Back-to-back for the Warriors? A Clippers breakthrough? Projections for conference and NBA champs

ESPN’s NBA Summer Forecast has revealed which elite teams will finish with the best regular-season records in the Eastern and Western conferences.

But which contenders will rise in the playoffs?

The Golden State Warriors shocked many around the NBA world — including our panel — by rebooting their dynasty and capturing the 2022 title. Are we predicting back-to-back championships for the Dubs?

They’ll have plenty of challengers: The Boston Celtics are seeking to avenge their NBA Finals defeat after a second-half charge turned them into a juggernaut. The LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks are healthy again. The Phoenix Suns are running it back after a league-best 64 wins in 2021-22. The Minnesota Timberwolves are all-in after pulling off a blockbuster trade.

And what about the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers: Could either drama-filled franchise figure things out and make a run?

We asked our panel to rank its top three choices for the East, West and NBA champions — with a first-place vote receiving five points, a second-place vote receiving three and a third-place vote receiving one.

Here are the results:

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