NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Preview

In the Rotation is no more.

(Moment of silence)

With the playoffs just 48 hours away and do-or-die action packed into every game, one long weekly column just won't suffice. There's too much happening every night to just neatly recap things once a week. This is the playoffs, baby.

The league has been asking for months, "Where will amazing happen?" For me, the bigger question is, "When will amazing happen?" With the stakes so high during the NBA playoffs, each and every night there is the possibility of something historic unfolding before our very eyes. I can't just sit and wait for Monday to roll around to pass out praise and second-guesses alike.

Therefore, In the Rotation has been scrapped for the remainder of the NBA season with the goal to post, shorter, more time-sensitive columns twice a week from now through the NBA Finals in order to stay as on top of the NBA playoffs as I can.

Where will amazing happen this year? We don't know yet, but you can bet that when it does happen you can visit sports central over the next two months to catch up on anything you might have missed.

Over the next two days, we'll break down each series in round one of the playoffs, starting today with the Eastern Conference.

No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 8 Detroit Pistons

Living in the Detroit area, I've seen just about as many Pistons games over the last six seasons as anyone. I'm not even disappointed at the fact that the Pistons run of six straight conference finals appearances is about four games from coming to an end (five if we're lucky).

If you would have told me in 2003, the year the Pistons went to their first of six straight conference finals, that this team would win 50+ games each of the next five seasons, advance to the conference finals in each of those seasons, play in two NBA Finals, and win an NBA title, but afterwards there would be a minor rebuilding process, I would have taken that offer in a heartbeat.

So, no, I'm not disappointed that we've come to the "minor rebuilding process" of that agreement. What disappoints me about the 2008-09 Pistons is that seemingly at the drop of a hat, this team completely lost its swagger.

For six straight seasons the Pistons took the floor every night and knew that they were the better team. In fact, that was the only knock on this team over the last half decade: they're so good that they put it on cruise control against lesser opponents because they know they're better and don't feel like proving it.

The Pistons spent the last six seasons with a collective swagger that was so important to their success that not even Daryl Morey could figure out a stat to quantify it. You just knew that this team had that "it" factor. Then the Pistons traded Chauncey Billups and the "it" factor left with him.

Players stopped caring. Nagging injuries lingered longer than they should have. Players questioned their roles publicly for the first time. Finger-pointing was at an all-time high. The Palace of Auburn Hills even saw its sell-out streak of 259 games snapped this season. Simply put, this franchise lost its swagger.

So what does that have to do with this series? Well, the Cleveland Cavaliers have more swagger than any other team in the league.

Whether it's posing for the team photo before the game, holding the follow-though that extra split second on a three-pointer, mugging for the bench after a monster dunk, or any of the other little things that the Cavs do to toe the line between confidence and cockiness, this team just oozes swagger.

Add that to the fact that they have the most talent 1-12 in the league (their scrubs pushed Philly to overtime when the Sixers had the difference between Orlando and the defending champion Celtics on the line) and the best home crowd in the league (39-2 ... in the Q!) and it makes for a lethal combination.

Having seen firsthand for the past six seasons just how deadly the combination of talent and swagger can be, I know better than to bet against this Cavs team, especially against a team that punched out four months ago.

Prediction: Cavs in four.

No. 4 Atlanta Hawks vs. No. 5 Miami Heat

One thing I thought I'd never do when I started writing for Sports Central over two years ago is give the Miami Heat, especially Dwyane Wade, any credit. In fact, the first column I ever wrote was titled "If You Can't Stand the Heat..."

What a difference the Olympics can make.

After Wade poured his heart into every minute he played in the Beijing Olympics, he became (gulp) one of my favorite players to watch this season. He played on another level for 82 straight games.

Now, as the playoffs approach, maybe it's the fact that I'm actually rooting for as many more Dwyane Wade games as possible that has me blindly convinced that the Heat can win this series.

My head tells me that the Hawks are the better team. Across the board, at every position except shooting guard, the Hawks have the advantage, and even the shooting guard matchup (Joe Johnson vs. Dwyane Wade) isn't that big of a mismatch when you consider how good Johnson is. Logically, there's no real reason that the Heat should be able to steal home court away from a playoff-tested Hawks team and win this series.

But my gut tells me that time and again in the playoffs, especially in the first round when the level of play isn't quite as high as say an NBA Finals, one player can win a series by himself. Wade proved it in '06 when he (with a lot of help from the officials, but still) basically singlehandedly beat the Mavericks after the Heat lost the first two games of the Finals.

There are only three players in the league right now that are capable of beating a team by themselves: Wade, LeBron, and Kobe (sorry, CP3, you choked at your chance to make this list by blowing Game 7 to the Spurs last season).

I knew better than to bet against the Cavs and their swagger in the first matchup, and I know better than to bet against a great player in round one. I'm taking the Heat (my '07 self just shook his head in disbelief).

Prediction: Heat in six

No. 3 Orlando Magic vs. No. 6 Philadelphia 76ers

Orlando isn't exactly clicking on all cylinders heading into the playoffs, but if there's one team more out of sync right now than the Magic, it's Philly.

The Sixers come into this series having lost six of their last seven games, and their one win came against the Cavs bench players, and they needed OT for that. What's worse for Philadelphia, they lost all three games they played against the Magic this season, including two on their home floor.

The Magic might rely too much on the long ball sometimes, a weakness that will most likely be their undoing this postseason, but it won't be enough for Philly squeak out the upset. Superman and company should have no problem defeating Iron Man and company (in case you were wondering, Andre Miller is Iron Man, having the longest active consecutive games played streak).

Prediction: Magic in five

No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 7 Chicago Bulls

You might think that the big concern for the Celtics heading into the playoffs is the health of Kevin Garnett. I'll admit, Boston can't compete for a title without him at 100%, but he's not the X-factor in this series.

The real key to this series, healthy Garnett or not, is the matchup between Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo. Rondo is probably headed to his first NBA All-Defensive team; Rose is headed towards winning Rookie of the Year. Something's got to give.

Rondo's sneaky good defense and quickness off the dribble could be a matchup nightmare for Rose. Rose's ability to blow by his defender and create scoring around the rim might nullify one of Boston's biggest strengths.

And while Boston's supporting cast will ultimately push the C's past the Bulls, I think this series is going to be closer than a lot of people think. The Bulls are asking a lot to try and count on a rookie point guard to carry them past the defending NBA champs, but Rose is anything but your average rookie point guard. Boston will win the series, but the big story of this series when it's all said and done will be Derrick Rose's coming out party.

Prediction: Boston in seven.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the Western Conference first round preview.