I cannot believe it is NBA playoff time already. At the end of the Finals every year, I get a little depressed thinking of the 10 months that I have to wait until the playoffs are back. Well, those 10 months have come and gone, and it is time to get psyched for some great basketball.

The Western Conference has a stacked lineup of teams. Every team in the West has at least 50 wins. The number of times that has happened can probably be counted on one hand. From the Lakers all the way to the Thunder, this group shows a conference that is loaded with talent and confidence. With the exception of the Blazers, who suffered a huge loss with Brandon Roy’s injury, every West team has legitimate claims to an extended playoff run.

The Lakers have plenty of question marks going into their title defense, but are still indisputably the best team in the West when they are healthy. The big wild card is Kobe Bryant; he sat several games at the end of the regular season to nurse persistent injuries, and his field goal percentage at the end was forgettable. The Lakers are a very good team with a sub-par Kobe, but not good enough to take on the best in the West. If Kobe is back to his normal inhuman self, then they are back in title contention.

Dallas looks to be a serious contender in the West. With the likes of Nowitzki, Kidd, Marion, Terry and Butler, the Mavs are scary-good. In a seven-game series, they seem unbeatable from an outside perspective. On paper, they don’t have many glaring weaknesses. Dampier fills the paint for them and they have an absurd number of weapons. Watch out for this team because they may end up playing through late May.

Out in the East, there’s a severe disparity between the top of the conference and the bottom. Cleveland has the best record in the NBA and faces Chicago in the first round; the Bulls won 20 fewer games than the Cavs and look to be seriously overmatched. The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks are also head-and-shoulders better than their respective first round opponents.

The Eastern Conference may have the two best teams in the league, but the competition has been anything but great. The East hasn’t had all eight teams in the playoffs with winning records since the 2004-05 season. Cleveland certainly has to like its chances to get to the NBA Finals. With LeBron, a certainly unanimous pick for MVP, and more than enough role players, the Cavs are in a great place to begin a run at their first NBA title.

The Magic are defending Eastern Conference champions and they have a lot of confidence coming into these playoffs. With Dwight Howard and Vince Carter, this team has the pieces needed to win a title. The X-factor will end up being Orlando’s ability to play 48 minutes of basketball. If they are pedal-to-the-metal from start to finish, then watch out.

All in all, these playoffs feature great matchups and a lot of marquee players. Put those textbooks away, grab a beer and enjoy these next two months. It’s win or go home in these playoffs, and as a fan, every series is a win.