The NBA playoffs start on Saturday, April 18, with the Atlanta Hawks having the best record in the Eastern Conference and the Golden State Warriors, not only having the best record in the Western Conference but in the entire NBA.

This was an exciting season as there were many surprises such has LeBron James going back to Cleveland after abandoning the team to play in Miami the last four years. The Atlanta Hawks were a team, thought to not make the playoffs because they lack superstars yet are now considered contenders for the title because of their stellar team play on both ends of the floor. The return of superstar Derrick Rose after numerous injuries for the Chicago Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks led by new head coach Jason Kidd who lost his young up and coming superstar Jabari Parker due to an injury. The Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors both got off to fast starts but since the All-Star break have cooled off. The Boston Celtics had a surprising jump in the standings since they got point guard Isaiah Thomas and the Brooklyn Nets whom fought off the Indiana Pacers for the last playoff spot in the East.

The west is as tough as ever, with the Warriors led by M.V.P. candidate Stephen Curry and new head coach Steve Kerr. The Houston Rockets with an injured plagued Dwight Howard, who sat most of the season, were carried into the playoffs with guard James Harden stepping up and leading his team in scoring. The Clippers had their fair share of injuries but made a strong case to be a contender as they finished the season 14-1. Portland and Memphis play each other in the first round while both team hobble into the playoffs with injuries. Portland has Nicolas Batum hurt and Wesley Matthews out; while Memphis has problems with Mike Conley and Tony Allen. The reigning champion Spurs have been under the radar as usual, as they look to repeat. The Mavericks with arguably the most stacked roster have not played up to par but could be a dark horse. Finally the young New Orleans Pelicans who barely snuck into the playoffs are led by Anthony Davis, will look to shock the world as they are the eighth seed and face an uphill battle.

There are many interesting match-ups to watch this year, especially in the west where the match-ups are almost identical in every series.

“Spurs vs Clippers,” said biology major Alex Singleton. “They play in the first round so it should be a good match-up.”

That is not the only first round match up out west that the students are looking forward too.

“I would say the Rockets and Mavs because it feels like it’ll be an exciting game because usually you expect the top team to blowout the lower seed,” said Brian Anusiem, a computer science major in regards to his favorite first round matchup.

The Warriors are the favorites to win it all as they have the best record and in addition have a loaded team with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.

“The Warriors,” said C.J. Nash, an engineering major. “Their home crowd is crazy, they were the best, they synchronize and don’t count on one player to perform their best, they all preform their best that’s what makes them better.”

Many students on campus picked the Warriors to win it all due to the fact that they dominated the league and they’ve been consistent all year.

Yet not all students picked the Warriors as some picked the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

“I want the Atlanta Hawks to win,” said Anusiem. “I feel that they don’t have any big stars, so I’d really like to see a team win without a franchise player, it’s just a bunch of guys playing good basketball. It feels more like a team sport when I watch the Hawks play as opposed to other teams who just pass the ball to their star player and hope they do something.”

The NBA playoffs look to be full of great match-ups and should be full of surprises. The only thing that matters in the playoffs for teams is to just survive, a win is a win, no matter how it happens.