NEW YORK — The defending-champion Knicks and playoff-hopeful Nets are competing for different things.
But they do have this in common: Their respective goals will be more difficult to accomplish due to a transformed Eastern Conference that should have more contenders and fewer punching bags this season.
“You see what goes on. A lot of teams got better, and it’s good,” Knicks forward Mikal Bridges said. “Excited for all of the other teams; you love when the competition’s high. Who doesn’t love that?”
The Knicks remain, at the very least, the co-favorite to win the East after they steamrolled through the conference last postseason en route to their first NBA championship in 53 years.
Outside of the departure of valuable backup Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks bring back virtually the same roster, including their entire starting lineup.
But while the Knicks dominated a weakened East last spring, they should expect more top-end resistance this season.
The star-hunting Philadelphia 76ers added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to a core already headlined by Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
Whether the new-look Sixers can build chemistry and stay healthy will likely determine their ceiling, but there’s championship upside if everything clicks.
“I didn’t leave my family [in Los Angeles],” James said, “to lose in the second round.”
The Miami Heat acquired two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in a franchise-altering trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, pairing him with fellow All-Star big man Bam Adebayo to form what should be the NBA’s best defensive frontcourt.
The Heat lack depth and playmaking, which means there’s a range of outcomes for how their season will go. But betting against a motivated Antetokounmpo probably isn’t smart business — nor is discounting the possibility of Pat Riley adding another difference-maker before season’s end.
The Detroit Pistons, who won 60 games last season, remain in the mix now that they’ve finally re-signed All-Star center Jalen Duren after a tense restricted free agency. So do the Boston Celtics, whose data-driven approach and a full season of a healthy Jayson Tatum should allow them to again compete for a high seed, even after trading Brown away.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are always an excellent regular-season team, and they just went to the Eastern Conference finals.
After finishing as the No. 5 seed, the Toronto Raptors added Kawhi Leonard to a promising young core, while the Indiana Pacers — just one season removed from an NBA Finals berth — should be vastly improved with a healthy Tyrese Haliburton back from a torn Achilles.
So while the Knicks are surefire contenders, the same can be said to varying degrees about the Sixers, Pistons, Heat, Celtics, Cavs, Pacers and Raptors, too.
That’s eight teams for six automatic playoff spots right there.
The Knicks will be focused on the top of the bracket as they try to become the NBA’s first repeat champions since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors.
On the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Nets should set their sights on landing a top-10 seed and making the play-in tournament after three consecutive playoff-less seasons.
After tanking the past two years — without a top-five pick to show for it — the Nets are done prioritizing draft capital.
They added multiple veterans, headlined by Julius Randle, to elevate a group featuring Michael Porter Jr. and numerous first- and second-year players, including rookie point guard Mikel Brown Jr., the No. 6 pick in June’s draft.
The Nets have a long way to go after winning only 20 games last season, but the Porter-Randle duo should at least set a floor. Breakouts by Brown or a second-year player such as Egor Dëmin would raise the ceiling.
The problem is that cracking the top 10 in the East won’t be easy.
In addition to the eight teams mentioned earlier, there are the ascendant Atlanta Hawks, who will be more seasoned after testing the Knicks during last postseason’s first-round series.
There are the Orlando Magic, who have made the playoffs three years in a row.
There are the Washington Wizards, who since January have added Trae Young, Anthony Davis and No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybansta in a major talent infusion.
And there are the Charlotte Hornets, who went 44-38 last season but have since traded away go-to LaMelo Ball.
To make the play-in field, the Nets will have to finish better than at least two of the 12 teams mentioned above. That’s definitely doable — especially if injuries come into play — but far from a certainty during a season when fewer teams seem poised to tank.
The Nets will have to prove they belong in the play-in mix rather than at the bottom of the standings, where the rebuilding Chicago Bulls and Antetokounmpo-less Bucks might be the only teams with lower outside expectations.
“We’re coming in trying to win,” Randle said. “It’s as simple as that. However we can help give the younger guys experience and confidence and help them fast track … to contribute to winning basketball, that’s really all that matters. All I care about, at the end of the day, is winning, and I know that’s what those guys care about.”
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