NBA: EASTERN CONFERENCE 1st Round Match-ups

The playoff puzzle fell into focus with Wednesday night’s regular-season finale. Here is a first glimpse at the playoff pairings: Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers figure prominently in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (66-16) vs. No. 8 Detroit Pistons (39-43):

This matchup would have had fans salivating in recent playoffs. Instead, this year’s Pistons will be hard pressed to exit the first round and probably see an end to their run of six conference finals appearances. Detroit’s dynamics changed after it sent Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Allen Iverson. Iverson is out for the playoffs after voicing frustration over a diminishing role. The Palace of Auburn Hills was once one of the greatest home-court advantages in the N.B.A, but the Pistons struggled at home this season, ending at 21-20. The Cavaliers flirted with the best home record in league history before resting most of their starters in Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. They finished the season 39-2 at Quicken Loans Arena and will have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Everyone saw how crucial home court was for the Celtics last season when they did not win on the road until the N.B.A. finals.

No. 2 Boston Celtics (62-20) vs. No. 7 Chicago Bulls (41-41):

Bad news for the Celtics on their initial defense of the N.B.A. championship. Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said he is not optimistic that Kevin Garnett can return at all in the playoffs from a knee injury. Stephon Marbury has quietly — much to the Celtics’ delight — played as a decent backup point guard, but their frontcourt will be stretched without Garnett. The Bulls, meanwhile, played well after a deal landed them Brad Miller and John Salmons from the Sacramento Kings. They have a strong bench led by Miller and Kirk Hinrich, and the playoffs will be a showcase for the country to see Derrick Rose, the probable rookie of the year. The Celtics won two of three games against the Bulls this season.

No. 3 Orlando Magic (59-23) vs. No. 6 Philadelphia 76ers (41-41):

The Magic is another team that limped into the playoffs. Rashard Lewis missed the final three games with tendinitis and Hedo Turkoglu missed the last two with an ankle injury. Neither is expected to miss any time in the playoffs, but the Magic is already without the spark-plug point guard Jameer Nelson. The series will feature Orlando’s inside-outside game with dump-offs to Dwight Howard and kick-outs to its 3-point shooters. Philadelphia shook off a sluggish start to a season in which they never acclimated to the free-agent signee Elton Brand (or vice versa) and fired Coach Maurice Cheeks. They are young, athletic and long, but lack long-distance shooters. Behind Andre Miller and Andre Iguodola, they will look to run.

No. 4 Atlanta Hawks (47-35) vs. No. 5 Miami Heat (43-39):

All season, Dwyane Wade has nearly single-handedly made Miami relevant again. Atlanta will key in on him several times over and likely rotate defenders on him. The Hawks’ Joe Johnson is one of the league’s quietest stars. He can disappear in a game or score 20 points in a quarter. Neither team possesses much of an inside presence, so expect a lot of slashing and jumpers.