The NBA season is officially underway, with three highly anticipated matchups tipping off on Tuesday night. The defending champion New York Knicks face a formidable Philadelphia 76ers team boasting a star-studded roster, while the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder clash in a Western Conference showdown. As the action begins, our panel of NBA experts has weighed in with their predictions for the conference champions, the NBA title winner, and the MVP candidate. Here is a breakdown of their expert picks.
Eastern Conference champion
Jamal Collier: Indiana Pacers
Ben Golliver: Boston Celtics
Vincent Goodwill: Philadelphia 76ers
Danny Green: New York Knicks
Zach Kram: Toronto Raptors
Tim MacMahon: New York Knicks
Bobby Marks: New York Knicks
Dave McMenamin: New York Knicks
Dean Oliver: Boston Celtics
Jorge Sedano: Philadelphia 76ers
Ramona Shelburne: Philadelphia 76ers
Anthony Slater: New York Knicks
Marc. J Spears: Philadelphia 76ers
Jeremy Woo: Boston Celtics
Michael C. Wright: Philadelphia 76ers
Final tally: Knicks 5, 76ers 5, Celtics 3, Pacers 1, Raptors 1
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Western Conference champion
Jamal Collier: Oklahoma City Thunder
Ben Golliver: Oklahoma City Thunder
Vincent Goodwill: Oklahoma City Thunder
Danny Green: San Antonio Spurs
Zach Kram: San Antonio Spurs
Tim MacMahon: Oklahoma City Thunder
Bobby Marks: Oklahoma City Thunder
Dave McMenamin: Oklahoma City Thunder
Dean Oliver: Oklahoma City Thunder
Jorge Sedano: Oklahoma City Thunder
Ramona Shelburne: San Antonio Spurs
Anthony Slater: Oklahoma City Thunder
Marc. J Spears: San Antonio Spurs
Jeremy Woo: Oklahoma City Thunder
Michael C. Wright: San Antonio Spurs
Final tally: Thunder 10, Spurs 5
NBA Finals picks
Jamal Collier: Thunder over Pacers
Ben Golliver: Thunder over Celtics
Vincent Goodwill: Thunder over 76ers
Danny Green: Spurs over Knicks
Zach Kram: Spurs over Raptors
Tim MacMahon: Thunder over Knicks
Bobby Marks: Thunder over Knicks
Dave McMenamin: Thunder over Knicks
Dean Oliver: Thunder over Celtics
Jorge Sedano: Thunder over Knicks
Ramona Shelburne: Spurs over 76ers
Anthony Slater: Thunder over Knicks
Marc. J Spears: Spurs over 76ers
Jeremy Woo: Thunder over Celtics
Michael C. Wright: Spurs over 76ers
Final tally: Thunder 10, Spurs 5
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Bonus! Most Valuable Player picks
Jamal Collier: Anthony Edwards
Ben Golliver: Victor Wembanyama
Vincent Goodwill: Victor Wembanyama
Danny Green: Victor Wembanyama
Zach Kram: Victor Wembanyama
Tim MacMahon: Victor Wembanyama
Bobby Marks: Jalen Brunson
Dave McMenamin: Luka Doncic
Dean Oliver: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Jorge Sedano: Victor Wembanyama
Ramona Shelburne: Luka Doncic
Anthony Slater: Luka Doncic
Marc. J Spears: Victor Wembanyama
Jeremy Woo: Victor Wembanyama
Michael C. Wright: Victor Wembanyama
Final tally: Wembanyama 9, Doncic 3, Antetokounmpo 1, Brunson 1, Edwards 1
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