The NBA playoffs are set to kickoff. The beginning of the road to the championship has energized all 16 teams competing, since every team has an equal shot to win the title. A lot of teams have emerged as real contenders and it’s hard to say which team will move on to the second round. The following are just some predictions of how the first round is going to turn out.

1. Indiana Pacers vs. 8 Atlanta Hawks

The Pacers have secured themselves the first seed and are going up against the Hawks. As the season was ending, the Pacers started to lose team chemistry and began to lose a majority of their final games of the regular season. The Hawks could give them a run for their money if they don’t rally together and start looking at the bigger picture. The Pacers will manage to make it passed the hawks off of sheer talent but could lose in the second round if they don’t get their act together soon.

2. Miami Heat vs. 7 Charlotte Bobcats

Miami has swept the season series against the Bobcats at 4-0. This gives us a clear picture of who could win this matchup. The Bobcats are more energetic and are willing to put up a fight but they have been sporadic during the regular season and that’s not enough to go deep into the playoffs. The Defending NBA champions Miami Heat have made strong runs to secure the championship in recent years and are more custom to those tough playoff situations than the Bobcats.

3. Toronto Raptors vs. 6 Brooklyn Nets

This is one of the more interesting matchup as it pits a young, up and coming Raptors team against the elite group of veterans, the Nets. These two teams both have a new coach this year without much experience in the playoffs, which makes the series a tossup. The difference again is playoff experience, as the Nets have two future hall of famers in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, who know that their window of winning another NBA title together is closing with their aging talent. The Raptors haven’t been to the playoffs since 2008 but they are going up against one of the oldest teams in the NBA, which could be beneficial to them.

4. Chicago Bulls vs. 5 Washington Wizards

We know that the Bulls are one of the toughest defensive teams in the east and can drain the energy of the opposing team, however they have sustained injuries that could quell their thirst for a title. The Wizards the last few years have been rebuilding and found young talent in the draft in John Wall and Bradley Beal, they are also surrounded by and a good supporting cast to complement their scoring style of play. The Wizards seem to have the upper hand as they excel in 3 point shooting, which is one of the Chicago Bulls few weaknesses, meaning they can control the tempo and make it easier to score from inside and out .

WEST

1. San Antonio Spurs vs. 8 Dallas Mavericks

These two teams meet once again in the playoffs continuing their long division rivalry. San Antonio is the favorites as they have the best record in the entire NBA. It seems that the Spurs have found a method on how to deal with the Mavericks by beating them 4-0 in the regular season. The Spurs couldn’t ask for a better matchup and could potentially sweep this round.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 7 Memphis Grizzlies

The Thunder have been one of the most dominant and consistent teams in the league mainly because of their MVP Kevin Durant, as he is been able to contribute a little bit of everything, especially scoring. The Grizzlies are a decent team but just not good enough to pose much of a threat to this Thunder team. They have shown their dominance in this league and are expected to have a deep run in the playoffs and a championship rings on their fingers soon.

3. LA Clippers vs. 6 Golden State Warriors

The Clippers entered the season with Doc Rivers as their coach and surrounded their top guys Chris Paul and Blake Griffin with a good bench to help compete in the tough western conference. Their matched up against the Warriors duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who can get hot in a hurry and light it up from three point range and the athletic Andre Iguodala. Their major weakness is their lack of  bench depth to contribute, whereas the Clippers are loaded with a solid bench that give valuable minutes when called upon.

4. Houston Rockets vs. 5 Portland Trail Blazers

The Rockets and Blazers have met four times during the regular season with Houston coming out on top 3-1. The rockets are more defensive oriented with Dwight Howard protecting the rim. The Blazers are another young team with potential, they have been making their presence known in the NBA with their young star Damian Liliard and center Lamarcus Aldridge. The Blazers do have solid veteran backup players to facilitate the offense. This round could swing either way as there are two key player matchups; Damian Liliard vs James Harden on offense and Lamarcus Aldridge against Dwight Howard. Whichever team wins those matchups early will go on to the second round.

Playoff experience is key because the players are more accustomed to pressure situations, and know what to do in order for their team to pull ahead to the next round. Anything could happen in the playoffs, since there aren’t many teams that could sweep anyone this year and both conferences have long series matchups ahead