2019 NBA East playoff preview: Is there any chance for a surprise?

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Four teams from the Eastern Conference – the Brooklyn Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors – will meet in the 2019 NBA playoffs first on Saturday. Compared with the West, the four matchups in the East are more predictable.

Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Jimmy Butler #23, Joel Embiid #21, Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers and D'Angelo Russell #1 Spencer Dinwiddie #8 of the Brooklyn Nets /VCG Photo

Philadelphia has the second-best starting lineup in the league, only inferior to that of the Golden State Warriors. They also enjoy a size, power and athleticism advantage over the Nets. However, the team still has a hidden problem: the health of Joel Embiid. If he can stay healthy, Embiid can destroy Brooklyn's defense and eat Jarrett Allen, Ed Davis alive. However, if injury catches up Embiid, the 76ers will be missing their most important defensive player and a key offensive player.

The Nets shouldn't lose their confidence, either. It's true that their opponents are the better team, but Brooklyn has weapons that can make Philadelphia uncomfortable. First, the Nets have enough shooters to stretch out space; second, both D'Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie are capable of taking over the game in less than a quarter; third, the team has a deeper bench than the 76ers, meaning that the longer the series becomes, the bigger the chances Brooklyn has for a win.

Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors

Nikola Vucevic #9, Aaron Gordon #0, Evan Fournier of the Orlando Magic and Kyle Lowry #7, Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors /VCG Photo

Toronto has never been good at winning their playoffs opener in recent years, and their record against Orlando in the regular season was 2-2. Kyle Lowry is likely to underperform in at least one game. Meanwhile, Orlando's on the rise and they have one of the best offensive centers in the East, Nikola Vucevic who just played his first NBA All-Star Game in February. The team's forward combination of Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Issac, Wes Iwundu, are good enough to confront Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam.

Nonetheless, the Raptors have one advantage: experience. The Magic's starting five have played a total of 33 career playoff games. And the entire team has a combined playoff experience of 75 games. By contrast, Toronto's starting lineup has played 320 playoffs games and the whole squad has played 550. Leonard, Sergei Ibaka and Danny Green, each by themselves, spent more time in the playoffs than the entire Magic team. This experience gap can be fatal.

Moreover, Toronto has Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP who will be more intimidating in the playoffs because of his playing style. As long as he's on the court, the Magic will stand little chance.

Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics

Jayson Tutam #0, Jaylen Brown #7, Kyrie Irving #11, Gordon Hayward #20, Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics and Domantas Sabonis (R2), Bojan Bogdanovic (R1) of the Indiana Pacers /VCG Photo

This should be the closest series in the first round. Both teams have remarkable defenses, barely make mistakes and won't allow the game to become a foregone conclusion in the first three quarters. Thanks to their bench squad led by Domantas Sabonis, Indiana should be able to launch good counterattacks when they're on the court.

However, that may be the best they'll be able to do, because the team lost Victor Oladipo, their best player on both offense and defense. By contrast, Boston can do all the above and have Kyrie Irving or Jayson Tatum to wrap up the game in the end. Though Marcus Smart won't be available until the Eastern Finals, his defense is not quite needed in the series against the Pacers.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons

Giannis Antetokounmpo #34, Brook Lopez #11, Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks and Andre Drummond #0, Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons /VCG Photo

What are the chances that Detroit can claim one victory against Milwaukee? First, the most proper guy the Pistons have to confront Giannis Antetokounmpo is Blake Griffin who happens to be the pillar of the team's offense. If Griffin commits too many fouls on Antetokounmpo, Detroit will see their poor offense get even worse.

Second, Andre Drummond seems intimidating with his size – 2.11 meters tall and 126 kilograms heavy – but he isn't a good qualified rim protector, not to mention his tiny contribution on offense. Whether the team has him defend Brook Lopez (probably the best 3-pt shooting center in NBA history) or Antetokounmpo (who had 114 unassisted dunks this season, more than Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard in their prime), Drummond will not find much work he can do.

So, the answer to that question at the beginning is, Detroit stands little chance of even one game. Get your brooms ready for a sweep.

(Top image: CGTN Photo by Sa Ren)