The NBA season has finally come to a close. After 1,230 total contests, we come away from the 2015-16 season with the loss of one of the greatest men to ever step foot on the NBA hardwood and the knowledge that we have just witnessed the greatest single season by any one team in all of history. A salutations to the Black Mamba and a congratulations to the Warriors later, we have the playoffs, where legends are made and records die. How will the postseason shake out? Can the Warriors finish off the greatest season ever? Will I be able to manage the next month if I don’t have cable television? I won’t answer any of these questions- I have to leave something to the imagination so that I can write more about it later- but feel free to answer them yourself.

Eastern Conference

1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs 8. Detroit Pistons

The LeBron James-led Cavaliers would have only been the third-best team by record in the Western Conference, yet they are clearly the most talented team in the East; there is no doubt about that. The problem comes into their team chemistry, and trading coaches midseason is not generally a great recipe for winning. Tyronn Lue has been good at letting LeBron lead his team, though, and that should be more than enough to beat the scrappy Pistons.

The Pick: Cleveland 4-1

2. Toronto Raptors vs 7. Indiana Pacers

It never ceases to amaze me that the Raptors survive almost solely on shots from behind the three-point arc and from the free throw line. The team shot 37 percent from downtown this past season (good for fourth in the league) and drew 22 personal fouls per game, shooting 77 percent from the charity stripe. They face a tough test in Paul George and the Indiana Pacers, a team with much to prove and nothing to lose. This series is going to be a classic battle of two hungry teams vying to move forward.

The Pick: Toronto 4-3

3. Miami Heat vs 6. Charlotte Hornets

This is the part of the conference that gets a bit harrier. There isn’t as big of a difference between the third and sixth teams as the seeding might suggest. In fact, the Heat, Hawks, Celtics and Hornets all finished with identical records at 48-34. With this being said, neither team has a distinct talent or coaching advantage, leaving an extremely open-ended series. ESPN gives the Heat the edge 60 percent to 40 percent, but I don’t quite see it that way.

The Pick: Charlotte 4-2

4. Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics

Now, this series is as close to a toss up as you are going to find in the modern-day NBA that is full of “Big Three”s and fast-paced offenses.These are two teams that are extremely comfortable sharing the ball, slowing the game down and giving up a good shot for a great shot. The Hawks and Celtics are both in the top six in the NBA in assists per game, and they are two of the top three teams in their conference in the category. This series is going to come down to the play of Boston’s frontcourt against the likes of Al Horford and Paul Millsap.

The Pick: Atlanta 4-3

Western Conference

1. Golden State Warriors vs 8. Houston Rockets

This pick is essentially a no-brainer. The Warriors finished the regular season with an unprecedented 73 wins, topping the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls by one victory. Other than the simple reasoning that the current Warriors could be the best team any of us have ever seen play the game, there isn’t much to say other than good luck to the Rockets.

The Pick: Golden State 4-0

2. San Antonio Spurs vs 7. Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies made history this year as well, though not in the way you would hope. The team had a record 28 players suit up and log minutes on the court for them this season, easily the most of any team in a single season. Prior to Marc Gasol breaking his foot and ending his season on Feb. 8, the Grizzlies were 30-22 and in fifth in the Western Conference. They finished 42-40, dropping 10 of their last 11. The Spurs, on the other hand, finished a record 40-1 at home and with 67 wins overall, a great season overshadowed by the Warriors’ even greater greatness. Well, they don’t have Golden State here to overshadow them in this series.

The Pick: San Antonio 4-1

3. Oklahoma City Thunder vs 6. Dallas Mavericks

The Thunder, with their 55-27 record, would have finished just two games out of first in the Eastern Conference, but since they are in the stacked West, they were 12 games back of the second-place Spurs and 18 behind the Warriors. It’s almost not fair that the extremely competitive teams in the middle of the bracket are all but destined to fall in the second round to one of the top two seeds.

The Pick: Oklahoma City 4-1

4. Los Angeles Clippers vs 5. Portland Trail Blazers

Lastly, we have the Clippers and Trail Blazers, two teams that are built almost completely differently for this series. The Clippers will try to pound the ball inside to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan in order to free up outside shooters like J.J. Reddick, Jeff Green and Paul Pierce. The Blazers will fire up their usual 29-30 three pointers per game- making about 37 percent of them- and using the deep game to free up cuts to the basket and dribble drives in space. Both teams do run a fairly fast-paced offense, and there will be plenty of highlights coming out of this long-lasting series.

The Pick: Los Angeles 4-3