"This was a season for the history books."
TNT and ESPN both used that very headline to describe the recently concluded Regular Season.
Just as they said, there were six super teams at once, along with two players averaging a Triple-Double. This was a season that would go down in history.
And, of course, there were the highly anticipated Playoffs.
With the Regular Season standings finalized, the East-West Playoffs matchups were also set.
In the East.
Cavaliers vs. Heat.
This was the most talked-about first-round matchup in the East.
Wade and James were old friends, while James and Whiteside were both former Heat players...
For the Heat, they had stumbled into the Playoffs on the back of a final winning streak, only to face the strongest team in the East.
Knicks vs. Pacers.
A showdown between Anthony and George, two of the league's top Small Forwards.
With David West, Hibbert, and the rest of that old group long gone, the Pacers were no longer what they used to be. George's future in Indiana looked increasingly bleak.
If he still failed to make a breakthrough this year, George would likely leave the Indiana team that had developed him once his contract expired.
Raptors vs. Hornets.
This was the second straight season the two sides had met in the Playoffs. The Raptors' Trash Brothers needed to prove themselves, and so did Walker.
Especially after putting together a career season, his Playoffs performance would directly determine his next contract.
Whether the Hornets could reach the second round would also likely determine whether Walker stayed or left.
Hawks vs. Bucks.
Antetokounmpo had delivered a Most Improved Player Award-caliber performance.
The young man who had once looked at Tang Tian with envy from the sidelines was now growing rapidly, but he still had much more