No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Chicago Bulls

There is only one way to look at this series: With the Cavs widely expected to run to the NBA Finals, some poor team had to be the sacrificial lamb of Cleveland’s first-round demolition. The Bulls put forth a valiant effort to slip into the playoffs, taking advantage of Toronto’s loss of Chris Bosh to leapfrog the Raptors in the standings. But Cleveland has won 20 more games than Chicago has, and while the Bulls have some good years ahead of them, this season ends right here. The Cavs are way too good for the Bulls to keep up with them: LeBron, Antawn, Mo, Shaq … need I go on? For Cleveland, it’s Finals or bust this year, and the Cavs will not be stopped in the first round. Cleveland wins, 4-1.

No. 2 Orlando Magic vs. No. 7 Charlotte Bobcats

I’m going to be honest: I did not like the Magic before the season began. Then the season started, and I continued to dislike them. But they have turned up the heat lately, and they are starting to look like the Finals team of last year. Their defense has been stellar, led by Dwight Howard’s 2.8 blocks per game this season. Vince Carter has finally heated up, and so have their other shooters. The Bobcats have surprised some folks, as Stephen Jackson has turned up the scoring and Gerald Wallace has had a breakout season. But despite the promising Charlotte lineup, the Magic have demolished their foes since the All-Star break, ending with a record just two games shy of Cleveland’s league-high mark (that’s a better record than any of the West teams). Orlando is a scary team this year; if its defense holds and its shooting gets hot, this team can’t be stopped. Even if both of those factors were absent, Orlando would still beat the Bobcats. Orlando wins, 4-1.

No. 3 Atlanta vs. No. 6 Milwaukee

I love the Hawks this year. They have an extremely balanced lineup and have proved to be an Eastern Conference threat. The Bucks have also surprised some people this year, but their best player this season was Andrew Bogut, and he is out with an injury. With him, I think the Bucks had a shot at pushing this to six or seven games, but without him, John Salmons would have to score 40 points a night to give the Bucks a chance. Atlanta has a star scorer in Joe Johnson, a freak of nature in Josh Smith, a steady big man in Al Horford and the X-factor off the bench, Jamal Crawford. The Bucks have Salmons and rookie Brandon Jennings, whose field goal percentage makes me cringe at his inconsistency. The Hawks shouldn’t have any trouble getting rid of the Bucks. Atlanta wins, 4-2.

No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Miami Heat

This is the most intriguing series of the first round in the East. This year, the concerns about the Celtics’ age have come to fruition, as Boston stumbled to the No. 4 seed. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are still great players, but this year, each of them have seen their average points and rebounds decrease. Rajon Rondo has kept that team alive with his electric passing and his feisty defense. Enter the Heat, led by the superhuman Dwyane Wade and his mediocre supporting cast. This series certainly has the most potential for upset, but in the end, the Celtics have too much for the one-man show that Miami puts on. Even when it’s not a one-man show, Boston still finds a way. Consider the regular season matchups this year. On Jan. 6, Wade put up 44 on the Celts, but the Celtics won, even with Garnett out with an injury. On Feb. 3, six Heat players scored in double-figures, led by Wade’s 30 points, but the Celts won again, even with Pierce on the sidelines with an injury. The Heat simply don’t have enough to compete with the Celtics, but Boston will be in trouble when it meets a team that does. Boston wins, 4-2.