The Eastern Conference has been considered the junior varsity of the NBA for the past decade or so due to the lack of depth of quality teams. However, that narrative could be changing in 2026-27.
Despite the JV narrative, the Eastern Conference hosts the 2026 NBA champions, the New York Knicks. With the Knicks’ surprising championship run – the Oklahoma City Thunder were the prohibitive favorites throughout the season to go to the Finals, and the San Antonio Spurs held nearly 2-to-1 odds of defeating the Knicks in the Finals – the Eastern Conference has now claimed four of the last eight championships. Can the Knicks become the first back-to-back champions since the Golden State Warriors accomplished the feat in 2017-2018.
Repeating is not easy, as evident by eight different NBA champions. The last time an Eastern Conference squad won consecutive titles was the Miami Heat in 2012-13. The good news for the Knicks, who have decided to “run things back,” is that the last two champions who have also chosen to maintain continuity – the Thunder (2025) and the Boston Celtics (2024) – have reached the Conference Finals the following season. Injuries hampered both the Thunder’s and Celtics hopes of repeating.
The Knicks – who ended their 50-plus-year title drought – should feel good about their chances of ending the NBA’s back-to-back title drought heading into the 2026-27 campaign, as they return 12 players from last year’s squad. However, it won’t be easy as the East has gotten much stronger through all the player movement this offseason.
Despite being an afterthought as a legit NBA title contender, New York was one of the most talented teams in the league last year, and the Knicks came together at the right time. The Knicks finished third in the Eastern Conference, but they won 12 of their final 16 regular-season games and were one of four teams to finish in the top seven in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The Knicks also ran roughshod through the playoffs, losing just three times and outscoring their opponents by nearly 15 points a game.
New York enters the season as slight favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2026-27 NBA Finals. The Knicks return 12 players from last year’s squad, including their entire starting lineup, led by 2026 NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson. The Knicks also retained most of the key bench members, though they lost frontcourt depth with the departures of Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti. On the plus side, they brought in Andre Drummond to back up Karl-Anthony Towns, something not lost on bettors who checked out Toshi.bet’s VIP structure before looking at the Knicks as a viable betting option this season.
The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t just overhaul their roster this summer; they reeled in a couple of big fish in Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. The Sixers also added Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to solidify their depth around Brown, James, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Joel Embiid. The biggest questions are whether Brown and James will fit like a glove in Philly and, perhaps most importantly, can Embiid finally stay healthy. Embiid has only played 60 games four times in his 10-year career.
Cleveland has gone through a major facelift since February’s trade deadline. The Cavaliers brought in James Harden (via trade) late last season and ended up in the NBA Finals for the first time since LeBron James left his hometown team for a second time. Then this summer the Cavs won the Peyton Watson sweepstakes.
Watson’s addition gives the Cavs one of the top starting lineups in the NBA – along with Philadelphia and New York. More importantly, Watson elevates the Cavaliers’ defense and gives them a defensive stopper to complement the offensive explosiveness of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. However, the Cavs do have questions about depth.
Detroit won 60 games, marking the first time they have done so since the mid-2000s, earning them the NBA’s best record thanks to a strong defense. The Pistons finished the regular season second in defensive rating, holding opponents to 44.3% shooting from the field (third-best)and 34.1% (best in the league) from the 3-point line. Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren have everything needed to become one of the league’s top trios if the Pistons can reach an amicable long-term deal with Duren. While the Pistons sent Isaiah Stewart to Memphis and lost Tobias Harris in free agency, they brought in veterans Isaiah Joe, Taurean Prince, John Collins and Gary Harris to JB Bickerstaff’s rotation.
Toronto officially completed their much-anticipated trade for Kawhi Leonard recently. So, the Raptors have to be considered a contender after improving their win total by 16 games and ending their three-year playoff drought. Leonard, who fills the Raptors’ much-needed “go-to” scorer role, along with Scottie Barnes and RJ Barnes, form a dangerous trio who can all score in a variety of ways. Leonard also raises the bar for the Raptors defensively – Toronto was fifth in defensive rating in 2025-26.
Atlanta is looking to become a true contender in the East after winning 46 games last year, their most since 2015-16. The Hawks were a top-10 defensive team last year and gave the Knicks fits through the first three games of their first-round series. The Hawks did a fantastic job this offseason improving their depth and adding more versatility with the acquisition of Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins, along with rookies Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor.
As training camp is set to get underway in a couple of weeks, the Knicks, 76ers and Cavaliers stand out as the conference-leading contenders, followed by the Pistons and Hawks. However, several other teams could join the fray. But all of these squads have bigger questions to answer than the five teams listed above them.
The Boston Celtics have won 50 games in five straight seasons, and Jayson Tatum should be healthy. But the Celtics traded away Brown for an aging Paul George who also can’t stay healthy. George, 36, has only appeared in 78 games over the last two seasons and has reached the 70-game mark once in the last six campaigns. Plus, the Celtics didn’t really address their frontcourt depth issue, besides adding Mitchell Robinson, who also can’t stay healthy.
The Miami Heat made a big splash with the acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, the Heat gave up a lot in the trade and now have real depth concerns, particularly in the backcourt.
The Indiana Pacers were a surprise participant in the 2025 NBA Finals. The Pacers get Tyrese Haliburton back after a year off, joining Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac. Obi Toppin, Andrew Nembhard, TJ McConnell and Aaron Neismith are still around, and they added Kelly Oubre Jr.
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