NBA playoffs: What to expect

The NBA playoffs get rolling on Saturday afternoon, with the Cleveland Cavaliers hosting the Indiana Pacers at Quicken Loans Arena. You are going to read and hear about how exciting all these series are from many media outlets, and why such and such can pull off the upset.

You are not going to read that here. The NBA playoffs might officially be starting on Saturday, but most of these series are a complete waste of time.

Cleveland is not losing to Indiana. It doesn’t matter if Paul George hangs 50 in ever game. George can play like the combination of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Wilt Chamberlain, and it still won’t be enough. Why? Because the rest of the Pacers are a joke as far as the postseason is concerned.

The Cavaliers might not be the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but they are — by far — the best team in the deal. Cleveland has LeBron James, who has not missed the NBA Finals in six years. He’s not going to stay home this time around because of Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford. With all due respect to the top-seeded Boston Celtics, they are up against it when the Cavaliers meet them down the line.

Speaking of the Celtics, they should be moderately concerned about their first-round opponent in the Chicago Bulls. Chicago is an average team, but this is a group that has ample experience with Rajon Rondo, Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade. Wade can still go off for 25 points at any point, while Butler is the best player on the court. Rondo will have plenty to play for, trying to take down his old team.

In the West, we are just waiting for the conference finals. Yes, the series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets is going to be interesting, but it ultimately will be forgotten to history. The San Antonio Spurs will be waiting for the winner, and they will crush either team. It’s not going to be particularly close, either.

San Antonio is eventually going to meet up with the Golden State Warriors, who won out for home-field advantage by a decent margin. Golden State is going to be the favorite, but the Spurs can take it down. San Antonio has size with Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge on the interior, along with Kawhi Leonard on the wing. Factor in Tony Parker running the point and Gregg Popovich looming on the bench, and there is reason for any Warriors fan to be greatly concerned.

Other than that, sit back and relax. Don’t worry about much. Because until the conference finals, we aren’t going to need much focus. It’s the NBA at its finest.