Atlanta Hawks vs. Brooklyn Nets. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics. Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks. Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards. Our panel breaks down each first-round series in the East and makes their picks for the eventual conference champ.
1. Hawks-Nets will be ...
Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN.com: A clinic. We've seen only snapshots of the Hawks' best basketball since they wrapped up the No. 1 seed sometime toward the end of the second Clinton administration, but they're healthy, focused and more than anything, just better on both sides of the ball. Hawks in five ... but you should ask Paul Pierce.
Chad Ford, ESPN.com: Mercifully short. No one actually believes the Nets deserve to be in the playoffs. The Hawks should make quick work of them. While they're at it, Hawks fans can send a big thank-you to Nets general manager Billy King for taking Joe Johnson's horrific deal off the books and sending the Nets' No. 15 pick this year in return. That's the deal that keeps on giving and giving for the Hawks, and this year it likely will propel them into the Eastern Conference finals and a top 15 pick. Hawks in four.
Israel Gutierrez, ESPN.com: Bizarre. The Hawks won 60 games, securing the top seed comfortably, and yet they still shouldn't feel comfortable in this matchup. The Nets closed the season 13-6, rode a dominant Brook Lopez and discovered Bojan Bogdanovic. The Hawks finished 7-8, with an injured Paul Millsap (shoulder) missing five of the last six games. Could Joe Johnson exact revenge on the Hawks? Does he even want to? Hawks in six.
Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com: Have unpredictable moments. The Nets have been one of the most unpredictable teams all season; you never know what they're going to do. I expect wild swings from them both ways. The Hawks have been a little uneven because of injury and other circumstance lately and this is an ideal period for them to get their rhythm back, which I expect them to do in five.
Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPNNew York: A lie-detector test. If the Hawks struggle against the Nets, then the critics who believe Atlanta isn't for real will gain more steam. On the other side, we'll see if Paul Pierce was really spitting "truth" about the Nets' core needing Pierce and Kevin Garnett to keep them from packing it in. The Nets have enough talent to give the Hawks trouble, but I still think Atlanta will win in six.
2. Cavs-Celtics will be ...
Arnovitz: An initiation for Boston and a tuneup for Cleveland. Aside from the usual psychoanalysis of the Cavs' collective body language, the most telling gauge of their preparedness will be whether they're D-ing up with any kind of coherence. Can we take a sec to recognize what the Celtics have accomplished with a roster of either young or negligible talent? They'll be out in five, but with nothing to be ashamed of.
Ford: The ultimate players vs. coaching match-up. The Cavs clearly have a major talent advantage over the Celtics. LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are light years ahead of the best Celtics players of the moment. The Celtics, however, may have the best young basketball coach in the world. Swap David Blatt out for Brad Stevens, and the Cavs are probably the favorites to win it all. Leave Stevens on the Celtics, and Boston will push Cleveland hard. Cavs in six.
Gutierrez: A lesson. Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson are among the Cavs with no playoff experience. This will be a good starting point for them. They get to experience the raucous TD Garden without the annoyingly good Celtics actually playing in it. Boston's young core will learn a lot as well -- like how to graciously exit the playoffs after losing in five games.
Windhorst: One-sided. Let's be honest, probably five of the top six players in this series play for the Cavs. The concerns about the Cavs' lack of collective playoff experience is rather mitigated by the largely inexperienced Celtics. As a nod to Brad Stevens, let's see a gentleman's sweep.
Youngmisuk: The first hurdle for King James and Co. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love will have to show they can shine in the postseason, and James is going to have to show them the way. So there could be some growing pains for Cleveland this postseason, but not in this round. Brad Stevens has done an amazing job with the Celtics, but the Cavs will move on in five.
3. Bulls-Bucks will be ...
Arnovitz: A war of attrition. In theory -- and it's still just a theory -- the Bulls can hang with anyone in the East. The Bucks, after the midseason shuffle at the point, are playing some of the best defense in the league. Like the Celtics, the baby Bucks will have a nice baptism into postseason basketball, but for their sake, I worry about the bowl at Bradley Center being a little too red. Bulls in six.
Ford: The Bulls coming out party. Bucks GM John Hammond has done great work rebuilding this team fast, and coach Jason Kidd has done an amazing job getting them to play together and play hard. If the Bulls had this cohesiveness all season, they might be the No. 1 seed. Nevertheless with Derrick Rose finally back and healthy, and the rest of the roster healing as well, I expect we will see a much more dangerous Bulls team in the playoffs. With Joakim Noah defending the rim, Jimmy Butler slashing to the basket and Nikola Mirotic nailing critical 3s in the fourth, this team is deep and could very well end up representing the East in the Finals. Bulls in five.
Gutierrez: Sloppy. Just a guess here, but the Bucks do force the most turnovers of any team in the league, and the Bulls do have a Derrick Rose who's still working his way back. And both teams are in the top five in field goal percentage against, so even if it's not sloppy, there's not much of a chance it'll be pretty. Bulls in six.
Windhorst: Great for the carbon footprint. No charter flights! As long as everyone figures out that Chicago is due south of Milwaukee but you take I-94 East to get there. The Bulls had owned the Bucks until recently, when Milwaukee ended a nine-game home losing skid to Chicago. Not sure what happened with Derrick Rose's knee in the regular-season finale, but I look forward to Khris "Money" Middleton to have some moments: Bulls in six.
Youngmisuk: Ugly. The I-94 battle between the division neighbors may see more deflections than dunks. During their season series, neither team reached 100 points in any game. Jason Kidd deserves some coach of the year recognition for taking a 15-win team to the playoffs, but coach Tom Thibodeau's Bulls are too seasoned for the young Bucks. Chicago in six.
4. Raptors-Wizards will be ...
Arnovitz: A study in contrasts. The Wiz can lock opponents down on D, but go eons without finding decent shots in the half court. Meanwhile, the Raps' defense has been a sieve all season but can put points on the board at will. The variable here is the health of Kyle Lowry and whether the Raptors' front line can hold down the interior. Raps in a fierce seven-game series.
Ford: Irrelevant. The Raptors and Wizards are solid Eastern Conference teams that would've struggled to crack the top 10 in the West. They should beat each other up for seven games, and whoever stumbles out of the scrum will walk smack into the claws of a deep, well-rested Hawks team. Wizards in seven.
Gutierrez: The best first-round matchup. It's not only because the Raptors score more than any other team in the East and that their building is a great playoff venue, but the Wizards are somewhat unpredictable. Their offense is frustrating, but the John Wall-Bradley Beal combination can be explosive in the playoffs. Raptors in seven.
Windhorst: Great to reminisce about with Paul Pierce in a few years. PP's commentary on his old Celtics and Nets teams this week was refreshing in its honestly. What does he really think about how his team has played since Jan. 1? Let's wait to find out. Both of these teams are hoping for the same thing: recover their form from November and December. Whoever wins, and it may be Raps in 6 or 7, is going to really have to do something to pose a threat to the Hawks in two weeks.
Youngmisuk: A matchup of maturing teams. Both teams are filled with young talent looking to take that next step. But the Raptors, who lost Game 7 to the Nets on a Paul Pierce block last year, have a chance at redemption. With Pierce on the Wizards now, something tells me the Raptors will apply last season's heartache to pull out a Game 7 on their floor this year.
5. The East champs will be ...
Arnovitz: Atlanta. Here's the thinking: Is the margin between the Cavs' and Hawks' defenses greater than the Cavs' and Hawks' offenses? I think it is. I also believe that a healthy Bulls team has more than a puncher's chance against Cleveland, which also tilts the percentages. The Hawks will have to conjure up their January selves, but they're capable.
Ford: Chicago. I've been bullish on Chicago all season and while they haven't lived up to expectations (thanks mostly to injuries and some chemistry issues) I think the Bulls have the best roster to make the Finals. The Hawks, Cavs and Bulls are all capable of winning the East and clearly the Hawks and Cavs have been playing better this season. But with Derrick Rose now back, Nikola Mirotic hitting his stride and Tom Thibodeau possibly on the way out and coaching with an even bigger chip on his shoulder, I think the Bulls are deeper and better-coached than the Cavs and have better depth than the Hawks.
Gutierrez: Cleveland. Not an easy choice, with the Hawks and Bulls both legitimate contenders, but there's too much evidence since the January trades that the Cavs are the best team in the conference. It's possible the offense reverts to bad habits, but we've seen LeBron James work his way through a questionable Eastern Conference field too many times to think it won't happen again.
Windhorst: The team with LeBron James. He's done it five times in the past seven years and the Cavs went 34-10 in the last 44 games he played in. No disrespect to the Hawks, but that's pretty compelling when it comes to being asked for a prediction.
Youngmisuk: The Cavaliers. As I said earlier, I still think Cleveland will have some rocky moments. But this is the time of year LeBron reminds everyone that he's still the best player in the game. Unless Derrick Rose suddenly reverts to his old MVP self, the Cavs should be able to get to the Finals.