Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The 2011 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and all 16 of the postseason berths have been clinched. The Eastern and Western Conference have eight teams each who will battle it out for a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals. Yet while we may know which teams will continue playing once the regular season, it remains to be seen who they will match up with and which team will have home court advantage in each series.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are making a lot of noise in just their third season away from the Emerald City. They have drastically improved in each season, and they are poised to finally advance past the first round, although things will still not be easy for head coach Scott Brooks and company.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are two of the top players in the game today, and one of the best scoring duos in the league. But with the addition of Kendrick Perkins at the NBA trade deadline, this team has attempted to go back to it's defensive roots.

Perkins not only brings along playoff experience, having reached the NBA Finals twice with the Boston Celtics and winning it all in 2008, but he also brings a certain toughness that this team had been lacking.

That may what has everyone talking about the Thunder all of a sudden as an NBA championship contender.

But it will not be easy. They will most likely take on the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs, but that could still change, depending on how things shake it toward the top and bottom of the standings out west. The Nuggets have played great basketball since they traded away Carmelo Anthony, so it will be no easy task.

Oklahoma City would be then staring at a matchup against either the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks or Los Angeles Lakers. The Thunder just destroyed the Lakers last night, giving them great confidence as the postseason nears.

Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Times says that things went a little differently than normal for the defending champs.

"The Thunder went on a 17-2 run, including a possession that exemplified the Lakers' poor play: Ron Artest airballed a three-pointer, Bryant grabbed the rebound and then airballed another trey," wrote Medina. "They again had no answer for Russell Westbrook's speed (26 points, seven assists and six rebounds). Artest normally forces Thunder forward Kevin Durant into a poor shooting clip to get his points, but his 31 points came on 11-of-15 shooting. And even though Thunder center Kendrick Perkins scored only two points, his presence has sharpened Oklahoma City's toughness, particularly in the paint."

The Thunder are vastly improving, but they are still extremely young. They can certainly get past the Nuggets in the first round, even if it takes them six or seven games. But winning a second round matchup without home court advantage will be awfully difficult. The bench has played well at times, but it is always harder to count on as much from your reserves on the road than it is at home.

That could lead to a second round exit for the Thunder, but anything can happen.

For more on Oklahoma City and a possible showdown with Los Angeles once again in the 2011 NBA Playoffs, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Thunder Featured Columnist Nicholas Gross, who previews the LA Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: 10 reasons Why OKC Will Take Their Throne.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The 2011 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and all 16 of the postseason berths have been clinched. The Eastern and Western Conference have eight teams each who will battle it out for a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals. Yet while we may know which teams will continue playing once the regular season, it remains to be seen who they will match up with and which team will have home court advantage in each series.

The Orlando Magic are looking to get back to the NBA Finals. To do that, they will need to first defeat the Atlanta Hawks in the opening round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. They will also need Dwight Howard to stop picking up technical fouls, or his team may have to find a way to win without him.

It will awfully difficult for Orlando to find that many ways to accomplish that feat.

The Magic have clinched the No. 4 seed in the conference, and would have to face the Chicago Bulls if they can get past the struggling Hawks. While they may not even get past Atlanta, it would very highly unlikely that they could upset Chicago in the second round. Although, Howard missed yesterday's game against Chicago due to serving out a one game suspension for his 18th technical foul, and the Magic only lost by three points.

Still, the postseason will be different. The Bulls had absolutely nothing to play for yesterday. They will in a week or so when the playoffs start.

But it will all depend on Howard. especially if he can not pick things up on the court - both literally, and figuratively, according to Fox Sports.

"Dwight Howard is promising that he will speed up his routine at the free throw line, which is a good sign for the Magic," reported Fox. "Howard served his one-game suspension, for his 18th technical foul of the season, Sunday. The technical foul came when he was whistled for taking more than 10 seconds to shoot a free throw, and he responded by rolling the ball into the stands. It was the third time this season he was called for the violation. 'I guess I'll just speed up a little bit,' he said."

Howard does it all for Orlando, both offensively and defensively. He averages a very impressive double-double, and it has been hard to predict what Orlando can do in the postseason due to all of their roster moves this year. If Hedo Turkoglu can play like he did in the playoffs for the Magic in the past, it would be huge. Same goes for Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas, who have had some difficulty fitting into the lineup at times.

If some of the Magic can get things going, defeating the Hawks should not be all that difficult. They could even pull it off in five or six games. But if they struggle to play cohesively, or if Howard has to miss a game or two, it could be an early exit for Orlando.

For more on Howard and what he and his fellow All-Stars have accomplished this season, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Allen Kim, who sat down to interview in, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic Talks to B/R About the NBA MVP Award.

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The 2011 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and all 16 of the postseason berths have been clinched. The Eastern and Western Conference have eight teams each who will battle it out for a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals. Yet while we may know which teams will continue playing once the regular season, it remains to be seen who they will match up with and which team will have home court advantage in each series.

The Denver Nuggets are fairly set as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, although their first round opponent has still not yet been determined. They will either be hitting the road to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks or Los Angeles Lakers. The way the Nuggets have been playing, they most likely could not care less who they play in the first round.

The Nuggets went through a bit of a tumultuous season at times. Generally speaking, when a team trades its best player right before the trade deadline, they take a major step backward during the rest of the regular season. Denver, however, proved that that is not always the case.

The Nuggets traded away Carmelo Anthony, but they acquired the New York Knicks. Well, at least many of them. By getting Raymond Felton, Danilo Galinari, Wilson Chandler and others, this team immediately became stronger. Denver now gets more production out of different players than they did when Anthony was leading the team. They are more complete, and are therefore 17-6 since dealing their superstar to New York.

That is why they are one of the hottest teams in the league, having gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. They will not be able to earn home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, which is a shame for them since they are 32-8 at home. Winning on the road has not been as easy for Denver.

Jeff Caplan of ESPN says that it will be a wild final two games of the regular season for many teams in the Western Conference, with the Nuggets being at the forefront.

"We had Denver Nuggets coach George Karl publicly request a playoff meeting with the Dallas Mavericks over the Oklahoma City Thunder after the Nuggets beat the Mavs, which was then followed by the Thunder thumping Karl's new-look Nuggets for the second time in a matter of days," said Caplan.

Maybe Karl really does know what is best for his team.

Unfortunately for him, the NBA Playoffs are unlike boxing or MMA. You cannot simply extend a challenge as to who you would like to face next. You play the cards you are dealt, and it is still unknown as to what sort of hand the Nuggets will receive.

For more on Denver and its run without a superstar, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Contributor Magnus Johnson, who takes a look at How the Denver Nuggets Are Saving the NBA As We Know It.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The 2011 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and all 16 of the postseason berths have been clinched. The Eastern and Western Conference have eight teams each who will battle it out for a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals. Yet while we may know which teams will continue playing once the regular season, it remains to be seen who they will match up with and which team will have home court advantage in each series.

The Atlanta Hawks are one of the few teams who appear to be locked in to a first round matchup, and they will take on the Orlando Magic in the first round. And although Atlanta has been struggling mightily as of late, a date with Orlando may be just what they need to get back on track. The Hawks took three out of four games with the Magic this season.

Still, the Hawks have struggled, going just 4-6 over the past 10 games. With two games left in the regular season, it would certainly behoove them to turn things around to give them some much needed momentum heading into the playoffs.

According to the Miami Herald, The Sports Network reported that Hawks' head coach Larry Drew said that his team's struggles are certainly concerning.

"You just can't flip the switch," Hawks coach Larry Drew said of his team's skid. "You want to carry momentum as you finish the regular the season and move on into the playoffs."

Atlanta can gain some of that aforementioned momentum by defeating the Miami Heat tonight. But if they cannot turn things around - and in a hurry - they could struggle to win even w couple of games against Orlando in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs.

Joe Johnson continues to play at a high level. Josh Smith still gives Atlanta big minutes, and Al Horford is developing into one of the more dominant big men in the game today. But if they continue to fall while the playoffs loom right around the corner, they will once again fail to get past the first round.

For more on the possible future of the Hawks, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Contributor Brennan Thomas, who takes a look at the Hopeless Hawks: Is It Time to Rebuild the Atlanta Hawks?

Harry How/Getty Images

The 2011 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and all 16 of the postseason berths have been clinched. The Eastern and Western Conference have eight teams each who will battle it out for a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals. Yet while we may know which teams will continue playing once the regular season, it remains to be seen who they will match up with and which team will have home court advantage in each series.

The Portland Trailblazers are currently in possession of the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, but they could fall as far as the No. 8 seed with two games remaining in the regular season. But they way that the Trailblazers have been playing down the stretch, that would seem highly unlikely. 

Portland is a team to be reckoned with, and if certain things go their way, they stand at least a decent chance to pull off one of the bigger upsets in the 2011 NBA Playoffs. With the excellent play of LaMarcus Aldridge inside and Wesley Matthews emerging as a very solid scoring threat, Portland looks very good at the right time.

Brandon Roy has been working his way back toward earning more minutes in the team's lineup, but he remains a bit off from the player he was when he was at full health. If that player can return, this team will be quite dangerous. 

Portland knew that they may need to pick up the slack on offense without Roy, so they acquired Gerald Wallace at the trade deadline. Needless to say, Wallace has not disappointed. With Andrew Miller playing as well as he has in years, the Trailblazers are a very strong team on both ends of the floor.

Yet if they have to play the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, they could be in for a struggle. Portland would match up much better with the Dallas Mavericks.

It still all depends on how the seeding plays out in the Western Conference. For more on what it all means to the Trailblazers, Joel Odom of The Oregonian takes a look at where Portland could wind up in the first round.

"Portland's quickest route to the sixth seed would be a New Orleans loss (vs. Utah) on Monday, combined with a Blazers victory (vs. Memphis) on Tuesday," says Odom. "Regardless of the outcome in the Hornets' game, though, if Portland beats Memphis, the Blazers will finish no worse than seventh. And if they also win at Golden State on Wednesday — against a Warriors team that might be without Monta Ellis — Portland will clinch the No. 6 seed. A loss to Memphis would give the Grizzlies the tiebreaker over the Blazers and put Portland in jeopardy of falling to eighth. If there's a three-way tie, New Orleans would finish sixth, Memphis seventh and Portland eighth (based on head-to-head winning percentage among the three). The Blazers could still get the 5 seed, but that scenario is barely worth explaining: It requires a 2-0 Portland finish combined with an 0-2 Denver finish."

I hope that you aren't too confused from all of that. All you need to know is this much. Portland can earn the No. 6 seed and would hope to play the Mavericks. They certainly match up best against them, and although they did not win their season series with Dallas, even their losses were close ones.

For more on Portland and its postseason chances, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Member Lance Smith, who takes a look at the Portland Trailblazers: 10 Reasons Why LaMarcus Aldridge and Co. Could Be Champs.

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

The 2011 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and all 16 of the postseason berths have been clinched. The Eastern and Western Conference have eight teams each who will battle it out for a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals. Yet while we may know which teams will continue playing once the regular season, it remains to be seen who they will match up with and which team will have home court advantage in each series.

The New York Knicks may be one of the most different looking teams once the postseason begins, in comparison to what they looked like to begin the regular season. New York decided to finally pull the trigger on a deal that acquired Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets. While they may have given up many of their top pieces that led them to a resurgence in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks went for broke.

Only time will tell if that trade pays any immediate dividends.

If the playoffs started today, New York would be facing the Boston Celtics. But depending on how things shake out over the final two games, it remains possible that the Knicks could take on the Miami Heat in the first round as well.

Neither one would be overly appealing to the Knicks, but a matchup with Miami would give them a greater chance at pulling off an early upset. They would simply match up better with Miami than they would Boston.

According to Chris Sheridan of ESPN, Anthony, for one, does not have a preference as to which team the Knicks face in the opening round.

"Everybody wants to see [Knicks-Heat], but we don't control that," Anthony said. "It don't matter to me. Honestly, it really don't."

I guess he is unfamiliar with that little old rivalry between Boston and New York. I have to believe that there are at least a handful or people who wouldn't mind seeing the Knicks take on the Celtics to start the playoffs as well.

Along with Amar'e Stoudemire, there is no doubt that New York will be able to score plenty of points in the first round. But they will struggle to stop almost any opponent.

For more on the new look Knicks and their playoff chances, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Andrew Pierluissi, who takes a look at NBA Playoff Predictions: N.Y. Knicks and the 5 Teams Bound for Colossal Upsets.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The 2011 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and all 16 of the postseason berths have been clinched. The Eastern and Western Conference have eight teams each who will battle it out for a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals. Yet while we may know which teams will continue playing once the regular season, it remains to be seen who they will match up with and which team will have home court advantage in each series.

The New Orleans Hornets could finish anywhere from the No. 6 seed all the way to the No. 8 seed with only two games remaining in the regular season. But regardless of where they finish or who they play, having to make it a go without the services of David West should all but lead to a first round sweep at the hands of their stronger opponent.

Car Landry has stepped up his game in the absence of West, but he can not do enough to make up for the giant loss. Chris Paul has one less option, and his numbers have suffered a bit as well. The team will still get some solid production from Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor, but they stand little chance to make a run at defeating either the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks or Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.

That may be why they are the longest of long shots in the Western Conference to win the 2011 NBA Finals. The loss of West makes them extremely vulnerable on both ends of the floor, and no one will be able to replace what he meant to his team.

If last night's defeat at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies is any indication of what lies ahead, then the Hornets could be in a world of trouble, regardless of who their first round opponent is in the postseason.

John Reid of The Times Picayune agrees, and says that the team's staple all season long - their defense - could turn out to be their Achilles heel in the playoffs.

"With two games remaining in the regular season, the Hornets (46-34) are expecting to be revving up their intensity, contesting shots to force low- percentage shooting and execute their offense to near flawless perfection in order to get tuned up for the playoffs," says Reid.

"Instead, the Hornets permitted 60.3 percent shooting by the Grizzlies. They gave up 56 points in the lane and were outrebounded 41-34.

Defense has been the Hornets’ stable the entire season, one of the biggest factors why they clinched their first playoff berth since 2009."

If their team defense s not up to the challenge, then it is no wonder why either the Lakers, Mavericks or Thunder would be the heavy favorite to possibly sweep the Hornets in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs.

For more on potential first round matchups in the Western Conference Playoffs, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Jesse Dorsey, who takes a look at the NBA Playoffs 2011: Could Grizzlies, Blazers or Hornets Upset San Antonio?

Marc Serota/Getty Images

The 2011 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and all 16 of the postseason berths have been clinched. The Eastern and Western Conference have eight teams each who will battle it out for a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals. Yet while we may know which teams will continue playing once the regular season, it remains to be seen who they will match up with and which team will have home court advantage in each series.

The Philadelphia 76ers are currently in possession of the No. 7 seed, but they could still conceivably catch the New York Knicks for the No. 6 seed. Either way, whatever happens toward the bottom, and the top for that matter, the 76ers are staring at a first round matchup with either the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics.

As of now, it would be the Heat who would host a first round matchup with the Sixers. If that were to be the case at the start of the postseason, Philadelphia could be in a bit of trouble, as they lost all three meetings with Miami this past season.

Granted, they did not fare much better against Boston either, so their first round opponent is more or less irrelevant. They stand the best chance to beat either one of those teams.

Unfortunately, the odds are highly against them upsetting either team.

Mike Dougherty of Yahoo! Sports says that while Miami may not have the best track record of defeating the top teams this season, they have more than gotten the job done against the teams they are expected to defeat.

"Of course, there are still extreme doubts on whether LeBron James,Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh can win the title together right now," says Dougherty. "Their last losing streak showed how difficult it is for the Heat to beat contenders - however, Philadelphia isn't a contender right now. For all of their flaws, Miami always seems to defeat the teams they are supposed to, and they are certainly supposed to defeat the Sixers in a playoff series."

That is exactly right. The Heat would certainly be expected to beat the 76ers in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Playing the Celtics would be no different.

Philadelphia has had a very good season, considering where they were expected to finish at the beginning of the season. Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala continue to lead the team, and Jrue Holiday has had a huge breakout season. Losing Lou Williams will certainly hurt, and Evan Turner has not stepped up like the team would have liked at this point.

It was a season to build upon with an eye toward the future for Philadelphia, but it should be a very short postseason. It would be quite surprising if the 76ers were to win more than one game against either the Heat or the Celtics.

For a look back at some of the greater moments in the team's storied history, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Asher Brooks Chancey, who takes a look at The Top Playoff Upsets in Philadelphia 76ers Franchise History.

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The 2011 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and all 16 of the postseason berths have been clinched. The Eastern and Western Conference have eight teams each who will battle it out for a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals. Yet while we may know which teams will continue playing once the regular season, it remains to be seen who they will match up with and which team will have home court advantage in each series.

The Memphis Grizzlies lost Rudy Gay for the season, yet they have continued to battle and now find themselves back in the NBA Playoffs. That is the good news.

The bad news is that they will have to face one of the top three seeds in the Western Conference Playoffs in the first round. It is still to be determined as to which top team the Grizzlies will face. As of now, it would be the San Antonio Spurs, but that could also change and wind up being the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks or Oklahoma City Thunder. That is how bunched up the top and the bottom of the conference is with just two games remaining in the regular season.

Memphis could finish the season as anywhere from the No. 6 seed to the No. 8 seed. It does not sound like a huge difference, but it could be the difference in being swept right out of the first round to pulling off an improbable upset.

Still, regardless of who the Grizzlies play in the first round, they will be quite the heavy underdog. That can at least be attributed to not having the services of Gay as well as the fact that Memphis is a woeful 16-23 on the road this season.

That will not give them much of a chance against any of the top four seeds in the conference.

According to Ron Higgins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, however, Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins will have his team ready to take on whatever challenge is thrown his way this potseason. Higgins reported that former head coach Hubie Brown feels the same way.

"Lionel has his own style of coaching. He has done an outstanding job of taking this team to where they are when you consider the loss of Rudy Gay (shoulder surgery), which was monumental. There's discipline, there's accountability and the fact (the Grizzlies) are being taught."

The Grizzlies are being taught, and behind the solid play and steady maturation of Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies will be ready for their first round opponent. But can they really pull off the upset?

In all likelihood, Memphis' season will come to an end in the first round. They might actually be best served finishing as the eighth and final seed, as they would match up better with the Spurs The two split their four game season series this year. The Lakers would give them the most problems, although they could also give the Mavericks or Thunder trouble in a game or two, although I cannot see them coming out victorious in any playoff scenario later this month.

For more on the Grizzlies' chances at a first round upset, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Contributor Alec Rogers, who takes a look at 5 Ways the Memphis Grizzlies Could Beat the San Antonio Spurs in the Playoffs.

Elsa/Getty Images

The 2011 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and all 16 of the postseason berths have been clinched. The Eastern and Western Conference have eight teams each who will battle it out for a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals. Yet while we may know which teams will continue playing once the regular season, it remains to be seen who they will match up with and which team will have home court advantage in each series.

The Indiana Pacers have clinched the final spot in the Eastern Conference, and they will play the No. 1 seed, the Chicago Bulls. Because of that, and the fact that the Pacers will finish the season with the worst record of all 16 playoff teams, they are currently going off as the longest of longs shots to win the 2011 NBA Championship.

While many people in Indiana may not agree, there are many reasons that the Pacers are being given the worst chance at reaching the NBA Finals.

Indiana got a lot better once they fired head coach Jim O'Brien and replaced him with interim coach Frank Vogel. Danny Granger led the team like normal, but Tyler Hansbrough was able to open things up and play his style of basketball. Roy Hibbert, Darren Collison and Mike Dunleavy also have stepped up their games in a major way.

But they still have to play the Bulls in the opening round. Chicago is a league best 35-5 at home this season, while Indiana is just 13-27 away from Conseco Fieldhouse. That certainly does not boast well for their chances at a first round upset.

But Mike Wells of IndyStar.com says that the Pacers will be well prepared entering their first round matchup with Derrick Rose the Bulls.

"We know we're going to have to give Rose a number of different looks, not just in who is guarding him, but the way we guard his pick-and-rolls," Vogel said. "We've got to be prepared for different looks because he's out of this world right now."

Still, while the Pacers may be ready, they are clearly the biggest underdog of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. That is generally what happens when you reach the postseason with a losing record and have to face the hottest team in the entire league.

You can understand why things are not expected to end well for the Pacers in the postseason. It would be a tremendous shock if they were even able to win one game in the series with the Bulls.

For more on the first round in the Eastern Conference and for a look at the improbable, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Contributor Alec Rogers, who previews the Upset of the Ages: 5 Ways Indiana Pacers Could Beat Chicago Bulls in Playoffs.