2013 NBA Playoffs: Predicting the Winners of the East's First Round Matchups

The NBA Playoffs are finally here, and it's time to hear fans boldly proclaim their team's greatness.

Every team in the playoffs has championship aspirations.  Some, such as the Milwaukee Bucks, will have a harder time than other teams, like the Miami Heat. There are 16 teams in the playoffs and only 30 teams in the league, so not every playoff team is a powerhouse. We're only going to see one champion, but we're sure to see a lot of excitement.

Which teams will find playoff success? Here are first round predictions for the Eastern Conference.

Miami Heat (1) vs Milwaukee Bucks (8)

Unless LeBron James goes down, Dwyane Wade plays horribly and Chris Bosh is non-existent, the Heat are going to beat the Bucks.

Sure, the Bucks gave them a bit of trouble in December when they demolished the Heat at home, but the Heat are easily the better team. Miami obliterated their competition to earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference and they earned a matchup with the mediocre Bucks. Milwaukee can steal a game, but they aren't going to complete the arduous task of winning four of seven games.

The 66-16 Heat lost four home games all season, and they went 26-15 on the road. Milwaukee went 17-24 on the road, finishing the year with six consecutive losses and a win over the resting Oklahoma City Thunder. Miami went 3-1 against the Bucks, and while the Bucks went 1-1 (with an overtime loss) in the first two games, Miami won the last two fairly easily.

James, Wade and Bosh will step up their game for the playoffs and the Heat, who had a +7.8 point differential, will have little trouble with the Bucks, who had a -1.6 point differential. While Milwaukee went 21-20 at home and could take a game at home, this series will go no fewer than five games. Miami has too much star power and great chemistry, and they are hungry to win another championship.

And, as we know, that's a great formula for success.

Prediction: Heat in five

New York Knicks (2) vs Boston Celtics (7)

The Celtics are missing Rajon Rondo and aren't getting any younger, but they can upset the Knicks.

New York has emerged as one of the East's best teams as Carmelo Anthony won the scoring title, J.R. Smith performed well off the bench and Tyson Chandler was a monster on the boards. The result is a second-place finish in the East, which means that the talented Knicks will take on the experienced Celtics in an interesting series.

Boston lost Rondo, but Paul Pierce has assumed the role of lead facilitator, averaging more than six assists per game (APG) since Rondo's injury. Pierce and Kevin Garnett are the premier scorers, but none match up with Anthony in terms of scoring. Anthony averaged 28.7 points per game (PPG) and Smith averaged 18.1 PPG. New York was in the top 11 in offense, defense and point differential, so they are a fairly good all-around team.

Smith will have scoring chances because Anthony is a player that defenses focus on. Both are scoring threats and both can change a game dramatically when they are shooting well. It's going to be hard for Boston's aging defense to contain New York's high-profile offense but if they can pull it off then they have a great chance of winning.

The Celtics rank 15th in point differential but they are far more experienced and don't lose at home. Boston has great fans, and that's a big reason why the Celtics went 28-13 at home. However, Boston also went 14-27 on the road, and they were fairly mediocre all season.

New York has more talent, home-court advantage and the apparent edge. The Knicks went 3-1 against the Celtics this year, and they won the last two games (in late March) by 15 and 19 points. This series will be close if Boston can continue its home success. I have a hard time seeing the Celtics advancing here.

In other words, the Knicks will prove experience isn't everything and will take down the Celtics in a tight battle.

Prediction: Knicks in seven.

Indiana Pacers (3) vs Atlanta Hawks (6)

Despite lots of offensive woes the Pacers are back in the playoffs. And they have a great chance at beating an average Atlanta team.

The Pacers and Hawks split the season series, with Atlanta taking the first two games and Indiana winning the final two. The Hawks are an average offensive and defensive team and it's likely that the Hawks get shut down by the league's second-best defense (in terms of points allowed). Atlanta is slightly above-average in opponent field goal percentage, as opponents shoot about 45 percent against the Hawks.

Indiana should be able to create some offense but they won't need to score a ton. The Pacers allowed an average of 90.5 PPG and opponents shot less than 42 percent against Indiana, which was the best in the league. Atlanta is an average scoring team and they aren't a great defensive team either. Atlanta isn't dominating in any one phase of the game and in addition to their lack of dominance, they are a very poor rebounding team.

And the Pacers? They're the best rebounding team in the NBA.

The matchups favor the Pacers and it's hard to see Indiana, a team with only 11 home losses, losing this series. Atlanta will need to get hot and steal one road game, and they'll need to protect their home court. The Hawks have their work cut out for them, and as of right now, Atlanta's outlook is very bleak. It's possible If Josh Smith can lead the offense and the Hawks score a sufficient amount of points, but otherwise it's not likely.

Why? Because it's never easy to go on the road and beat a dominant defensive team.

Prediction: Pacers in six.

Brooklyn Nets (4) vs Chicago Bulls (5)

Even though the Bulls haven't had Derrick Rose all year they still managed to win 45 games and earn the fifth seed.

Chicago has made defense its forte and as a result, they have managed to fight through Rose's injury. The Bulls are third in opponent points, as they have allowed less than 93 PPG, and they are ninth in total rebounding. Joakim Noah stepped up in Rose's absence, as he averaged 11.3 rebounds per game (RPG) during the 2012-13 season. Luol Deng also made an impact by taking over the scoring reins, as he averaged 16.6 PPG.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, there's a possibility that Rose returns for the first round, but it's unlikely. Rose isn't the NBA's best player and he won't save the Bulls. However, he would help against the Nets, a talented team. Brook Lopez finished the season with the fifth-best player efficiency rating (PER) in the entire league, with a 24.7 PER. The league average is 15, so he was an extremely efficient player.

Deron Williams continued to run Brooklyn's offense well, averaging 19.1 PPG and 7.8 APG. These two players can definitely hurt the Bulls, and if Williams can create scoring opportunities for Lopez (who averaged 19.4 PPG), the Nets can gash Chicago's defense and put up points. Brooklyn has capable rebounders in Lopez and Reggie Evans, who averaged 21.7 rebounds per 48 minutes, so they can make the battle down low interesting.

Brooklyn lost three close games and won one close game against the Bulls, so the games should be interesting. Chicago went 21-20 on the road, so they could be able to sneak out of Brooklyn with at least one road win. Brooklyn went 23-18 on the road, so they could definitely win a game in Chicago. It's going to be a remarkable series, and it could go either way.

If the Nets can get points on the board then expect them to win the series without too much trouble. I can see both teams winning, but I think the Nets will use their home-court advantage and star power to win the series. Both teams will have opportunities and this should be the most interesting series in the first round.

However, if the Bulls don't capitalize on opportunities and shut down Brooklyn's potent offense, they're not going to win.

Prediction: Nets in seven.