West

1. Golden State Warriors vs. 3. Oklahoma City Thunder

It’s a shame that this series is happening this round because it could easily be an incredible Finals series. Steph Curry came back off of his sprained MCL injury looking better than anyone would’ve expected and won a second consecutive MVP award. The Thunder are coming off what could be called a slight upset against the Spurs. They’re finally fully healthy for the first time in the playoffs since making to the Finals in 2012. Unless Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook can both play at an even higher level, I don’t see them having quite enough to get past the defending champions. It’s going to be a very exciting series filled with close games. I can’t wait for it to start!

Prediction: Warriors in 7

East

1. Cleveland Cavaliers. vs. 2. Toronto Raptors

The Cavaliers played the minimum 8 games to get here, while the Raptors played the maximum 14 games. This may lead you to think that the Cavs should easily dominate this series, but the teams they faced were considerably easier. This is the furthest the Raptors have ever advanced in franchise history, which is great progress after getting eliminated in the first round the past two seasons. I think the Raptors will test the Cavaliers at times because of their advantage in the paint with the emergence of Bismack Biyombo and Jonas Valančiūnas who I’m hoping can come back relatively healthy. However, I don’t think they have enough talent and depth overall to beat the Cavaliers who have really come together and elevated their play so far in the playoffs.

Prediction: Cavaliers in 6