscores how Philadelphia's retooled roster reshuffled the conference hierarchy.
- Victor Wembanyama ran away with the MVP ballot at 9 of 15 votes, overshadowing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's bid for a third straight award; Luka Doncic drew 3 votes, with Brunson, Antetokounmpo and Edwards each getting one.
- The 76ers' offseason additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to play alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were the central subplot heading into their Tuesday opener (7 p.m. ET, NBC) against the Knicks, who are defending their first title in 53 years.
- The Spurs drew 5 West votes from insiders trying to build on their Finals run last season, with the Thunder simultaneously chasing a second Finals trip in three years; their 9:30 p.m. ET tipoff is one of three high-profile season-opening games on NBC.
Why it matters: The Eastern Conference dead heat at 5-5 between the Knicks and a 76ers team that added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown signals insiders view Philadelphia's roster overhaul as capable of dethroning the defending champions. The Thunder's 10-of-15 consensus across West and Finals picks establishes OKC as the season's benchmark, while Wembanyama's 9-of-15 MVP tally points to a generational handoff atop the league's individual hierarchy.
Ask SkimNews
