The 2023-24 Eastern Conference race has a lot to live up to after last season's eighth-seeded Miami Heat took down Giannis Antetokounmpo and the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks, then the 5-seed New York Knicks, then the 2-seed Boston Celtics, before eventually succumbing to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.
The Bucks and Celtics look to hold strong as the reigning favorites in the East, per our expert panel, while the Cleveland Cavaliers jump the Philadelphia 76ers, who are mired in drama that could significantly impact their season.