Shaheen Karolia, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

With the NBA regular season just finishing, it’s time to take a look at the playoffs and what to expect in each first-round matchup. Where the potential upsets are and where we expect teams to make quick work of their opponents. If the NBA playoffs have taught us one thing before, it’s that anything can happen.

Pistons (1) vs. Sixers/Magic/Hornets/Heat (8)

It doesn’t matter who the Pistons play; they’ll make quick work of whoever lands the 8th seed. Cade Cunningham has had enough time to ramp back up before the playoffs, and when he’s been fully healthy, he’s looked like an MVP. On offense, he controls all aspects of the game. He’s averaging 24 points on good efficiency, while also dishing out 10 assists a game, trailing only the 3x MVP Nikola Jokic for the most in the league. Then you have Jalen Duren, who’s broken out this year, averaging a 20-point double-double with amazing defense. Not to mention the other amazing defenders this team has, like Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, and Ron Holland II. The Pistons play a very physical brand of basketball, just like they used to back in the 80s to the early 2000s. And that brand of basketball contributes to winning games in the regular season, but especially in the postseason. In the playoffs, games become more physical, and the referees allow you to get away with more. It will be a more difficult series if they play the Sixers/Hornets because of the Sixers’ star talent and the Hornets electric offense. But I can’t see either of those teams winning more than a game.

Prediction: Pistons in five

Cavaliers (4) vs Raptors (5)

Harden has transformed the Cavaliers offense. Before he arrived, if the other team was able to slow down Donovan Mitchell, no one would be able to pick up the slack. Now Harden has filled that role of the secondary scoring option while also facilitating the rest of the offense. The problem? James Harden has never played up to expectations in the playoffs. Every year, he always finds a way to take his game down 10 notches when the pressure is highest. The good news? They don’t need regular-season Harden to win this season. The Cavaliers don’t need to play exceptional offense; they just need to play a league-average offense and let their defense take care of the rest. Yes, I know their perimeter defense is horrible with Harden and Mitchell as their starting backcourt. But the Raptors made the 5th fewest 3s per game this season on below average efficiency. Meaning most of their points came from inside the paint. Unfortunately for them, the Cavaliers have the scariest defensive front court in the league with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Plus, they can play in drop coverage whenever Poeltl is in the game. Then if the Raptors decide to play small ball, the Cavs will play Mobley at centre with his versatility to guard one through five. However, with all that being said, the Raptors do have an elite defense of their own. They posted the fifth-best defensive rating in the league at 112.1 with one of the best defenders in the league in Scottie Barnes. There will be stretches in this series where the Raptors will shut down the Cavaliers’ offense. If they can find a way to catch fire from three a game or two, they could definitely win this series. But that’s a very big if, and for that reason I see the Cavaliers winning this one.

Prediction: Cavaliers in six

Daiei Onoguchi, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Knicks (3) vs Hawks (6)

There are so many signs that point to an upset. Since the Hawks traded Trae Young, they’ve gone 28-15, climbing from the 10th seed in the East to the 6th seed. If we look at after the All-Star break, they’ve gone an incredible 20-6, with the second-best defensive rating in the league (108.6). That’s going to be huge for them, considering the Knicks had the fourth-best offense in the NBA this year. However, a lot of that offense came from Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns being able to get their own shot off whenever they wanted. But the Hawks have great defenders to match up with them. They, of course, won’t be able to completely stop them, but at least slow them down enough to the point where the Knicks are going to have to rely on players like Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. Dyson Daniels will be able to guard Brunson. Then you have Jalen Johnson, who will be the perfect matchup for Karl-Anthony Towns. Having said all that, the Knicks have been to the playoffs many times before, and we’ve seen this group perform when the lights are brightest. Jalen Brunson elevates his game to historic levels when the playoffs come around and when it comes down to crunch time in close playoff games, we’ve seen him and the Knicks close games. That can be the difference between winning and losing a series.

Prediction: Knicks in seven

Celtics (2) vs Sixers/Magic (7)

After watching the Celtics vs Magic game in the regular season finale, I’m genuinely convinced Joe Mazzulla can go 12 players deep in the playoffs. You can take Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum off this team and probably convince me that the Celtics will still win this series. Now tell me that they’re fully healthy and everyone is available. There’s no reason why they won’t make quick work of their first-round opponent. This is as complete a team as you will ever come by; they have the talent, an elite coach, and championship experience. This year, they had a top-five offense and defense. Meaning if you’re somehow able to score consistently on them, they’ll be scoring right back on the other end. If you’re locking them up, they’ll lock you up. And even if you’re beating them on both ends of the floor, Joe Mazzula will make the necessary adjustments to get his team back in the game. It doesn’t matter who they play; this series is over before it’s even started. The only way the Sixers or Magic can take a game is if Tyrese Maxey or Paolo Banchero go off for 60 one game.

Prediction: Celtics in four