The overlooked lower-seeded playoff teams of the Eastern Conference have turned the first round into chaos, with every series producing upsets or serious scares for contenders.
The eighth-seeded Orlando Magic are the most shocking story of the postseason so far, as they hold a 2-1 series lead over the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.
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Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics faced first round matchups that looked like relatively easy first-round draws, taking on a fledgling Toronto Raptors squad and a Philadelphia 76ers team without Joel Embiid, respectively.
However, both the Raptors and 76ers have managed to steal a game off their higher-seeded opponents heading into Game 4.
On Sunday, the Cavaliers and Celtics will look to return home with a 3-1 lead, and earn a rest advantage over their second round opponents.
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First Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -4 over Toronto Raptors
Rundown: Through three games, the Cavs-Raptors series has yet to showcase a balanced, back-and-forth matchup.
Cleveland led wire-to-wire through both games at home to start the series, before Toronto, with its back against the wall in Game 3, blew the doors off the Cavs in a 126-104 victory.
While the Raptors seemed to find some answers defensively in Game 3, don’t underestimate the impact of a team fighting for its life down 0-2 and how that can swing a matchup.
Toronto held Cleveland’s star backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden to 33 points on 12-for-29 shooting, while their own backcourt duo of Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett each scored 33 apiece in the win.
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Mitchell ranks seventh in NBA history in playoff points per game, and his dud performance in Game 3 is much more likely to be a blip rather than a trend going forward in this series.
Additionally, while the Raptors finally broke through with its best offensive performance of the series, it was largely carried by outlier three-point shooting, as Toronto shot 61% from beyond the arc.
The talent gap between these two squads is far too great for it to be knotted at 2-2 heading back to Cleveland. Expect a vintage playoff performance from Mitchell in Game 4, powering the Cavs to victory.
Second Pick: Boston Celtics -7.5 over Philadelphia 76ers
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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Apr 24, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) celebrates his three point basket against the Philadelphia 76ers late in the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Rundown: The 76ers’ lone victory in this series required a massive shooting advantage, as Philadelphia shot 19-for-39 (49%) from beyond the arc in Game 2 while Boston shot 13-for-50 (26%).
The Celtics ranked eighth in the league this season in three-point percentage, and when their shooters aren’t cold, like in Game 3 when they bounced back to shoot 43% from three, they are flatly the better team in this series.
Boston also found success with the defensive adjustment of putting Jayson Tatum on VJ Edgecombe as the primary defender.
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After the rookie sensation’s 30-point and 10-rebound game led the 76ers to victory in Game 2, Boston held Edgecombe to 5-for-17 shooting in Game 3.
Another strong defensive showing from the fourth-ranked defense in the league along with a typical shooting night for Boston should result in the Celtics taking a 3-1 lead on Sunday.
There’s added pressure on Boston to put Philadelphia away early in this series, as the looming specter of Embiid draws closer and closer.
Embiid was ruled out just hours before Game 3, and is questionable for Sunday night’s game.
While a Game 5 return seems more likely than the MVP center returning tonight, it’s imperative Boston makes sure the series is in hand before Philadelphia returns to full strength.
