The Most Intriguing First Round Matchups Of the NBA Playoffs

Easter weekend is the end of a dream come true for any sports fan.

The week starts off with the men's Final Four and the beginning of another MLB season, there's the women's Final Four, college hockey's Frozen Four, and the week winds up with the drama in Augusta at the Masters. 

And, for basketball fans everywhere, the beginning of the final week of the NBA schedule, which will lead to the playoffs.

In light of that, I thought I'd breakdown some of the upcoming playoffs.

The Cavs and Lakers seem to be on a crash course for the NBA Championship this year, but what happens before we get to that point.

There are some interesting matchups that are going to happen before we get there.  Here are the top three:

Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics

I'm not here to tell you that the defending champs are done in the first round. At the same time, I'm not going to tell you they will definitely make it out of the first round.

The Bulls are a young team that gets better with every game they play, while the Celtics are a, somewhat old, veteran team that is suffering through KG's injury. 

It seems as though the Celtics have been holding him out waiting on the playoffs, taking time to make sure he is right.

If he isn't right, the Celtics have no chance of defending their title. And, that may become apparent in this series.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets

The winner of this series will most likely play the Lakers in round two. 

These teams both have winning pieces, but haven't been able to be counted among the elite.

I'm not sure either could win a game on LA's home floor, but they will both be tough at home. That is, as long as they don't kill each other first in what figures to be the best first round matchup.

Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat 

Hey look, it's another intriguing four- vs. five-seed matchup. 

Atlanta is a young, very talented team that took the champion as far as anyone else in last year's playoffs.

Miami has Dwayne Wade, maybe the MVP of the league, who has won the title before, and seems to play his best when the stakes are highest.  

The winner of this series will likely be the next opponent for the Cavs, and could gain valuable momentum heading into that series.

Easter weekend has come and gone, which brings us to the last week in the NBA regular season. As soon as the Cavs win and lock up home court, the season should be canceled so we can start the playoffs.

I'm ready, how about you?