Winning in the NBA Playoffs is different to chasing victories in the regular season.
In the latter, you need to exploit the match-ups, execute well but also be mentally primed to come out on top.
In the post-season, with the stakes increased, motivation is rarely an x-factor. And thus the margin for upsets on any given night is much less than during an 82-game slugfest.
Which is a roundabout way of saying donâ€
t worry about the defending champions. The Cleveland Cavaliers will be just fine in the race through the East – despite losing out on top seed to the Boston Celtics.
Why? Because, regardless of the MVP race (surely now a two-way choice between James Harden and Russell Westbrook), they still have the best and most dominant player in the game.
LeBron James isnâ€
t about to let the Cavs cede their crown in the first round, especially against an Indiana Pacers team that just scraped in.
Game 1 of their series begins on Saturday with Cleveland tipped to prevail despite the self-confessed lack of chemistry theyâ€
ve shown of late.
But now thereâ€
s a reduced rotation and an assured belief from James, with everyone healthy again, their track record counts for something despite talk of a possible trap from the Pacers.
“Everyone loves an underdog and everyone loves an upset,†said TNT analyst Reggie Miller. “For me, will it happen against Indiana? A lot of things have to factor in and a lot of things have to fall into place. When LeBron James is healthy [and he] didnâ€
t have Kyrie or Love in the Finals, he put on a show even though they lost to the Golden State Warriors.
“When [James] was healthy, he came back from being down three games to one. At the end of the day, we are in a new season now, the real season. A lot of times youâ€
re just looking to get to the playoffs to turn on that switch. They know that they dominated Toronto and Boston in the postseason over the last few years. [Cleveland] is thinking, ‘so what if we start on the road, we know if we go into your building, we can dominate.â€
â€
While Golden State –are justifiable overall favourites, donâ€
t expect the King to abdicate without a fight.
Elsewhere, the opening round looks set to go with seeding but there are two particularly intriguing battles. The Harden-Westbrook duel is going to bring a note of unpredictability to the Houston Rockets.
But the best chance of a lower seed coming through goes to the Utah Jazz against a LA Clippers team which might find Rudy Gobert an unsurmountable road block. Despite seven consecutive wins from the Clips, a league-leading defence from their rivals puts this one up for grabs.
Markâ€
s First Round picks
EAST
Boston 4-1 Chicago
Washington 4-3 Atlanta
Toronto 4-1 Milwaukee
Cleveland 4-1 Indiana
WESTGolden State 4-0 PortlandUtah 4-3 LA ClippersHouston 4-2 Oklahoma CitySan Antonio 4-1 Memphis
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