NBA Playoff Dancers and Predictions

Eastern Conference Round 1

No. 1 CHICAGO vs. No. 8 INDIANA
Regular season series: Bulls 3-1
The Pacers won the most recent meeting (March 18), handing the Bulls their only Central Division loss of the season (15-1). Chicago won the other three by an average of 17.6 points. The defensive-minded Bulls will make quick work of this series. BULLS in 4

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Eastern Conference Round 1

No. 2 MIAMI vs. No. 7 PHILADELPHIA
Regular season series: Heat 3-0
The Heat are certainly a streaky team, evidenced in its five straight losses just past the All-Star break and 15-3 record to close out the season. Miami seems geared up for the postseason while the 76ers are running up against a freight train with Williams and Iguodala nursing injuries. HEAT in 5

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Eastern Conference Round 1

No. 3 BOSTON vs. No. 6 NEW YORK
Regular season series: Celtics 4-0
How can the most intriguing series in the first round of the Eastern Conference be that of a Boston team that swept New York this season, including on the final night of the season? The lack of the Celtics’ inside presence along with the running style of the Knicks is perhaps one of the reasons. Maybe it’s just the history and location of the two franchises. Expect a physical series. CELTICS in 6

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Eastern Conference Round 1

No. 4 ORLANDO vs. No. 5 ATLANTA
Regular season series: Hawks 3-1
Last season the Magic won the regular season series 3-1 and then swept the Hawks in the second round. This season can the roles be reversed after Atlanta went 3-1 against its Southeast Division rival? The Hawks can defend Howard, but losing a season-high six games to enter the postseason just doesn’t bode well for Atlanta. MAGIC in 7

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Western Conference Round 1

No. 1 SAN ANTONIO vs. No. 8 MEMPHIS
Regular season series: Tied 2-2
Is there really a chance the Grizzlies could knock off the top seed in the West? No. Once or twice a season is nice, but it is highly unlikely that the Memphis will become just the second No. 8 seed in league history to win a seven-game series (Golden State 2007) and knock off a No. 1 seed in the first round. SPURS in 5

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Western Conference Round 1

No. 2 LOS ANGELES vs. No. 7 NEW ORLEANS
Regular season series: Lakers 4-0
Remember when the Hornets were 11-1 and the Lakers were 9-2? Look out Western Conference finals preview. Well, that’s hardly the case now. The Lakers are the champs and have endured their ups and downs — 17-1 after the All-Star break followed by 2-5 to close out the season. The Hornets were 13-11 after the break and 0-3 entering the postseason. LAKERS in 4

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Western Conference Round 1

No. 3 DALLAS vs. No. 6 PORTLAND
Regular season series: Tied 2-2
Dallas is certainly streaky with win runs of 12, 10, eight, five and now four to close the season. As Dirk Nowitzki goes, so go the Mavs. Portland has been solid as of late against playoff teams and is always tough at home, including 11-4 since the break. The acquisition of Gerald Wallace could catapult the Blazers into the second round. BLAZERS in 7

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Western Conference Round 1

No. 4 OKLAHOMA CITY vs. No. 5 DENVER
Regular season series: Thunder 3-1
The Thunder have the game’s best scorer in Kevin Durant and one of the game’s best guards in Russell Westbrook. They also have Kendrick Perkins down low. But who closes out a game for the Nuggets? The home-court edge and the having-a-closer edge gives the edge to OKC. THUNDER in 6

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Eastern Conference Finals

No. 1 CHICAGO vs. No. 2 MIAMI
Regular season series: Bulls 3-0
Yes, we skipped the second round. We will get back to that later this month as the first round winds down. But we couldn't very well make our predictions as to who wins it all AFTER the playoffs have started. So on the Eastern Conference side, the Bulls, shunned by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade during free agency last summer, will show they didn't need them anyway and advance to the NBA Finals. BULLS in 7

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Western Conference Finals

No. 2 LOS ANGELES vs. No. 4 OKLAHOMA CITY
Regular season series: Lakers 2-1
The Thunder made a nice run at the defending champion Lakers in the first round last year, but could not win in L.A. and ultimately fell in six games as the the Lakers went on to make it two titles in a row. OKC won't stand in the way this year, either. Although the Thunder will again put up a good fight, the experience will give the champs the edge. LAKERS in 7

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NBA Finals

East No. 1 CHICAGO vs. West No. 2 LOS ANGELES
Regular season series: Tied 1-1
Phil Jackson led the Bulls to six NBA championships and can now do the same with the Lakers in his final year on the bench. This will be the first time Chicago has been to the Finals since Michael Jordan sunk the Utah Jazz on a buzzer-beater in 1998. Obviously it is old hat for Los Angeles. This series is a tough call, but, just as the old Bulls ended the Pistons run in the late '80s and started their own run, they will do the same to the Laker dynasty. And just as Chicago won its first title in 1991 over Los Angeles, it will get past the Lakers to claim NBA Finals trophy No. 7 for the organization.  BULLS in 7

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Checkout a breakdown of all eight Eastern Conference playoff teams.

Checkout a breakdown of all eight Western Conference playoff teams.

Read the Athlon Sports NBA Power Rankings — Round 1 of the playoffs edition

— Corby A. Yarbrough @AthlonCorby on Twitter