NBA Playoff Schedule 2013: Key Dates for Every Round

The 2013 NBA playoffs begin in less than a week, but with so many teams in each division so close in the standings, many of the matchups have yet to be decided.

With so much parity in the postseason, it should make for some thrilling showdowns in the impending best-of-seven series.

You’re not going to want to miss a single day or even a minute of this incredible hoops action, so let’s take a look at when each round starts. After you circle the dates on your calendar, keep reading to take a look at our predicted winner for each conference and check out our championship pick.

 

Playoffs Begin: April 20

Conference Semifinals: May 7

Conference Finals: May 22

NBA Finals: June 6

 

Predictions

Thunder Win West

It seems that the Thunder are somehow flying under the radar this season, despite standing atop the Western Conference.

Whether you want to blame that on the Lakers' struggles getting too much attention, the Heat and Knicks’ winning streaks that drew a lot of coverage or the simple fact that the Thunder are so consistently great that no one bothers making a fuss about them anymore, they remain the most dangerous squad in the West.

When it comes down to it, we have a hard time seeing any of the competition in the conference ousting OKC in a best-of-seven series.

The Spurs don’t have the athleticism, the Clippers are too inconsistent, Denver lost Danilo Gallinari at the worst time and the remaining teams are a piece or two away.

It certainly won’t be a cakewalk, but with home-court advantage in one of the best arenas in the league, the Thunder will repeat as conference champions in 2013.

 

Heat Win East

We haven’t seen a team as potent as the 2012-13 Miami Heat in years.

After a relatively sluggish start to the year, Miami turned it on with a 27-game winning streak to lock up the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs and proved to every doubter that this organization is dead serious about defending its title.

LeBron James, widely regarded as the best player in the world prior to the current campaign, jumped to another level and is impossible to stop. He improved in almost every area, but none more so than his scoring efficiency.

Being that he is a perimeter player and ball-handler, it’s absolutely mind boggling to see King James shooting 56.5 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from beyond the arc this season.

Factor in a supporting cast that is largely the same—plus the awesome addition of backup big man Chris Andersen into the fold—and you are looking at a squad that will not be bested.

 

Heat over Thunder in Finals

While some fans aren’t going to be excited to see a rematch of the 2012 NBA Finals, hoop junkies are salivating at another chance to watch Kevin Durant and LBJ go back and forth for up to seven games.

Unfortunately for OKC, the results are likely going to be the same, as Miami elevated its game significantly since winning the title.

While the Thunder starters have improved, the offseason trade of James Harden to Houston is going to come back and bite this franchise.

Oklahoma City could have had a huge advantage when the second units hit the floor with Harden, but now—on paper—are on even footing with the Heat.

That’s going to be the difference as LeBron claims his second straight Finals MVP award and helps the Heat win another title.