[ot-caption title= “LeBron’s waited a long time to win a title for Cleveland. Is this the year? (via, Avery Stone, USA Today, Google Filtered Images)”]

As May approaches, it means that it’s that time of year: the NBA Playoffs are the last thing to save us before a summer full of baseball.  This year’s playoffs should be phenomenal with last year’s best back and ready to contend in addition to a handful of new challengers looking to make a run.  The NBA Playoffs are just getting underway, so here’s a a look at the top contenders this year as well as some of the lower-seeded teams that could make a run at the title.  

In the Eastern Conference, there’s one real question: can anybody challenge LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  They’re undeniably the conference favorites this year.  For the Cavs’ trio of superstars – James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving – anything short of winning the Eastern Conference and returning to the NBA Finals would mark an incredibly disappointing season.  They’re off to a 1-0 start over the eighth-seeded Pistons, but there were flashes in a 106-101 loss that hinted that Detroit has the potential to make it a series.  Center Andre Drummond is one of the best around, and if Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson get hot shooting, Stan van Gundy’s group might not go home quietly.  A couple teams to watch out for that could unseat the Cavs in the East are the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers.  When playoff time begins, it is normally the teams with a true superstar leader that go the furthest.  Dwayne Wade of Miami has done it all before, and teammate Hassan Whiteside is a genuine force inside.  They’ve got a favorable draw and a lot of talent.  And Paul George of Indiana is balling out at the right time of year.  His Pacers are the seven seed, but they’re not at all intimidated by Toronto and know Cleveland very well as a division rival.  The Cavs are the favorite, but they’ve got company in the East.

For the Western Conference, most people have already heard about the historic season that Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are having, in which they’ve set the all-time NBA single season wins record, finishing at 73-9. They’ve captured both a ton of victories and media attention, and in the process, the San Antonio Spurs may be getting overlooked more than they should in a season in which they won sixty-seven times, not too far off the Warriors’ pace. Also, the Oklahoma City Thunder have the star power in the form of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to challenge any team in the league.  The West is loaded with fire power, but we’ll see if anyone can beat the defending Champs.

And so, we’ll start with Golden State.  The Warriors have had an absolutely unbelievable season, but they can struggle at times because of their heavy reliance on the 3-point shot.  Golden State better hope that they are hitting their shots as the Playoffs progress, because there are teams that can make them pay if they miss.  As far as the early goings look for Steph Curry and Co, they’ve got Houston up first.  J.B Bickerstaff has James Harden and Dwight Howard at his disposal, but the Rockets’ apathy for defense isn’t going to help them against one of the most explosive offenses in NBA History.

If the playoffs go as expected and Cleveland wins the East with either San Antonio or Golden State coming out of the West, it is almost certain that Cleveland would be the underdog.  The Spurs and the Warriors have better records, and they move the ball better than the Cavaliers, who often find themselves relying on isolation plays and the heroics of LeBron James.  However, whenever the King is on your team, you have a chance.  And LeBron will need to play the best basketball of his career and get some help if this is going to be the year where the Cavaliers claim their first NBA championship in franchise history.  The playoffs are always a great few months of basketball, and this year shouldn’t be any different.