Celtics, Nuggets Top NBA GM Survey for 2023-24 Title Contenders; Lakers Not in Top 5
By Jeremiah Santos
(Photo : Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - Jayson Tatum (#0) of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket past Jamal Murray (#27) of the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter at TD Garden on February 16, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics are leading the way as the favorites to win the 2024 NBA Finals, the annual survey conducted among all 30 of the league's general managers.
An equal number of votes were cast for both teams, with 33 percent of the league's general managers, totaling 10 votes each vouching for the defending NBA champions and the consistently strong Eastern Conference title contenders who were runners-up in the Finals just a year ago.
In the conducted last year, the Milwaukee Bucks were the frontrunners to win the 2023 NBA title, securing 43 percent of the general managers' votes.
However, their status has shifted this year, and they now hold the third position, with only 23 percent of the executives predicting them to win the title in the upcoming year despite acquiring star Damian Lillard in a blockbuster trade last month.
The Nuggets and Celtics by the general managers to clinch the top spots in their respective conferences, displacing the Golden State Warriors and the Bucks, who held those positions in the previous year's survey.
The Celtics were also voted the best defensive team in the league, receiving 47 percent of the votes.
Other title contenders
Among the remaining teams that the league's general managers selected to win the 2024 NBA Finals were the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers, receiving 7 percent and 3 percent of the votes, respectively.
