Western Conference Headline: The younger teams had impressive regular seasons that led them to the top of the Conference. Can they hold off the more battle-tested veteran teams now that the games truly matter?
Eastern Conference Headline: Can anyone beat Boston? The East is very top-heavy and there is uncertainty if a serious threat to Boston exists at all. Who will step up?

Eastern Conference

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (8) Miami Heat
Cleveland had the best record in the NBA for a large part of the regular season. Kenny Atkinson maximized Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland playing alongside each other and now the true test begins. The Miami Heat may seem like a walkover first-round matchup, but not so fast. Even without Jimmy Butler, Miami has often been a team that underperforms in the regular season and overperforms in the postseason. Cleveland might get spooked for a game, but they should gentleman’s sweep the Heat.
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1

(2) Boston Celtics vs (7) Orlando Magic
The Celtics are the reigning Champions and betting favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. Even with the Magic almost fully healthy again, this will likely not be much of a contest. It will be interesting to see how Boston contains Paolo Banchero, however even if Paolo goes off, the Celtics are a much better team and will prove it decisively.
Prediction: Boston Celtics 4-0

(3) New York Knicks vs (6) Detroit Pistons
How interesting might things get in New York this offseason if they are bounced in the first-round by Detroit? New York has played impressively all season and this team looks to be the best all-around Knicks team in maybe decades. The concern all year has been that they cannot beat the league’s best. They lost every game played against Cleveland, Boston, and Oklahoma City. In this matchup with the Pistons though, New York should win. Detroit may not want to hear that they should be happy to have just made the playoffs. Yet, that is a true statement. Remember, they won 14 games last year!
Prediction: New York Knicks 4-1

(4) Indiana Pacers vs (5) Milwaukee Bucks
Many might see this as one of the more boring first-round matchups, especially with Damian Lillard’s likely missing Games 1 and 2 at least. The reason it has the potential to be exciting is that Indiana bounced Milwaukee in last year’s postseason. Granted, Giannis was out due to injury, but it still feels like a revenge series for the Bucks. Plus, Milwaukee is the hottest team in the league heading into these playoffs having won 8 straight games.
Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks 4-3



Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (8) Memphis Grizzlies
Oklahoma City won 20 more regular season games than the Memphis Grizzlies, a stat that had to be double-checked to confirm. The Thunder are title favorites in Vegas and why shouldn’t they be? They looked dominant from start to finish this season and their bench depth is unmatched in the Western Conference. The main hesitation surrounding OKC is related to their youth and lack of playoff experience. Ja Morant and the Grizzlies can likely steal a game, then it is off to Cancun.
Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1

(2) Houston Rockets vs (7) Golden State Warriors
Did it surprise anyone that the Golden State Warriors opened as betting favorites for this series once they locked in to the 7th-seed? The Rockets are one of the youngest teams in the NBA and they had some rollercoaster streaks of winning and losing during the regular season. Then, look at Golden State, who when the ball rolls out to play will have Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler lined up. If Houston can get over the mental hurdle of who the Warriors used to be, they might just have a chance.
Prediction: Golden State Warriors 4-3

(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
The new look Lakers climbed to the 3rd-seed after the acquisition of Luka Doncic. Pairing him with LeBron James, who for the first time in a few of years seems to actually believe he has a Championship caliber team, is a dangerous proposition for opponents. Anthony Edwards always rises to the occasion, and he may try to prove he can be the best player on the floor for a night or two. Even if he scores 50, which he probably has to for the Timberwolves to win, this Lakers team feels like a bad matchup for them.
Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers 4-2

(4) Denver Nuggets vs (5) LA Clippers
This series is a tale of two teams going in completely different directions. One team, the Denver Nuggets, fired their head coach with 3 games remaining in the regular season and has had no consistent help for Nikola Jokic all year. The other team, the LA Clippers, has won 8 straight games and their two best players, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, are both playing at All-Star levels. These teams are going in trending opposite ways and I expect the series result to reflect that.
Prediction: LA Clippers 4-2