Basketball season is now officially over and now all sixteen teams are now ready to now enter the playoffs to earn what they all been wanting since a child, an NBA championship. The best players around the world are ready to go head to head and the excitement each player brings will have basketball fans going insane. Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Kevin Durant, Joe Johnson,  Dwayne Wade, and of course you can't forget LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. The first round of the NBA playoffs just kicked off and now I'll be giving a breakdown of who will advance, so let the fun begin starting with the quick and flashy Eastern Conference.

Eastern Conference 1st Round Predictions

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers VS (8) Chicago Bulls. 

Once again King James and the Cavs went through another year of total dominance. Racking up a total of 61 wins this year already instills hope in many fans that King James will finally get it done, especially for the city of Cleveland, a city who is on a current thirst for a sports title. Many insiders such as myself heavily criticized the Cavs for acquiring Shaq in the offseason, but the truth of the matter is the Cavs did lack a solid big man in the frontcourt. Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Illgaskus just wasn't enough. Lebron James all year played at a high caliber level which makes a strong case to win MVP again and the supporting cast for him was great. Mo Williams stepped it up at the point position and getting Antawn Jamison in a mid-season trade improved the offense to keep pressure of LeBron.

The Chicago Bulls all year played inconsistent baskteball. One of the mistakes from the jump was to let Ben Gordon walk and do nothing at all to replace him this offseason. Derrick Rose is a stud at point guard, but Chicago still needs more pieces to make them a fierce team in the Eastern conference. Until they do that they'l always been in that 6th-8th seed range at best. Joakim Noah is a solid defender in the post, but with the absense of Tyrus Thomas to help out shows the Bulls frontcourt game is mediocre. A consistent scorer in John Salmons was a big loss for Chicago as well and the team simply said doesn't have a legitimate scores who puts fear in opposing teams.

Prediction: Cavs in 5. When you compare both teams pound for pound, Cleveland is just better than Chicago point blank! Just look at the roster between the two clubs. LeBron James, Mo Williams, Shaq, Delonte West, Antawn Jamison, VS Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and who else? Exactly that's my point. The Cavs will roll over and stomp Chicago. The Bulls "might" steal one on the road and that's as far as it goes.

(2) Orlando Magic VS (7) Charlotte Bobcats

Dwight Howard and crew are ready and confident that the Orlando Magic will return to the NBA finals. Many thought Orlando were making a huge mistake letting Hedo Turkoglu bounce as he was vital part of their run to the finals the previous year. Vince Carter quickly replaced Turkoglu and added to the Magic's offense to make them a fearful threat in the Eastern conference. What makes Orlando dangerous too is the fact they have a bench. If you want to win in the playoffs, depth at the bench is very important will take you a long way. Jason Williams is a dependable ball distributor and Mickael Pietrus can play dirty, but don't can't knock him for doing what it takes to win as Pietrus is a rider that all teams look for. Matt Barnes defense can lock players down and Rashard Lewis one of the Magic stars is a deadly three point threat too and once he gets cookin dinner will be served.

When you speak of the Charlotte Bobcats, the credit goes to Larry Brown. Much respect for Larry as this man has proved over and over throughout his entire career he turns teams around. Thanks to Larry Brown the Bobcats are making their first playoff birth in franchise history. The Bobcats brings a solid defense which are headaches for teams. Gerald Wallace has finally proven that he deserves to be a NBA all-star and have a great supporting cast. Stephen Jackson provides a nice perimeter and scoring game the Bobcats need to compete against the Magic. Raymond Felton,Tyrus Thomas, D.J. Augustin are more than average role players and did a great amount of work to get the Bobcats into the playoffs.

Prediction: Magic in 6. Orlando is just a better team than Charlotte, but I do see Larry Brown and the Bobcats giving them a run for their money. Dwight Howard will become superman and the Orlando Magic lineup with Nelson, Carter, Lewis, as well with the great bench will be too much for Charlotte down the stretch.


(3) Atlanta Hawks VS (6) Milwaukee Bucks

The Atlanta Hawks are one of the most amazing and exciting teams to watch. In all honesty I think the Hawks are one team you shouldn't sleep on. Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Mike Bibby are a four headed monster. That doesn't even include Jamal Crawford who comes off the bench to give the Hawks a spark and Marvin Lewis can do the same. Three point threats have teams scared to face Atlanta and Joe Johnson is no joke in the clutch when the game is on the line. If you want to win in the playoffs a player that isn't afraid to take the big shot is a must and the Hawks have that in Joe Johnson. Be prepared to see a lot of high flying action with these Hawk boys.

Milwaukee actually surprised the NBA and many fans by making the playoffs this season. It's as if they literally just came from under the rug. Rookie point guard Brandon Jennings had a great year which earned him rookie of the year honors and respect as one of the games elite point guards. Finishing the season at 46-36 is not bad and head coach Scott Skiles have is the players coach and these young guns show they love playing for him. Andrew Bogut provides good depth in the frontcourt for the Bucks and you have to mention Jerry Stackhouse has a reliable role player at this point in his career. John Salmons brings along size and skillz which creates matchup problems for many guards, and Salmons on a good night can give you twenty-five points with no problem.

 Prediction: Hawks in 6. The Atlanta Hawks wanted to take their game to a new level and this year alone has shown that. Joe Johnson once again had a NBA all-star year and even Al Horford made the team for the first time in his career. One of the Hawks strengths is their faced paced offense which is very difficult to stop. As said before the bench with Jamal Crawford and Marvin Lewis gives Atlanta on a hot night a solid 25-30 points with this tandem. Milwaukee will make things tough for Atlanta briefly with great play from Brandon Jennings and John Salmons. On the defensive end with Andrew Bogut can force the hot shooting of Atlanta to make tough shots, which can cause problems for Joe Johnson. Close games will be a factor in this fun series, but at the end of the day the Hawks run away with this one.

(4) Boston Celtics VS (5) Miami Heat

The Boston Celtics even with their age believe they have another championship run in them. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett are future all of famers, but one thing has been killing Boston. The one thign that has been detrimental to the Celtics have been injury. Everytime you turn around one of the big three has had a game to miss making it tough for all three to be on the court at the same time. Why you think the Celtics made the move snatching up Nate Robinson from the Knicks? It is now proven the big three are getting up at age and need rest breaks often during the game. Yes, they have depth at the bench with Big Baby, Tony Allen, Nate Robinson, but you can't deny the fact that the big three are the heart and soul of the team. Don't get it twisted the Celtics have the veteran leadership to go deep in the playoffs and coach Doc Rivers will get them on a roll.

 The Miami Heat have a scoring phenomen in guard DeWayne Wade, but the Heat often get criticized as many felt the team hasn't found a number two man for Wade. Yeah you would take that Jermaine O'Neal, Quentin Richardson, and Michael Beasley are the players Wade not, but none of them have what it takes to make Miami a threat. Udonis Haslem provides some great offense at times to help Wade, but to go all the way a one, two punch is required.

Prediction: Heat in 7. This series can go either way, but I think when its all said and done Miami wins in seven. the reason why is for the fact Boston's health issues and injuries scares man. The strength that Miami brings to this matchup is youth and we all know that Boston struggle against teams with young legs. In a seven game series, you think Boston can handle chasing around Miami up and down the court before facing fatigue?