Staff voted on where all 30 NBA teams could land in the end-of-season standings. Consensus projections can be incorrect, as awards forecasts for 2024-25 went 0-for-6. Five teams could exceed forecast win totals and five could fall short. Oklahoma City won at least 65 games last season, a rare feat: most 65-win teams saw their win totals drop by an average of more than seven games the following year. Only the 1995-96 and 1996-97 Chicago Bulls and the mid-2010s Golden State Warriors matched or improved such totals. Oklahoma City's repeat potential is supported by an even weaker Eastern Conference, a fully returning roster, and more available minutes from Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein after the duo missed a combined 75 games last season.
Last season, Oklahoma City became just the 22nd team in league history to win at least 65 games. Of those, only two franchises have gone on to match or surpass that total the following season: the 1995-96 and 1996-97 Chicago Bulls (72 and 69 wins, respectively) and the 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 Golden State Warriors (67, 73 and 67 wins, respectively).
The other teams to win at least 65 games in a season saw their win total drop by an average of more than seven games the following year. Only once (the Warriors in 2015-16) did a team either meet or improve on its win total from the season before. Why could the defending champs buck this trend? It's the combination of an even weaker Eastern Conference following star injuries in Indiana and Boston (the Thunder went 29-1 against the conference last season),
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