It’s a special time for sports fans nationwide! The basketball fever just won’t die down during this period as the end of March Madness transitions to the NBA playoffs. 16 teams have clinched playoff berths and have their eyes set on winning the NBA championship. This year it definitely promises to be an exciting race to the NBA finals.

As usual, the Western Conference boasts a very strong field of teams with the number one seed being the San Antonio Spurs, led by the “Big Three” of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker. Teams aiming to knock the Lakers out of the playoffs include the defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers and the always skillful Dallas Mavericks seeded #2 and #3 respectively. All three aforementioned teams boast star studded lineups and will most likely make it quite far in the playoffs.

While the West may have been the stronger conference in the past few years, the East has definitely improved: The Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, and Boston Celtics are the favorites from this conference.  The Heat, led by the NBAs biggest superstar, Lebron James, are seeded at #2 and have their sights set on taking the title this year. They will face stiff competition as Chicago’s Derrick Rose, Boston’s “Big Four” (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo) stand in their way.

The playoffs will begin on April 16th and will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV. May the best team win!