Western Conference Headline: First time any Conference has had the top 10 teams all finish 10 games over .500
Eastern Conference Headline: Injuries, injuries, injuries (Julius Randle, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Alex Caruso)

Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics vs (8) Miami Heat/Chicago Bulls
Last year, the Boston Celtics lost to a Play-In Miami Heat team in the postseason. This year is not last year. The Heat will be without Jimmy Butler and may not even make it past the Chicago Bulls for the last seed. Regardless of who advances to face Boston, the Celtics will make light work of this first-round series.
Prediction: Boston Celtics 4-0

(2) New York Knicks vs (7) Philadelphia 76ers
Of all the first-round playoff matchups, the Knicks versus Sixers is the most exciting (I might be biased)! The Sixers have won 9 straight games since the return of Joel Embiid and look like/are a completely different team with the reigning MVP in the lineup. Jalen Brunson has played All-NBA basketball this year and in the absence of Julius Randle has carried the load. Brunson, Hart, and DiVincenzo will essentially be playing all home games since Villanova played a number of home games at the Wells Fargo Center. Expect this one to go the distance.
Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers 4-3

(3) Milwaukee Bucks vs (6) Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee is limping into the playoffs as one of the worst teams in the league the last couple of weeks. Adding insult to injury the Bucks will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo, at least to start. And to kick them while they are down even more, the Pacers won 4 of the 5 matchups between these two teams this year. Giannis may be asking for a trade following a first-round exit.
Prediction: Indiana Pacers 4-2

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (5) Orlando Magic
If we are being honest, this series will get the least amount of viewers in the first-round and it should not even be close. The Cavs peaked midseason and since then have been unimpressive. The Magic on the other hand have not seen playoff success in over a decade. This series will likely be very competitive and close; it just does not have the star power that the other series do.
Prediction: Orlando Magic 4-3


Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (8) New Orleans Pelicans/Sacramento Kings
If you had the Thunder being the 1st seed in the Western Conference at the beginning of the season, please hit me up for some betting futures. It was extremely unexpected that the second-youngest team in the NBA would win the most games in the stronger Conference regardless of the talent on the roster. Now is the real test for this team and an easy first-round series will help immensely with their confidence. Without Zion, I expect the Kings to win the final Play-In game and advance to play OKC.
Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1

(2) Denver Nuggets vs (7) Los Angeles Lakers
Taking out homer bias, this series will likely be the most highly anticipated and watched first-round NBA series. The hate between these teams is real! Denver swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals last season and has also swept the season series this year. So this will be a 4-0 quick series for the Nuggets, right? Wrong. This has the potential to be a legacy series for LeBron James and he is healthy as well as playing some of the best basketball of his life lately. LeBron will not go down without a fight and definitely holds a grudge from some of the things Denver said during their Championship parade last year. Unfortunately, the Nuggets are a better team overall. LeBron needs a 2016 NBA Finals performance to beat Denver.
Prediction: Denver Nuggets 4-2

(3) Minnesota Timberwolves vs (6) Phoenix Suns
With a first-round exit to a younger Timberwolves team, would Kevin Durant’s all-time legacy begin to decline? Yes, KD is a two-time NBA Champion and two-time Finals MVP. The asterisk is that he won both of this after joining a Golden State Warriors team that had already won chips. Phoenix has been playing great basketball to close out the season, but they will be facing a well-oiled Minnesota team that is led by Anthony Edwards, who I expect to be the best player in this series by the end of it.
Prediction: Minnesota Timberwolves 4-3

(4) Los Angeles Clippers vs (5) Dallas Mavericks
If you are looking for big names, even if some are past their primes, this series has the headline players you know. For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook are trying to prove that they have more left in the tank and can win together. Besides Kawhi, the others have 0 NBA Finals victories though, and are feeling the pressure of being on the back nine of their careers. For the Mavericks, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving surprisingly play really well off of each other and have been unstoppable on offense. The scary thing for the Clippers is the Mavericks’ defense has been locked in to close out the season.
Prediction: Dallas Mavericks 4-2