The NBA regular season has just come to an end. It is now playoff time, the time of the year that most NBA teams and fans have been waiting for. Most of the teams in the championship race this year have not won a championship, so this should be pretty exciting for their fan bases. This playoff run has been highly anticipated and should be fun to watch. Here are some key matchups to watch out for.

This year is the third year the NBA has had a play-in game for the playoffs. That is a good idea to give more teams a chance for the playoffs. The two best matchups for the play-in that fans are most excited about are the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. the L.A. Clippers, and the Brooklyn Nets vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers.

First, the Timberwolves vs the Clippers. This is a 7v8 matchup so they are pretty close. This game is for a chance to get the seventh seed in the west. This would be the T-Wolves first playoff appearance since 2018. They are led by the big three of Karl Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards. This is a very lethal team. The Clippers are pretty good themselves. They are led by Paul George who before he got injured was a top-three MVP candidate.

The next 7v8 matchup is the Nets vs. the Cavs. Before the season started the Nets were championship favorites. Sadly, due to a Harden trade and Kyrie only playing part-time they have a rough start. With that being said they still have the two of the top ten players in the league. The Cavs have been the biggest surprise of the season. Led by first-time All-Star Darius Garland and rookie sensation Evan Mobley, they should be a tough match-up against the Nets.

Another matchup that should be very entertaining is the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Utah Jazz. The star power in this series is insane. The Mavs have a top 5 player in the league in Luka Doncic. Luka is a 3 time all-star in his 4-year career. He is averaging about 28 pts, 9 rebs., and 9 ast. per game. They also have very good scorers in Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson. They have a tough task to face in the Utah Jazz. The Jazz has Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell is known for stepping up in the playoffs. As a rookie, he knocked off the MVP, Russell Westbrook, in the first round. Donovan also has a defensive stud in Rudy Gobert. Gobert has a chance to be the Defensive Player of the year this year and is having an up year in scoring. With a lethal scorer off the bench in Jordan Clarkson, they are looking scary.

The last matchup NBA fans are excited for is the Milwaukee Bucks vs. the Chicago Bulls. Milwaukee has the best player in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is very dominant inside and has developed an outside shot. Milwaukee also has a near 20-point scorer in Khris Middleton. He is the perfect co-star to be with Giannis. Not to mention, Milwaukee won the championship last year so they are hungry to repeat. They have to have a gritty team in the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have Demar DeRozan, who is averaging 28 points per game after everyone thought he was washed. They have another fantastic scorer in Zach Lavine. Lavine is a 3-level scorer that can go off any night and drop 50 points if you only focus on Demar. This matchup is going to go to seven games.