Forecast: 2012-13 East standings

Originally Published: August 20, 2012

ESPN.com

Steve Mitchell/US PresswireFresh off their championship run, the Heat look to have the inside track to the East's No. 1 seed again.

It's time to kick off our fifth annual Summer Forecast series. (Last year, it was a Winter Forecast due to the lockout.)

Over the next two weeks, we'll roll out our predictions for how each team will do this season, as well as the 2012-13 Rookie of the Year, Best Newcomer, Worst Newcomer, MVP, conference champions and NBA champs. We'll also examine which teams will make the biggest turnarounds this season and which teams could be in for the most turmoil.

To do so, we surveyed 100 of ESPN's best basketball minds, including contributors from ESPN.com, the TrueHoop Network, TrueHoop TV, Daily Dime Live, ESPN TV, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, espnW, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Insider, ESPN Fantasy, ESPN Games, ESPN Dallas, ESPN Los Angeles, ESPN Boston, ESPN Chicago, ESPN New York, ESPN Stats & Information, ESPN Topics and ESPN Analytics.

We'll start with the conference that features the reigning NBA champs.

To participate in the discussion and perhaps get your opinion published on this page, #NBApicks is the Twitter hashtag to use. Or you can just follow along @NBAonESPN.

Let's begin ...

Forecast: 2012-13 Eastern Conference Standings

RANK	TEAM	W	L	PCT	'12 W	'12 L	'12 PCT
1	Miami Heat	60	22	.732	46	20	.697
@JVanGlorious: I think the Heat getting 60 wins will be underachieving. I see them closer to 68 and skating right into the Finals this season. @hoolersae: The Heat won 58 games without chemistry. Lewis, Allen, Haslem, Cole, Battier -- 63 wins at least.
2	Boston Celtics*	50	32	.610	39	27	.591
@cch1125: People who can't believe that Boston will be ranked No. 2 in the East aren't paying attention. Great team that reloaded this summer. @Bksportsguru: Atlantic is a great division. That being said Celts get 53-55 wins. Knicks, Nets and 76ers all in 48-51 win range.
3	Indiana Pacers*	50	32	.610	42	24	.636
@jstilesiii: I agree with the Pacers' record, but I believe they'll top Boston for the second seed. @JonFilet: Despite a new front office, the Pacers have the same starting 5, a more explosive bench. The biggest X Factor? Paul George.
4	Chicago Bulls*	46	36	.561	50	16	.758
@CarlosSolano1:Without Derrick Rose and all the pieces they lost during the summer, can't see the Bulls as a top-4 team. @Geoffrey_M34: Why do people think the Bulls are going to be a playoff team without Rose? At best they finish 7th in the East.
5	Brooklyn Nets*	46	36	.561	22	44	.333
@uuords: Almost goes without saying, but Summer Forecast projects the Nets to have the biggest jump in winning percentage in the East. @nicksims14: The #NBAPicks are so wrong! The Nets get Joe Johnson and all of a sudden they're a top-5 team?!?!?! No way!!!!
6	Philadelphia 76ers*	46	36	.561	35	31	.530
@notnaJeff: How could the Sixers not be in the top 4? They have the BEST center in the East, improved shooters and the secret weapon, DOUG C! @stein411: The ESPN #NBApicks have the Sixers too low. How are the Celtics gonna stop Andrew Bynum down low?
7	New York Knicks	45	37	.549	36	30	.545
@BigL_17: No way the Knicks are going to finish seventh. They were one of the hottest teams in the league at the end of the year. Top 4. @jrich1993: The Knicks will challenge the Heat this year in the East. Melo will be better than ever. No. 7 is just disrespect.
8	Atlanta Hawks	40	42	.488	40	26	.606
@TVFilmTalk: Does Danny Ferry want Hawks to be good to attract free agents or bad to get prime draft pick? Eighth in the East is worst of all worlds. @AriFelsen: Atlanta may fall to the 7th or 8th seed in the East, but they will definitely finish with at least 45 wins.
9	Milwaukee Bucks	37	45	.451	31	35	.470
@mmm9731: I agree with Milwaukee being 9th. Jennings and Ellis are very good, but teams like Philly and Brooklyn managed to greatly improve this summer. @Ravn524: The Bucks will be better than 9th in the East -- the Knicks are not better than Milwaukee. So sick of them being disrespected.
10	Cleveland Cavaliers	33	49	.402	21	45	.318
@Ry_FreeMinds: The Cavs are gonna be fighting for that 8th spot if Kyrie Irving stays healthy. I think 38-41 wins isn't out of the question. @LoganReardon20: I think Cleveland is underrated this year in #NBApicks. With Kyrie leading the way and solid young talent around him, Cleveland should get 40 wins at least.
11	Toronto Raptors	32	50	.390	23	43	.348
@jayhwat: Toronto is my dark horse to squeeze into the 8th spot in the East. Bargnani, Lowry, Valanciunas, DeRozan is a solid young nucleus. #NBAPicks @SkylerJGilbert: Toronto's a team that could threaten with the 8 spot. Addition of Lowry, Ross and Valanciunas adds much-needed defensive help.
12	Washington Wizards	31	51	.378	20	46	.303
@GreatPScott: I think the Wizards are ranked too low. A lot of young talent a formidable bench -- they have a chance to compete for the 8 spot. @_andyhughes: With the addition of Trevor Ariza and Okafor to pair up with John Wall, Nene and Beal, NBA playoffs are coming to Washington.
13	Detroit Pistons	30	52	.366	25	41	.379
@dlh1231: Watch out for Knight and Monroe this year. Stuckey is also ready to break out after showing flashes. @bigz4threee: No way the Pistons finish so low. Rodney Stuckey/Greg Monroe/Andre Drummond are ballin'!
14	Orlando Magic	21	61	.256	37	29	.561
@Hi_ImMecir: The Magic will finish this low only because the organization wants them to. Getting a top-2 pick is crucial for their future. @SonnyJason2: I expect Orlando to be as bad as Cleveland was when LeBron left. It wouldn't surprise me if they end up dead last in the East.
15	Charlotte Bobcats	19	63	.232	7	59	.106
@QCsportscrave: I won't scuffle about the Bobcats finishing last in the East, but sorry, they're far better than 19 wins. #NBApicks @dlh1231: They think the Bobcats will win 19 games? That's pretty bold. Join the discussion »