Who are the contenders for the 2023 NBA Finals?

1.Golden State Warriors

Just last season they proved to the world that they were capable of winning another championship. The candle lighting the dynasty was dying, now it's shining the brightest. They have a good young core, while still having the Splash Bros and Draymond Green. When the 3 old veterans can't carry anymore, it will be players like Jordan Poole, James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga who will carry the team. Enough about the future. We saw that Stephen Curry doesn't seem a day older than his MVP seasons. Klay Thompson is getting back to his old self after two years of injuries and Draymond Green is turning into a mentor for the young guns. They have good odds of winning the championship again this year.

2. Milwaukee Bucks

We all know that when healthy this is probably the best team in the east and they have already shown us that they can make it to the finals. Giannis Antetokounmpo is improving on something every off-season, Khris Middleton has been his sidekick through his entire career and Jrue Holiday is one of, if not the best on-ball defender in the league. They have a very well-rounded roster. Their 3 stars can together play all the positions. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best player in the league, he is very versatile both in offense and in defence. The Bucks also have great role players like Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton and fan favorite Bobby Portis Jr.

3. Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets had a setback year last season because their 2nd and 3rd best players were injured for the entire season. Nikola Jokic did a wonderful job of getting them to the 6th seed. In that he also won his second straight MVP. They still lost in the 1st round of the playoffs, overall a boring season. This season they will be fully healthy and they have already shown that they can make the conference final. As well Micheal Porter Jr. will keep developing and Jamal Murray might become a first time all-star this season. They will probably need a bit of luck in the mix to come out of the Western Conference.

4. Miami Heat

The Miami Heat have a good core mixed with veterans and young bloods. They have two rising stars in Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. They made the final in 2020 without Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro is not the Herro of 2022. Last year they were one shot away from making the finals again, so they can for sure make it, but the east has gotten better. The reason they have a good chance this year is that there young players have developed under the watch of Erik Spoelstra. Players like Max Strus, Caleb Martin and even Tyler Herro for that sake were not projected to be this good. The addition of Victor Oladipo is great and if he can be even just 80% of his old self, he would be a big piece for them. This year they have a big chance to be the 1 seed again this season

5. Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers were like the Denver Nuggets last season. There two best players were injured for almost the entire season, but they still managed to make the 8th seed. Paul George showed in the 2021 season that he can carry a team to the conference finals and Kawhi Leonard in 2019 won the championship with no other superstar, so together they could be contenders. In addition they have the deepest roster in the NBA. This offseason they improved there weakest spot, the point guard, with veteran John Wall. They have probably the best duo in the league and a deep roster to support them, making them a realistic bet to win the final.

6. Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets superteam time period has been a total failure until now. None of their three superstars have stayed long on the court. Kyrie Irving with vaccination restrictions, James Harden with his hand injuries and Kevin Durant with many different types of injuries. In total the three of them only played 16 games together, but together they were great going 13-3. The problem was not them, but staying on the court. Trading James Harden was the right thing to do because he anyways didn't want to stay. The Harden trade also gave them a lot of depth because they got Andre Drummond and Seth Curry, which have been a big piece in the little time they were there. They still have a big three, in Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but this year they have a bigger chance because they are all healthy right now and will play many games together.

7. Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers last year were tied for the 2 seed. Unfortunately they ended up as the 4th seed. In the second round they met the Miami Heat and Joel Embiid and James Harden could not stay on the floor. James Harden will now begin to fit in more because he has played with them for a bit of time, so now he can fit in better with the team. This year could possibly win the MVP after finishing second, the last two seasons. Tyrese Maxey should get better this season and jump up to about 22 PPG. During the off-season they added exactly what they needed, a good Small Forward, they got P.J. Tucker.

8. Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics just made the finals a few months ago. They have lost nobody, but they fixed there holes. Malcom Brogdon is the good handling point guard that they needed and Danilo Gallinari is the 3 and D wing they needed. We saw that their roster last year was really good in the second half of the season. Their defence was great last year. They showed the world they were not too young and this year most players will be improving. If they start off like they ended, they could win almost 65 games. The big trio is improving and the key pieces they needed they added, they made the finals last season, there is nothing left to do for them, but win games.

These are the 2023 NBA Contenders. Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed this article and if you have any feedback, questions or suggestions for future articles just write.