NBA playoffs 2023: what to look out for in all eight opening-round ties

M uch has been made of the toll that 82 games can take on the human body over the course of an NBA season, as it pertains to the players in those games and their ability to stay healthy enough to participate in most (let alone all) of them. But even for fans of the sport, 82 can be a lot of games to keep up with. As we find ourselves, once again, at the best time of the year – the NBA playoffs – it’s understandable to feel a little scrambled about what it is we’re looking at. So, here’s a primer of sorts. A CliffsNotes, if you will, for all of the first-round matchups: what to expect, what to be excited about, and what to look out for.

No 1 Milwaukee Bucks v No 8 Miami Heat

The Milwaukee Bucks are the favorite to win it all this year by many, if not most, devoted followers of the NBA, for the simple fact that they’ve simply been head and shoulders above the pack for the better part of the season. That, and they have arguably the best player on the face of the planet in their arsenal in Giannis Antetokounmpo. But that doesn’t mean you can pencil them in for a 4-0 series against the 8 seed Miami Heat. ‘Playoff Jimmy’ (Butler) is still very much in play, Bam Adebayo is one of the best defenders in the league, and if sharpshooter Max Strus is as hot from the perimeter in this series as he was in their play-in besting of Chicago, the Bucks could be in for an exhausting road to round two.

No 2 Boston Celtics v No 7 Atlanta Hawks

It was a bit of a curveball to see the Hawks, who have predominantly been in the news this season for trade rumblings (many believe their star point guard, Trae Young, could be on the move this off-season), in the 7 seed that most had earmarked for the Heat. But the Hawks overcame a stumbling