NBA Playoff Picture 2022: Final East Bracket After Hawks Beat Cavaliers
The NBA's Eastern Conference postseason bracket is set after the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-101 in the play-in tournament on Friday.
Now attention turns to the playoffs, which will start Saturday afternoon when the Dallas Mavericks host the Utah Jazz.
On the Eastern Conference side, NBA MVP candidate Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers open play with a home matchup against the Toronto Raptors.
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Here's a look at how the rest of the Eastern Conference playoff picture shakes down alongside some notes on each first-round series.
Eastern Conference Matchups: Round 1
No. 1 Miami Heat vs. No. 8 Atlanta Hawks
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Brooklyn Nets
No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Chicago Bulls
No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors
Eastern Conference Semifinals
No. 1 Heat/No. 8 Hawks winner vs. No. 4 76ers/No. 5 Raptors winner
No. 2 Celtics vs. No. 7 Nets winner vs. No. 3 Bucks/No. 6 Bulls winner
Eastern Conference Finals
Semifinal winners (highest seed has home-court advantage)
No. 1 Miami Heat vs. No. 8 Atlanta Hawks
Including the play-in tournament, the Hawks have gone 28-14 in their last 42 games. They clearly are a much better team than the one that started the year 17-25.
That's bad news for the Miami Heat, but they are rolling into the playoffs in good form as winners of six straight before resting players in a meaningless season-ending loss to the Orlando Magic.
The big question here is whether Hawks forward John Collins, who hasn't played since March 11 as he tries to return from a right ring finger sprain and right foot strain, can suit up at some point in this series.
Perhaps he won't be able to contribute much, but the Hawks could certainly benefit from his energy, size, scoring and rebounding even if on a limited basis.
Still, the Heat are locked and loaded with Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry good to go. Unless Trae Young wills the Hawks on a nightly basis, the Heat will be tough to beat.
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Brooklyn Nets
No. 7 seeds typically aren't highly regarded in the NBA championship conversation, but the Brooklyn Nets are built different. They've been shorthanded all year (and still are without Ben Simmons) but have the two most important pieces in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Bruce Brown has emerged as the team's third-best player by doing a little bit of everything.
The Nets have a brutal matchup, though, against the scorching-hot Boston Celtics, winners of 25 of their last 31. All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are playing their best ball this season, Marcus Smart is having the best season of his career, and defensive superstar Robert Williams III could be back from surgery on the meniscus in his left knee
Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday on ESPN there was a "very real" possibility he could be back sometime for the series.
This series has the potential to be the best of the first round.
No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Chicago Bulls
On paper, this appears to be the easiest series to project. The Milwaukee Bucks are the defending NBA champions and sport one of the game's best players in two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks' Big Three of Giannis, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday missed a combined 46 games, but they're all back now. Milwaukee is also in good form as winners of 15 of its last 20.
Meanwhile, the Bulls have gone into a tailspin at 20-26 over their last 46 games and 7-15 in their last 22. They frankly just aren't the same team from the first half of the year, and now, they're up against the defending champs. It's a recipe for a quick series.
No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 5 Toronto Raptors
It feels like championship-or-bust for the 76ers, who have the pieces in place to make a title run led by NBA MVP candidate Joel Embiid. Sure, 10-time All-Star James Harden is entering this postseason on a month-long playoff slump, but the 76ers also have Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey in tow.
At the same time, the Toronto Raptors have recently rounded into form and actually beat the 76ers 3-1 in their season series. They're 12-4 in their last 16 games.
Pascal Siakam is on fire heading into the playoffs, averaging 31.5 points on 52.7 percent shooting in his last four games. Scottie Barnes looks like a future superstar, Gary Trent Jr. is capable of going off on any given night, OG Anunoby is a problem on both ends, and Chris Boucher is one of the best frontcourt reserves in the game.
Overall, this one looks like it has the best chance to go the distance.
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