2009 NBA Playoff Preview: Eastern Conference

No need for an introduction. Let's just jump right in.

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers (66-16) vs. #8 Detroit Pistons (39-43)

2009 Head-to-Head: 3-1 Cleveland

Season Recap: The Cavs had their best season in franchise history, finishing with the best record in the League (including 39-2 at home). No disrespect to the injury-riddled defending champs or the surprising Orlando Magic, but Cleveland has been the class of the East all year long. The Pistons have been the opposite. Usually one of the best teams in the conference, Joe Dumars traded their heart and soul for a future Hall-of-Famer (and cap space) in an experiment that failed miserably. Iverson will not play in the playoffs, and the Pistons finished with an unacceptable losing record after starting the season 4-0.

Cavs' Main Advantage: LeBron James Main Disadvantage: Frontcourt Matchups

Pistons' Main Advantage: Experience Main Disadvantage: Inability to ScLeBron Jamesore

Crucial Matchup: LeBron James vs. Tayshaun Prince. The entire Pistons' roster has to help Prince with the unenviable task of trying to contain The King. One advantage Prince might have (emphasis on might) is that he played with LeBron in Beijing and had the benefit of seeing him everyday in practice. The Pistons have always played good team defense, so if they can keep the middle clogged, Prince's length when contesting shots could give LeBron some trouble on the perimeter. Mo Williams (LeBron's sidekick) vs. Rodney Stuckey (the reason Detroit traded Billups) is also an intriguing matchup.

Player to Watch: Will Bynum. By far the most interesting player on either team not named LeBron. He hadn't played in the League since 2005 (15 games) yet came out of nowhere this year to establish himself as a solid backup point guard. Some argue that he actually runs the Pistons better than Stuckey does. He plays hard-nosed defense and can score when he needs to. There's added pressure on Detroit's guards to step up without Billups/Iverson, but if Bynum's recent 26-point 4th-quarter explosion is an indicator, he'll have no problem handling it.

Prediction: No one can stop LeBron. Cavs in 5.

#2 Boston Celtics (62-20) vs. #7 Chicago Bulls (41-41)

2009 Head-to-Head: 2-1 Boston

Season Recap: Boston could not duplicate the smooth, healthy regular season they had a year ago, yet they still won 60 games. As I write this, it has been reported that Kevin Garnett may miss the entire postseason. Paul Pierce has done an amazing job leading this team without KG, but they are a different team when the Big Ticket doesn't play. Speaking of leadership, Derrick Rose capped off a great rookie year by leading his new-look Bulls to an unlikely playoff birth. They went 18-11 after the break and won five of their last six to grab the seventh seed in the East. John Salmons and Brad Miller are added weapons, and Ben Gordon scorched the nets down the stretch (23 PPG in April).

Celtics' Main Advantage: Championship Pedigree Main Disadvantage: No KG

Bulls' Main Advantage: Assortment of Weapons Main Disadvantage: InexperienDerrick Rosece

Crucial Matchup: Derrick Rose vs. Rajon Rondo. This is a battle between two of the best young floor generals in the game. Over the past year, Rondo has improved as much as any player in the League, and the one advantage he has over Rose is that he's been here before. Rose has been in this situation before, too. Kind of. Last year, while Rondo was getting ready to go on a championship run with the Celtics, Rose was dominating the NCAA Tournament to lead his Memphis Tigers to the title game. Like then, Rose is a first year player coming off of a solid freshman campaign. Can he raise his level of play in the NBA postseason like he did last year at Memphis? I wouldn't put it past him.

Players to Watch: Celtics' Bench. No James Posey. No PJ Brown. No Sam Cassell. The bench has been a question mark all year long in Beantown, so Danny Ainge went out and added Stephon Marbury and Mikki Moore. Glen Davis has played surprisingly well in KG's absence, Leon Powe is back at 100%, and Eddie House has been his normal streak-shooting self. This unit needs to produce more now than ever with KG out for the playoffs. In this particular series, I think Stephon Marbury could be a huge lift to the Celtics. He's got the perfect combination of size, strength, and athleticism to match up with Derrick Rose.

Prediction: The Bulls do what last year's Hawks could not. Bulls in 7. You saw it here first.

#3 Orlando Magic (59-23) vs. #6 Philadelphia 76ers (41-41)

2009 Head-to-Head: 3-0 Orlando

Season Recap: No one expected the Magic to be this good. Winning the division is one thing; joining the Celtics and Cavs as the East's elite is quite another. Dwight Howard has held it down inside while Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis have spearheaded the League's most potent perimeter attack. Conversely, everyone expected the Sixers to be better with Elton Brand in the fold. They weren't. When Brand went down for the year, it seemed like a lost season. Wrong. While Iguodala struggled early on with Elton, he found his game in Brand's absence and was able to help his Sixers overcome injuries, criticism, and a coaching change to get back to the playoffs.

Magic's Main Advantage: Outside Shooting Main Disadvantage: Frontcourt Depth

Sixers' Main Advantage: Size and Athleticism Main Disadvantage: Outside SDwight Howardhooting

Crucial Matchup: Dwight Howard vs. Samuel Dalembert. Tony DiLeo, here's some advice. Let Dwight Howard try to go for 30 every night. The Magic live and die by the three, and while Howard will be too much for Dalembert to handle on his own, it's better to give up two points per bucket instead of three. Plus, as good as Dwight is, he has his offensive shortcomings: he is a poor free-throw shooter and often displays a severe lack of touch around the basket. The Sixers can keep games close if they play tight on Orlando's shooters and force Dwight Howard to beat them with his offense.

Player to Watch: Courtney Lee. Rafer Alston isn't much of an offensive threat; Turkoglu is too slow to take Philly wings off the dribble consistently; and Rashard Lewis is strictly a jump shooter. Lee could be vital as a 4th option with his ability to shoot or score off the bounce. He had four straight months of 45% or better from the field before struggling mightily in April. Hopefully for the Magic, it was just a slump and not Lee hitting the rookie wall. When this kid plays well, the Magic are really dangerous.

Prediction: Magic in 6.

#4 Atlanta Hawks (47-35) vs. #5 Miami Heat (43-39)

2009 Head-to-Head: 3-1 Atlanta

Season Recap: The Hawks jumped out to a 6-0 start before coming back down to Earth and settling in as the #4 seed. This is pretty much right where everyone thought they'd finish. That cannot be said for the Miami Heat, who only a year ago won 15 games. Wade reminded everyone that he's one of the Top 5 players in this League (Top 2 in my book) and carried this team to 43 wins. Pat Riley was able to turn Shawn Marion into Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon, a move that helped strengthen a still-weak Miami supporting cast.

Hawks' Main Advantage: Athleticism Main Disadvantage: Star?

Heat's Main Advantage: Dwyane Wade Main Disadvantage: Supporting Cast

Crucial Matchup: Al Horford vs. Jermaine O'Neal. It would be too easy to say Dwyane Wade vs. Joe Johnson, and odds are they won't even guard each other. No, the matchup to waDwyane Wadetch is in the trenches between two centers headed in opposite directions. Neither one of them has done much offensively this season; their importance lies in how well they can defend the paint. The Hawks are a team of slashers, so O'Neal needs to make his presence felt with his rebounding and shot-blocking. The same goes for Horford. Dwyane Wade gets to the basket easier than anyone in basketball and shot 52% against the Hawks this season. Horford needs to play physical and intimidate around the basket to force Wade into more outside shots. That's the only way the Hawks will be able to stop him.

Players to Watch: Miami Rookies. Actually, with 82 games in the books, the term "rookies" doesn't really apply anymore. Nevertheless, Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers are entering their first playoff series, and the pressure is on them to increase production, not maintain it. B-Easy has had some big games recently and looks ready to step up consistently as the #2 option while Chalmers simply needs to take care of the ball and stick open looks. Wade's been through too much this year to carry them through a playoff series by himself. It's time for Beasley and Chalmers to step up.

Prediction: Wade is too good, and I think the rooks are ready. Heat in 6.

Check back tomorrow for analysis of Western Conference's first round.

Mike DeStefano can be reached at mike@hoopsdaily.com.