The 2026/27 NBA regular season will take place prompt on Tuesdayand the two Western Conference teams heading into Game 3 of tonight’s tripleheader are considered by many to be the favorites to become the next league champion.
In the survey v 30 NBA writers from The Athletic13 were chosen Thunder to win the 2027 NBA Finals, and 13 more picked Spurs. This left only four votes, divided between three other teams, with Sixers having earned two, a Timberwolves and defending champion Nix got one each.
Oklahoma City and San Antonio are also near the top ESPN Preseason Power Rankingsin that order, with the Thunder projected to win 61 games and the Spurs projected to win 59 games. No other team is projected by ESPN to have more than 52 wins this season, which is further evidence that these two clubs are considered to be the best on opening day.
However, the NBA has been anything but predictable in recent years, with eight different champions in the last eight seasons, so it’s too early to call the Thunder or Spurs the 2027 champions. Expectations are also high for the Sixers and Knicks in the East, while the Timberwolves were a popular pick among The Athletic’s respondents as a dark horse contender. Minnesota received nine of a possible 30 votes in this category, with Pacers (4), Heat (4), Celtics (3), Nuggets (3), Rockets (3), and Predators (2) also earn some votes.
One of the most interesting categories in The Athletic’s poll was one in which respondents were asked to predict the eight playoff teams in each conference. Sixers, Knicks, Cavaliersand Pistons were unanimously picked in the East, followed by the Celtics (28 votes), Raptors (26), Heat (24) and Pacers (20), with magic (12) and Hawks (10) outside the top eight.
In the West, the four unanimous playoff picks are the Thunder, Spurs, Timberwolves and Rockets, followed by the Nuggets (29 votes), Lakers (29), Trail Blazers (18), and Jazz (16). There was no absolute consensus in the West about this playoff seeding, with The sun (11), Warriors (10), Mavericks (6), and Pelicans (1) also gets votes.
Spurs is a big man Victor Wembanyama is the overwhelming favorite to win MVP (19 of 30 votes) and Defensive Player of the Year (29 of 30), but the Lakers’ defense Luka Doncic also received six votes as a potential MVP. Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer (14 of 30 votes) was The Athletic’s top pick for Rookie of the Year, ahead of Bykov forward Caleb Wilson (seven votes).
We want to know what you think. Which eight teams in each conference do you predict will make the playoffs? Which clubs do you expect to meet in the NBA Finals and which one will be the champion? Who do you think will win the award and which teams do you think will exceed or fall short of expectations?
Head to the comments section below to weigh in with your predictions for the 2026/27 NBA season!
