The 82-game regular season - and the first three rounds of the playoffs, which begin Saturday - were all but declared a formality leading up to Cavs-Warriors III even before the Warriors signed All-Pro Kevin Durant to go with the All-Stars Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Curry, making their super team, for lack of a better word.

But now the time for praising the individual is officially over. Teams like the Celtics, Spurs, Wizards and Rockets will start their work toward playing spoiler to the fortunes of Cleveland and Golden State, and with 14 Davids and 2 Goliaths, it should be quite a ride.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

No. 1 Golden State Warriors (67-15) vs. No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers (41-41)

If the Blazers want bulletin board material, they can look here. Portland did take a game from Golden State last year, but Stephen Curry didn't play in it and Kevin Durant was not yet in the Bay Area. Our panel does not appear to think the potential presence of Jusuf Nurkic -- he has not yet been cleared to return from his fractured fibula -- will tilt the balance of power here. Golden State is a clear favourite here.

Game 1 – Sun. April 16 Portland at Golden State, 3:30 p.m., ABC/R
Game 2 – Wed. April 19 Portland at Golden State, 10:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Sat. April 22 Golden State at Portland, 10:30 p.m., ESPN/R
Game 4 – Mon. April 24 Golden State at Portland, 10:30 p.m., TNT/R
Game 5 * Wed. April 26 Portland at Golden State, TBD
Game 6 * Fri. April 28 Golden State at Portland, TBD
Game 7 * Sun. April 30 Portland at Golden State, TBD

No. 2 San Antonio Spurs (61-21) vs. No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies (43-39)

With Kawhi Leonard having developed an offensive game more commensurate with his defensive strategy, another 60-win season for coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs was not much of a struggle. But now that the playoffs are here, San Antonio is likely to feel like a championship team with Kiwi as their leader.

Game 1 – Sat. April 15 Memphis at San Antonio, 8 p.m., ESPN
Game 2 – Mon. April 17 Memphis at San Antonio, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Thu. April 20 San Antonio at Memphis, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Game 4 – Sat. April 22 San Antonio at Memphis, 8 p.m., ESPN
Game 5 * Tue. April 25 Memphis at San Antonio, TBD
Game 6 * Thu. April 27 San Antonio at Memphis, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. April 29 Memphis at San Antonio, TBD, TNT

No. 3 Houston Rockets (55-27) vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder (47-35)

Most Valuable Player race is here! That storyline will surely dominate how this series is covered, but it's also an interesting contrast in styles. Can the Thunder slow down the Rockets' high-powered offense with physicality and athleticism? Two of five analyst said yes, and the other three are going with the team that had the league's third-best record and net rating in the regular season.

Game 1 – Sun. April 16 Oklahoma City at Houston, 9 p.m., TNT
Game 2 – Wed. April 19 Oklahoma City at Houston, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Fri. April 21 Houston at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m., ESPN/R
Game 4 – Sun. April 23 Houston at Oklahoma City, 3:30 p.m., ABC/R
Game 5 * Tue. April 25 Oklahoma City at Houston, TBD
Game 6 * Thu. April 27 Houston at Oklahoma City, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. April 29 Oklahoma City at Houston, TNT

No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers (51-31) vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz (51-31)

The Jazz will want to slow down Chris Paul and force the Clippers into a bit of a grudge match. If they succeed in that, they may put the final nails in the coffin of the Lob City contention window.

Game 1 – Sat. April 15 Utah at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 2 – Tue. April 18 Utah at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Fri. April 21 L.A. Clippers at Utah, 10 p.m., ESPN2
Game 4 – Sun. April 23 L.A. Clippers at Utah, 9 p.m., TNT
Game 5 * Tue. April 25 Utah at L.A. Clippers, TBD
Game 6 * Fri. April 28 L.A. Clippers at Utah, TBD
Game 7 * Sun. April 30 Utah at L.A. Clippers, TBD

EASTERN CONFERENCE

No. 1 Boston Celtics (53-29) vs. No. 8 Chicago Bulls (41-41)

This one is interesting because Boston is the least dominant No. 1 seed in some time, and the Bulls have an unusual amount of playoff experience for a No. 8 seed. Based on the regular season, the Celtics are the much more cohesive team, but Chicago has some star power, a track record of surprising wins on national television and a significant advantage on the glass.

Game 1 – Sun. April 16 Chicago at Boston, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Game 2 – Tue. April 18 Chicago at Boston, 8 p.m., TNT/R
Game 3 – Fri. April 21 Boston at Chicago, 7 p.m., ESPN
Game 4 – Sun. April 23 Boston at Chicago, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Game 5 * Wed. April 26 Chicago at Boston, TBD
Game 6 * Fri. April 28 Boston at Chicago, TBD
Game 7 * Sun. April 30 Chicago at Boston, TBD

No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31) vs. No. 7 Indiana Pacers (42-40)

Despite Paul George's history of challenging LeBron James and the Cavs looking vulnerable lately, nobody is taking the Pacers that seriously. A slight majority of writers expect Indiana to take a single game, but that's it. The questions here are whether or not the league's most average team can find another gear, and whether the league's most serious contender can fix its defense. There's a big talent gap here, though, so Cleveland can win without cleaning everything up.

Game 1 – Sat. April 15 Indiana at Cleveland, 3 p.m., ABC/R
Game 2 – Mon. April 17 Indiana at Cleveland, 7 p.m., TNT/R
Game 3 – Thu. April 20 Cleveland at Indiana, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 4 – Sun. April 23 Cleveland at Indiana, 1 p.m., ABC/R
Game 5 * Tue. April 25 Indiana at Cleveland, TBD
Game 6 * Thu. April 27 Cleveland at Indiana, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. April 29 Indiana at Cleveland, TBD, TNT

No. 3 Toronto Raptors (51-31) vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks (42-40)

Everybody thinks the Raptors have the edge, but nobody thinks it'll be easy as it seems. This illustrates the respect that the Bucks have earned this season and perhaps some skepticism about Toronto's offense sustaining under playoff conditions. Toronto's midseason upgrades, though, mean that its roster is more balanced and deep than Milwaukee's, which should make up for the fact that one team has the Greek Freak - Giannis and the other one doesn't. Both teams are likely better than their records for sure.

Game 1 – Sat. April 15 Milwaukee at Toronto, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 2 – Tue. April 18 Milwaukee at Toronto, 7 p.m., NBA TV
Game 3 – Thu. April 20 Toronto at Milwaukee, 8 p.m., NBA TV
Game 4 – Sat. April 22 Toronto at Milwaukee, 3 p.m., TNT
Game 5 * Mon. April 24 Milwaukee at Toronto, 7 p.m., NBA TV
Game 6 * Thu. April 27 Toronto at Milwaukee, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. April 29 Milwaukee at Toronto, TBD, TNT

No. 4 Washington Wizards (49-33) vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks (43-39)

The Hawks' fourth-ranked defense has the potential to take Washington out of its comfort zone, but it's hard to trust a team that has struggled to develop an offensive identity. Based on these prognostications, a merely competitive series would have everybody talking about Mike Budenholzer's genius and how great Dwight Howard was on defense all season.

Game 1 – Sun. April 16 Atlanta at Washington, 1 p.m., TNT
Game 2 – Wed. April 19 Atlanta at Washington, 7 p.m., NBA TV
Game 3 – Sat. April 22 Washington at Atlanta, 5:30 p.m., TNT
Game 4 – Mon. April 24 Washington at Atlanta, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 5 * Wed. April 26 Atlanta at Washington, TBD, TBD
Game 6 * Fri. April 28 Washington at Atlanta, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sun. April 30 Atlanta at Washington, TBD

Jack Maloney's prediction