There’s growing talk that the Oklahoma City Thunder will face a much tougher challenge defending their title than they did winning it last season. After the Denver Nuggets made great moves this summer, and the Houston Rockets brought in Kevin Durant, many see those two teams as the ones that could threaten the Thunder.
As for the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic finally seems to have a real backup at the center position in Jonas Valanciunas. After moving on from Michael Porter Jr.’s heavy contract, they signed Cameron Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and brought back Bruce Brown. They also got rid of Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric’s contracts, and now it seems like they finally have it all – roster depth, perimeter shooting from three and a legitimate backup for Jokic.
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Denver and Houston weren’t far from going all the way last season
Houston, meanwhile, finally decided to build around Alperen Sengun, trading away Jalen Green. Amen Thompson is a candidate for a breakout season, while KD is expected to take the team to another level after finishing second in the West last season. Both teams were eliminated in a seven-game playoff series, which clearly shows they weren’t far from going all the way.
Blake Griffin, as a guest on Post Moves with Candace Parker & Aliyah Boston, gave his early predictions for next season and who he sees in the Finals.
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“I think Denver got better this summer,” he said. “Denver took Oklahoma City to seven games. I think Denver gets to the Finals in the West. And I mean, I think it’s New York or Cleveland in the East. I’ll take New York. Maybe they learn from some mistakes, they make a few tweaks.”
The East looks more open than ever
As for the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers had a historically good regular season but a huge playoff letdown. Considering the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are all devastated by injuries, and the Miami Heat no longer have Jimmy Butler, while Giannis Antetokounmpo is without an All-Star teammate after a long time, the East looks more open than ever. Alongside Cleveland, Griffin also mentioned the New York Knicks, which is a completely legitimate pick.
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“But I do really like Cleveland,” Griffin continued. “It’s hard to say not Cleveland because again, we kind of do this thing when a team loses before we think they should. We kind of pick them apart, and we go, ‘They’re not ready.’ It’s just part of basketball. You lose a series you weren’t supposed to lose, and it happens. So I’m not a big believer in blowing it up, they got to find something different,” Griffin added. “Just stick with it. So, I will go with the Knicks-Denver Finals.”
Denver truly looks dangerous
The fact that Blake didn’t even mention OKC might raise some eyebrows. But when you consider that Denver pushed Oklahoma to seven games with an injured Porter Jr. and Westbrook, then Aaron Gordon played through injury, all while Jokic had perhaps the worst three-game shooting span of his career, it at least gives us something to considere.
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After winning the title in 2023, they fell in the WCSF in back-to-back seasons, but now they finally have that outside shooting and roster depth they’ve been missing, and they truly look dangerous. Still, the West is a battlefield, and we can’t forget about the Los Angeles Lakers with LeBron James and Luka Doncic, or the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have made the Western Conference Finals two years in a row and want to continue pushing with the same core.
The West will certainly be tighter than the East, where everything points toward a Knicks–Cavs showdown in the ECF after brilliant seasons from both last year. As for the Knicks, after Tom Thibodeau brought them to the Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, the front office thanked him by letting him go and hired Mike Brown instead. Karl-Anthony Towns revealed what his first meeting with him was like and what the ambitions are for next season.
“We have a chance to win a championship and it only happens if everyone is connected. Everyone has to be fully invested in each other and in our goal. So, kind of just really getting to know him, his people, you know, the way he likes to play basketball, the way he wants to coach, the way he wants to operate practice and everything,” Towns said.
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The league is still sleeping on the Cavs
It’s clear the Knicks nailed it with the addition of Towns, who’s already meshing well with Jalen Brunson, while the rest of the key pieces like Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges remain in place. It’ll be interesting to see whether Brown changes anything, since the feeling was the Knicks became predictable in the playoffs with a heliocentric Brunson-led system. That might be where adjustments are needed.
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Meanwhile, the league is still sleeping on the Cavs. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley aren’t going anywhere, and they remain hungry after being bounced 4–1 by the Pacers last year. But if we look back at their regular season performances, that was championship-level basketball. Either way, one thing is certain – we’re in for one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.