Previewing Round One of the NBA Playoffs

The National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs will begin on Saturday, Apr. 20, and are expected to be fairly exciting this year. Each conference has some new faces, and both even have a new top dog as opposed to last season. 

Eastern Conference

The landscape of the Eastern Conference playoffs is a bit different this time around. Teams like the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers made it to the playoffs after missing them entirely last season. The Pacers will take on the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and the Magic will go toe-to-toe with the Cleveland Cavaliers to open the postseason.

In terms of the Pacers, their first-round matchup may look bad, but it isn’t as terrible as it seems. The Bucks are coming into this first-round series after going 3-7 in their last ten games and 14-12 since the All-Star break. On the other hand, the Indiana Pacers come into this series with a 7-3 record in their last ten games and a 16-10 record since the break. The Bucks just haven’t been able to put it together since the hiring of head coach Doc Rivers, and although they are the higher seed in this scenario, it feels more like a 50/50 series.

The Orlando Magic will make their first playoff appearance since 2020 this season. They didn’t necessarily get dealt a bad hand either, as they get to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. The problem with the Orlando Magic, though, is experience. The Magic only have four returning players since their playoff appearance in the 2020 season, and three of their five starters are set to play in their first postseason. Cleveland made the playoffs just last year and has lots of returning players, making them seem like a pretty big favorite. 

The Boston Celtics, on the other hand, have overtaken the Milwaukee Bucks as the number-one seed in the Eastern Conference this season. The New York Knicks also progressed this year, jumping up three spots from last season to the two-seed. Both of these teams look stellar coming into the playoffs with The Celtics going 7-3 in their last ten, and the Knicks coming into the playoffs on a five-game win streak. One of those wins also gave them a huge confidence boost as they beat the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, Apr. 14, to secure the second seed in the conference. 

Western Conference

The Western Conference looks a little bit shaken up, as well. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the new top dogs in the Western Conference after missing the playoffs entirely in 2023. Similar to the Magic, however, the Thunder’s biggest concern is experience. Despite being the number-one seed, the Thunder haven’t made the playoffs since 2020, and only have two returning players from that team. The Thunder overtook the Denver Nuggets for the top spot, although it’s not all bad for the Nuggets as they land the number-two seed. The defending champions are looking just as dangerous as last year, and even have more wins than last year despite moving down a spot in the standings. 

The Dallas Mavericks are back in the playoffs after missing last year, and although the Minnesota Timberwolves made the play-in tournament last year, they get into the original seeding this season. Both teams have their work cut out for them in the first round, as the Mavericks will take on the Los Angeles Clippers and the Timberwolves face off against the Phoenix Suns.

In terms of the Mavericks, their first time back in the playoffs since 2022 might be a rough go. The Clippers have experience up and down their roster, with all five of the Clippers starters having been in the playoffs. Despite that, this series is considered a toss-up, with the Mavericks undoubtedly having the best player on the court in guard Luka Dončić. 

The Timberwolves also weren’t greeted with an undeserving opponent for their return to the playoffs, being matched up with the Suns for the first round. The Suns built their roster for the playoffs this offseason by adding veteran scorers like guard Bradley Beal. It is worth noting that the Suns are led by a notoriously poor playoff performer, Kevin Durant, however, which is possibly the reason this series is 50/50 as well. The Timberwolves having home-court advantage for the series should be a huge plus as the two teams can easily go to a seventh game.

The first round of the NBA playoffs is always super competitive. In the next week or so, we will be down to the top four teams in each conference to see who will enshrine their names in the history books.