With May around the corner, the NBA Playoffs are set to start – and fates have changed drastically for many teams since last season.

The West is extremely strong this year — the 1–8 seeds all have a .585 record or better. On the other side, the East is top-heavy, with only a few legitimate “contender” teams. The 1-seed Cavaliers and 2-seed Celtics are the only teams who have proven to be truly good teams so far, with the lower seeded East teams being young and inexperienced in the playoffs.

The West is star-studded. Luka Doncic makes the Lakers legitimate Finals contenders, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic battling for MVP honors. The Clippers were given a huge boost from a tremendous season out of James Harden, and Anthony Edwards continued his great play in Minnesota. 

Yet, in the middle of all these stars, one team dominated without any huge names – the Houston Rockets. An electric, young team that had a 22-60 record two years ago finished as the 2-seed in the tough West. Look for them to possibly turn heads with a deep run.

The East should easily be the Cavaliers or Celtics. With Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, the Knicks could make a run as well, but with the dominance of the Cavaliers and the playoff experience of Boston, the Knicks should have a tough road. Other teams like Indiana and Detroit have shown promise in the regular season, but are inconsistent – they could make a strong playoff run if their offenses are on point.

With an electric Western Conference and many possible dark horses in the East, the NBA Playoffs will be exciting yet again. Some great matchups in the first round include the Timberwolves versus Lakers, Clippers versus Nuggets, and Pistons versus Knicks.