NBA's first-round dance card set

MIAMI－The NBA playoffs that start this weekend already have an extremely tough act to follow, after the regular season ended with such a flourish.

Wednesday's night was well beyond dramatic, with an overtime game between Minnesota and Denver to decide the last berth and another OT game between Miami and Toronto to determine some East fates.

There was also a 46-point first quarter by Philadelphia, and an absurd 20-rebound, 19-assist outing by Russell Westbrook.

And now, the best time of the NBA season is finally here.

The playoffs are back, with Golden State and Clevelandwho've met in the last three NBA Finals－not exactly looking like the overwhelming favorites the league has come to expect.

A fourth straight Warriors-Cavs matchup is no guarantee. In fact, a fourth straight trip by either of those teams alone is far from certain.

It all starts on Saturday, the 16-team tournament that will be a two-month grind following the six-month grind of the regular season.

"I feel pretty ready," Toronto guard Kyle Lowry said. "We're ready to go."

So are 15 other teams.

Start with the East pairings: Lowry and the top-seeded Raptors play No 8 Washington; No 2 Boston faces No 7 Milwaukee; No 3 Philadelphia gets No 6 Miami; No 4 Cleveland, with LeBron James bidding for an eighth consecutive appearance in the Finals, opens against No 5 Indiana, a surprise team at the start of the season ... but not a surprise anymore.

"We're one of 16 teams that have a chance to win a championship," James said. "That's all you can ask for."

Philadelphia, after years of the rebuilding saga known as "The Process", has a chance as well. The 76ers are going into the playoffs on a 16-game winning streak.

"Take a deep breath, then reload," 76ers coach Brett Brown said, talking about what he wants his team to do before getting ready for Game 1.