The Biggest Possible First Round Upset of the NBA Playoffs

As March draws to a close and the regular season enters the fourth quarter, players and fans alike often find themselves invariably drawn to the post-season. That is unless your team has booked their ticket to the lottery, in which case the NCAA tournament is a far more compelling attraction.

As great as the regular season is, the playoffs is where the real action is. Its where teams are pit against each other over the course of a seven games series for the right to advance and become an inch closer to the coveted Larry O'Brien trophy.

With the top seeded teams expected to beat up on their lesser seeded brethren, the first round usually lacks excitement. However, the past few seasons have deviated from the trend, serving up their fair share of upsets.

The unheralded Golden State Warriors sending Dirk Nowitzki and the 67 regular season wins Dallas Mavericks reeling out of the first round in 2007 ranks as one of the biggest upsets in recent history.

When the Hawks took the Celtics to game seven in last season's first round it was massive, especially considering everyone expected the Green Machine to steamroll the hapless Hawks. Even though ultimately the Truth prevailed, Atlanta shed the laughing stock status that had plagued them for many seasons.

Looking back at this current season, the listing below shows how each conference's contenders would match-up if the playoffs started today. (Bear in mind that the Western Conference seedings could shift dramatically as the number 2 and 8 seeds are seperated by only 5 games.)

The East

Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs Chicago Bulls (8)

Boston Celtics (2) vs Detroit Pistons (7)

Orlando Magic (3) vs Philadelphia 76ers (6)

Atlanta Hawks (4) vs Miami Heat (5)

The West

Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs Dallas Mavericks (8)

San Antonio Spurs (2) vs Utah Jazz (7)

Houston Rockets (3) vs Portland Trailblazers (6)

Denver Nuggets (4) vs New Orleans Hornets (5)

Now lets take an in-depth look at the matchups to see which has the greatest potential for an upset, injuries notwithstanding.

Cleveland vs Chicago

I am not wasting our time here. This potential upset has as much likelihood of occuring as Smush Parker has of returning to the Lakers and playing alongside Kobe next season. Anything can happen in the playoffs, but not this.

Boston vs Detroit

Why could an upset happen?

1) On paper, Detroit has as much talent as Boston does. Sheed, Rip, Tay, Stuckey and AI, are a talented core that almost any team would covet.

2) They have been there and done that.

3) Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace need a return to form to attract suitors for the last contract of their careers.

4) Marbury and Mikki Moore are not exactly the signings Boston needs to shore up their bench.

Why wouldn't it happen?

1) more so than any other team in the NBA Boston are more than the sum their parts, . Detroit on the other hand are less than the sum of their parts.

2) Does anyone expect 'Sheed to play like the leader the Pistons need to beat Boston over a seven games series?

3) The Big Three still have too much firepower for most teams to handle.

4) Ray Allen is quietly having a stellar season with 18.4 PPG and a career high 48.4 FG percentage.

Orlando vs Philadelphia

Why could an upset happen?

1) With the two Andres (Miller and Iguodala), Philly has a high octane slasher offense that could exploit Orlando's perimeter defense.

2) Andre Miller is a seasoned veteran leader.

3) Other than Dwight Howard, Orlando does not have any big man in the post.

Why wouldn't it happen?

1) The Magic is the best three-point shooting team in terms of three-points made while Philly is the second worst.

2) Without Elton Brand, Philly can't exploit Rashard Lewis' defensive liabilities.

3) The gulf in talent between the two teams is too big for a Brand-less Philly to bridge.

Atlanta vs Miami

Why could an upset happen?

1) Dwyane Wade.

2) See above.

Why wouldn't it happen?

1) The Hawks have home-court advantage where they are a sterling 27-7.

2) The Hawks have a more balanced attack with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Mike Bibby and Al Horford.

3) The Hawks have a deeper rotation compared with Miami.

Los Angeles vs Dallas Mavericks

Why could an upset happen?

1) I don't really know, why don't you ask Jason Terry?

Why wouldn't it happen?

1) Lakers have flat out too much talent and firepower for the Mavs to handle, with or without Bynum.

2) Josh Howard's health is a concern, even if he is physically healthy, he might let his birthday celebrations get in the way.

3) The Lakers haven't lost to the Mavericks since they acquired Pau Gasol in February of last year. There's no reason to predict change now.

San Antonio vs Utah

Why could an upset happen?

1) Deron Williams is a fantastic floor general who makes his teammates much better.

2) Jerry Sloan may not be able to outfox Greg Poppovich but he can coach Pops to a deuce.

3) Utah have perhaps the best bench in the entire league which can exploit the weaker Spurs bench when the Big Three are resting.

Why wouldn't it happen?

1) If the Big Three are healthy, they can hold their own against any team.

2) Roger Mason Jr. is a pleasant surprise and the much needed fourth scorer.

3) They are the Spurs, underestimate them at your own peril.

Houston vs Portland

Why could an upset happen?

1) Portland have probably the most talented group of young players in the entire league, with a deep rotation that most GMs would kill to have on their rosters.

2) Brandon Roy is a top 10 talent in the league and proving to be a clutch player.

3) Without T-Mac, Houston's outside threat depends on the mercurial (read: unreliable) Ron Artest.

Why wouldn't it happen?

1) Oden has yet to prove he can handle the best bigs and Yao is one of them.

2) Houston no longer have to deal with the distraction of T-Mac and his ailments.

3) In Shane Battier and Ron Artest, Houston have two of the premier individual defenders in the league to go along with one of the best team defense.

Denver vs New Orleans

Why could an upset happen?

1) After the Tyson Chandler trade was rescinded, the Hornets have been playing with passion and fire unseen since last season.

2) Chris Paul is unquestionably the best point guard in the league this season.

3) Other than Billups, the core of the Nuggets do not exactly bring to mind adjectives like 'dependable' and 'reliable'. See Anthony, Carmelo, Martin, Kenyon and Smith, JR.

Why wouldn't it happen?

1) Chauncey Billups might just provide the leadership and clutch play needed to bring the Nuggets beyond the first round.

2) Carmelo Anthony, when fully healthy, is one of the best offensive players in the league.

3) Nene is quietly having a stellar season that makes the loss of Marcus Camby more palatable.

Picking Miami (which I do actually) and New Orleans would not exactly be going out on a limb since a No. 5 over a No. 4 seed is not exactly a massive upset. My pick for the biggest first round upset of this season based on the matchups today is the Utah Jazz over the San Antonio Spurs.

Utah's physical play would inevitably frustrate the road weary legs of Duncan, Ginobili and Finley, limiting their effectiveness over the games. In addition, Deron Williams has the speed and size to slow Tony Parker while the Utah bench will unquestionably outplay the Spurs bench keeping a cap on the Big Three's rest time.

Having said that, the most likely reason it would not happen is that I expect the Jazz to move up the ladder in the next few weeks, possibly finishing as the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the West.