NBA Round 1 Predictions: Eastern Conference

With the NBA regular season finally over, sixteen teams are in the playoffs but only a handful of them are expected to truly make some noise and challenge for the NBA title. The West provides a few surprises, but the East looks fairly predictable. Here are my predictions for the East's Round One which kicks off today:


Cleveland vs. Chicago: The Cavs spent the end of the regular season rehabbing injuries, resting key players, and crawling to the finish line without any sense of urgency having won home court advantage throughout the playoffs weeks earlier. The Bulls, on the other hand, have clawed, scraped, and hustled their way from the outside to nab the final playoff spot over a stumbling Toronto Raptors team. With Shaq returning from his thumb injury and Lebron coming back well rested for the playoff grind, can the Cavaliers shake off their end-of-season rust to outplay a young, upstart Bulls team riding a wave of good basketball over the last month? In a word: yes. Gilbert and Ferry have set up this Cavaliers team to be a malleable collection of players, able to stand tall against muscle teams like Orlando and Los Angeles or to run with high energy teams like the Suns or this Bulls team. While Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah will showcase the talent that will give Chicago a glimpse into their bright future, even possibly stealing a game from the scoreboard-watching Cavaliers, the deeper, experienced, and ultimately more talented Cleveland team will put them away while waiting for the bigger fish to fry.

Prediction: Cleveland in 4

Orlando vs. Charlotte: The defending Eastern Conference champions ensured that a possible rematch with the Lakers would begin on their home court, winning the last six games on their schedule by an average of 16.2 points- not surprising for a team that led the league with a +7.5 point differential. The team boasts a formidable perimeter attack with the offensive firepower of Nelson, Carter, and Lewis, but the team lives and dies with the league's premiere center, self-proclaimed "Superman" Dwight Howard. However, the Magic find themselves matched up in Round One with the a tough seventh seed opponent in the Charlotte Bobcats. The league's toughest defense has allowed just 93.8 points per game, coming together under Larry Brown's guidance and rallying around an early season pickup of volatile swingman Stephen Jackson. With match-up monster Gerald Wallace throwing his body around the court and role players Diaw, Bell, and Thomas providing solid depth, can the surprising Bobcats pull an upset for new owner Michael Jordan and escape the Magic Kingdom into the second round? Not quite. Charlotte doesn't have an answer for Howard, so Orlando will look to exploit their advantage inside by feeding the big man in the middle. And with the Bobcats' strength of paint penetration neutralized by the soon-to-be repeating Defensive Player of the Year, Charlotte will need to rely on their spotty mid- and long-range game, which will be difficult in and of itself with Orlando's plethora of lengthy perimeter defenders. The result should be a surprisingly easy series win for Stan Van Gundy's squad.

Prediction: Orlando in 5

Atlanta vs. Milwaukee: It's amazing what a sixth man can do. After the Hawks fell apart in last year's playoff series against the Cavs, GM Rick Sund resigned his key free agents (Bibby, Pachulia, Williams) and traded for sharpshooter Jamal Crawford to make Atlanta one of the most feared teams in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks rode a post-All-Star game surge after trading for John Salmons to rise up to the fifth seed before dropping down to #6 after the season-ending injury to Andrew Bogut slowed down their momentum. Rookie point guard Brandon Jennings has provided stability at the point, but aside from a few role players playing above their heads, it's hard to imagine Milwaukee posing a big threat to the talented Hawks lineup that features Bibby, Johnson, Smith, and Horford without their big Aussie in the middle. Look for a quick end to what could have been a tougher series for Atlanta had they played a healthier Bucks team.

Prediction: Atlanta in 4

Boston vs. Miami. With the championship window getting smaller each year, the Celtics Big Three of Garnett, Pierce, and Allen welcomed rising star Rajon Rondo to take charge. When all of their pieces are in play, Boston becomes a very dangerous team, but that has been a rare feat for them throughout the regular season. Miami makes for an interesting match-up: Wade can take over a game at any moment, while Beasley and O'Neal provide some size and scoring ability inside. While this may prove to be the East's longest series with Wade's talent alone stealing a couple of games, Boston's depth, size, and experience will be too much for the Heat.

Prediction: Boston in 6