After a marathon-like march through the regular season, tiresome talks of tanking and wide-ranging woes over award rules, it’s finally time to focus on the good stuff.
The 2025-26 NBA playoffs begin on Saturday, and the hope is for immediate intrigue to remind folks what high-level basketball is all about.
A task that, admittedly, may be easier said than done — at least early on. Very few underdogs have managed to punch up in recent years, as lower-seeded teams were just 6-18 through the first round over the last three seasons. It’s looked especially chalky in the East, with just one early upset in that span (sixth-seed Pacers over third-seed Bucks in 2024).
Milwaukee may not be in the playoffs this year, but fans will certainly hope to buck that trend heading into a post-season that once again presents an upper class in the East that has idly watched as those below fought for a place at the table. The top four teams in the conference haven’t changed in over two months, while seeds five through 10 swapped spots so often it more closely resembled a game of musical chairs. Well, the song can still be heard, and until there’s only one seat left, there’s plenty of game still to be played.
So, to figure out if any potential upsets are brewing for the first time in a long time, here are burning questions to ponder over heading into each first-round Eastern Conference series.
Season series: Tied 2-2
Oct. 29: Pistons 135, Magic 116
Nov. 28: Magic 112, Pistons 109
Mar. 1: Pistons 106, Magic 92
Apr. 6: Magic 123, Pistons 107
Series Schedule:
Game 1: Sunday, April 19: at Detroit, 6:30 p.m.
Game 2: Wednesday, April 22: at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, April 25: at No. 8 seed, 1 p.m.
Game 4: Monday, April 27: at No. 8 seed, time TBD
* Game 5: Wednesday, April 29: at Detroit, time TBD
* Game 6: Friday, May 1: at No. 8 seed, time TBD
* Game 7: Sunday, May 3: at Detroit, time TBD
* if necessary
Burning Question for the series: Do Magic generate enough points to keep up?
Despite a Jekyll-and-Hyde 2026 portion of the season (26-22), Orlando survived the Play-In and secured the eighth spot. Unfortunately for Magic fans, the reward was a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Pistons, who rank ninth on offence and second on defence. An especially daunting task for a Magic squad that has hovered just above the bottom 10 in offensive rating all season.
Even if there appears to be a path to success by mucking games up defensively, like in the Magic’s two wins against the Pistons this season, replicating that success won’t be so simple. One of those games was without Cade Cunningham available, and in the other, the star guard committed an outlandish eight turnovers. Neither seems all that likely to happen again — even with Cunningham ranked fourth in the NBA in turnovers per game (3.7) — unless Jamahl Mosley has serious tricks up his sleeve defensively.
Luckily for the Magic, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner enter the matchup on the heels of impressive outings vs. the Charlotte Hornets, scoring 25 and 18 points respectively, while both shooting over 50 per cent. Not often has the duo been able to will their team to victory without Desmond Bane — 15-26 (.366) on the season when the shooting guard scored fewer than 20 points. So, for the duo to lead a 121-point effort in a playoff-clinching win, on a night Bane scored just 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting, it’s as positive a sign as any going into a matchup against the 60-win Pistons.
Season series: Tied 2-2
Oct. 22: 76ers 117, Celtics 116
Oct. 31: Celtics 109, 76ers 108
Nov. 11: 76ers 102, Celtics 100
Mar. 1: Celtics 114, 76ers 98
Series Schedule:
Game 1: Sunday, April 19: at Boston, 1 p.m. (Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet+)
Game 2: Tuesday, April 21: at Boston, 7 p.m.
Game 3: Friday, April 24: at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Sunday, April 26: at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet+)
* Game 5: Tuesday, April 28: at Boston, time TBD
* Game 6: Thursday, April 30: at Philadelphia, time TBD
* Game 7: Saturday, May 2: at Boston, time TBD
* if necessary
Burning Question for the series: What does Paul George have to offer?
For the 76ers to upset a Celtics team — top five on both sides of the ball — with the third-best record in the NBA since Jayson Tatum returned from injury, it’s going to take a helluva series from the self-proclaimed “Playoff P.”
Tyrese Maxey has been brilliant against Boston this year — 30.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks — but will have his hands full trying to avoid the hounding presence of Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. Not to mention, Joel Embiid’s status remains uncertain for the first round, which leaves rookie VJ Edgecombe and George as the most viable Robins to Maxey’s Batman.
And if Nick Nurse is hoping for a wrinkle that could allow him to out-chess Coach of the Year favourite Joe Mazzulla, George presents a game-breaking option — which Boston faced yet this season — should he live up to his billing as a nine-time all-star. The 35-year-old is arguably the freshest he’s been heading into the playoffs, having missed 25 games due to suspension before coming back for the final 10 games of the season. George averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals while shooting 41.5 per cent following his return and has helped the team win its minutes when he’s been on the floor.
The Sixers are going to need all of that two-way production, as it’s inevitable that George spends time matched up with Tatum and MVP candidate Jaylen Brown on both ends throughout the series.
Season series: Knicks lead 2-1
Dec. 27: Knicks 128, Hawks 125
Jan. 2: Hawks 111, Knicks 99
Apr. 6: Knicks 108, Hawks 105
Series Schedule:
Game 1: Saturday, April 18: at New York, 6 p.m.
Game 2: Monday, April 20: at New York, 8 p.m.
Game 3: Thursday, April 23: at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Saturday, April 25: at Atlanta, 6 p.m.
* Game 5: Tuesday, April 28: at New York, time TBD
* Game 6: Thursday, April 30: at Atlanta, time TBD
* Game 7: Saturday, May 2: at New York, time TBD
* if necessary
Burning Question for the series: Can Hawks cool off Karl-Anthony Towns?
It’s no secret that Atlanta has been among the hottest teams in the NBA since March — sixth in wins and fourth in net rating — thanks largely to a defence that transformed from 14th over the first three-quarters of the season to third during the closing stretch.
The Hawks have forced the most turnovers in the NBA during that span and have been top 10 in limiting opponents’ field-goal and three-point attempts because of said disruptive habits. But a seven-footer who can score at all three levels — and has been a nightmare matchup this season — could easily throw a wrench in all that positive momentum.
Towns averaged 28.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals in two games against the Hawks this season. And while that fell short of Jalen Brunson’s 29.3 points in three games, the floor general was far less efficient with shooting splits of 46.2/29.6/80.0 per cent — on twice as many shots — compared to KAT’s 63.0/50.0/94.7. Hence, there is some belief that the duo of Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, with the help of shooting variance, could temper Brunson’s impact. But who on the Hawks will stymie Towns?
So far, Quinn Snyder has opted for a healthy dose of Onyeka Okongwu, who has spent the fourth-most minutes of any player guarding the Knicks forward this season, but the springy big man has been torched to the tune of 11-of-14 shooting (four triples), five assists, and six free throws in the matchup. Atlanta’s lone win against New York came when the six-time all-star wasn’t available, a game the Hawks not-so-coincidentally found success on defence as the Knicks shot 37.1 and 21.4 per cent from the field and distance.
Season series: Raptors lead 3-0
Oct. 31: Raptors 112, Cavaliers 101
Nov. 13: Raptors 126, Cavaliers 113
Nov. 24: Raptors 110, Cavaliers 99
Series Schedule:
Game 1: Saturday, April 18 at Cleveland, 1 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet+)
Game 2: Monday, April 20 at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Game 3: Thursday, April 23 at Toronto, 8 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet+)
Game 4: Sunday, April 26 at Toronto, 1 p.m.
* Game 5: Wednesday, April 29 at Cleveland, time TBD
* Game 6: Friday, May 1 at Toronto, time TBD
* Game 7: Sunday, May 3 at Cleveland, time TBD
* if necessary
Burning Question for the series: Can Raptors speed up Harden’s Cavs?
Here lies the likeliest candidate for a first-round upset in the East. Fans are in for a matchup of stylistic opposites, which is especially interesting as the Raptors and Cavaliers often accomplish similar objectives — apply rim pressure and game the possession battle — through differing paths.
Toronto finds success by ratcheting up the pace, starting with ball pressure and then sending help and creative switches along the way, which generated the third-most opponent turnovers per game (16.1) of any playoff team. Off the many miscues and stops the Raptors create, they run like hell — third in the NBA for time-to-shot after turnovers and defensive rebounds. Quantity over quality reigns supreme for a team that faces a dearth of half-court creation.
All the while, Toronto does just as good a job at stopping opponents from doing the same. The Raptors are the only team in the NBA that ranks in the top five in most transition points scored and fewest transition points allowed, outscoring opponents by a league-best 8.6 points per game in transition as a result. If Toronto is going to upset Cleveland, it’ll be by forcing the game to be played at a breakneck pace.
The Raptors wouldn’t even be the first team to try (and succeed) at running the Cavs out of the gym, as the Pacers did so just last season. But that Cleveland team didn’t have James Harden, who makes the task much more difficult with his abundance of playoff experience. (The fourth player all-time to not miss the playoffs in each of his first 17 seasons!)
Since adding the savvy floor general, the Cavaliers have controlled the possession battle by moving slower than a snail in syrup. Cleveland’s average time-to-shot increased a full second since adding Harden, taking the team from third-fastest to 10th-slowest. The 11-time all-star methodically hunts mismatches, slithers through defences — often to find his bigs for easy baskets — and hardly turns the ball over along the way, and has subsequently juiced the Cavaliers halfcourt offence from seventh in the NBA to third.
The Raptors will undoubtedly need to force Harden (and Donovan Mitchell) to play faster — i.e., earlier pick-ups, shorter drives, lateral passes, etc. — if they want any chance of speeding the Cavs up as a whole.