It's that time of year again. The NBA playoffs are here, and this season's edition should prove to be another spectacle.
So who will be this year's champion? Look no further than right here for a breakdown of this year's playoff field.
Eastern Conference
First round
No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Detroit Pistons
The Cavs win this easily. No contest. The pistons simply don't have the talent on their roster to deal with the likes of LeBron & Co.
Cavs win 4-0
No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 7 Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are in the midst of changing the identity of their team. A few seasons ago, the Pacers were a serious threat to the Cavs' throne in the east and were a tough, physical defensive unit. Only George Hill and Paul George remain from the core group of that team and they are not what they used to be. The Raptors have too much talent in Kyle Lowry and Demar Derozan. They're simply better in all aspects.
Raptors win 4-1
No. 3 Miami Heat vs. No. 6 Charlotte Hornets
The Miami Heat are a talented and experienced group, and ultimately that experience will prove to be the difference between the two teams. Don't ignore the Hornets, they will prove to be a solid opponent. Kemba Walker took a big step forward, and the rest of the Hornets stepped up as a result of his play. Despite this, D-Wade doesn't let his boys go home early.
Heat win 4-2
No. 4 Atlanta Hawks vs. No. 5 Boston Celtics
Both teams enjoyed successful seasons, but this year seems to be the Celtic's year. No team made a bigger stride in the eastern conference than the Celtics, and they will ride this momentum to a first-round victory.
Celtics win 4-2
Second Round
No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Boston Celtics
The Celtics will make this a tough series for the Cavs, but once again, the talent of the Cavs is just too much for the Celtics to overcome.
Cavs win 4-1
No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 3 Miami Heat
If Chris Bosh was healthy, then the Heat would be the favorites to win this series, but alas, Mr. Bosh can only do so much from the sideline. The Raptors and Heat will trade haymakers, but the Raptors will have the last laugh. Kyle Lowry will be the difference.
Raptors win 4-1
Eastern Conference Finals
No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 2 Toronto Raptors
The Cavs are the class of the Eastern Conference. Plain and simple. The Raptors aren’t too bad themselves so don’t be shocked if they play better than you expect. This will a tough, competitive series, but nothing will stop LeBron from leading his team to another finals appearance.
Cavs win 4-2
Western Conference
First Round
No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 Houston Rockets
Golden State in four. No explanation needed. Won't even be close.
GSW wins 4-0
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies
San Antonio sweeps the Grizzlies. The Spurs are built for the playoffs. The Grizzlies are resilient, but not enough to make an impact in this series.
SAS wins 4-0
No. 3 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 6 Dallas Mavericks
Oklahoma City handles their business against Dallas. Dallas takes one game, Rick Carlisle is too good a coach to get swept.
OKC wins 4-1
No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Portland Trailblazers
This looks to be the most interesting catch-up of the first round in either conference. This boils down to Chris Paul vs. Damian Lillard. Lillard proves once again just how overlooked he is and wills the Blazers to an unlikely first round upset.
Portland wins 4-3
Second Round
No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 5 Portland Trailblazers
Golden State is too tough for the young Blazers. Lillard wills his team to one win. Don’t expect much defense in this series.
GSW wins 4-1
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 3 Oklahoma City Thunder
Spurs surprise a lot of people and sweep the Thunder. The Spurs are hungry to see the Warriors again and want to send a message to the rest of the league.
SAS wins 4-0
Conference Finals
No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 2 San Antonio Spurs
The match-up we’ve all been waiting for. Goliath vs Goliath. Part of me wishes these two teams could meet in the finals, but we’ll just have to settle for the conference finals. Expect these two to go back and forth and trade blows like it’s the “thrilla in manilla.” At the end of the day, Stephen Curry is the MVP for a reason, and he leads his squad to another finals appearance. After this heartbreaking defeat, Tim Duncan will decide to come back for one more year.
GSW wins 4-3
NBA Finals
No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers
A rematch of last year's finals. I'm sure most of us saw this coming, and let's be honest, this is what the fans want to see. LeBron, Kyrie, J.R. Smith, Kevin Love taking on Steph, Draymond and Klay; It doesn't get much better than this. This time around, LeBron has his full team at his disposal , and the difference will be noticeable. Despite LeBron's best efforts to lead his team, the Warriors are just simply a team of destiny this year. Steph Curry will play a great series, and will silence his haters en route to supplanting LeBron as the game's best player.
GSW wins 4-3
