The Oklahoma City Thunder were 40-42 last season and didn't make the playoffs. This season, they were 57-25 and earned the top seed in the Western Conference.
In 2022-23, the Minnesota Timberwolves were 42-40, and this season, they finished 56-26, the No. 3 seed in the West.
The Orlando Magic had just 34 victories last season and posted a 47-35 mark this season, good for the No. 5 seed.
While it's a changing NBA in some ways, some things are familiar. The Boston Celtics went from 57-25 to 64-18 (top seed in the East), and the defending champion Denver Nuggets had four more wins this season, finishing 57-25 (second seed in the West).
Will one of the upstarts get to the NBA Finals or will the two teams (Celtics, Nuggets) many expect to get there meet for the title?
Here are NBA series matchups and schedules for the first round of the playoffs:
Eastern Conference first-round series, schedules
No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 Miami Heat
Series tied 1-1
- Game 1: Celtics 114, Heat 94
- Game 2: Heat 111, Celtics 101
- Game 3, April 27: at Miami, 6 p.m. ET, TNT
- Game 4, April 29: at Miami, time and TV TBD
- Game 5, May 1: at Boston, TBD
- Game 6, May 3: at Miami (if necessary), TBD
- Game 7, May 5: at Boston (if necessary), TBD
Key stats: The Celtics finished first offensively (122.2 points per 100 possessions) and No. 2 defensively (110.6 points per 100 possessions).
Who to watch: The Celtics have the best starting five: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday.
No. 2 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
Knicks lead series 2-0
- Game 1: Knicks 111, 76ers 104
- Game 2: Knicks 104, 76ers 101
- Game 3, April 25: New York at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT
- Game 4, April 28: New York at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 5, April 30: Philadelphia at New York (if necessary), TBD
- Game 6, May 2: New York at Philadelphia (if necessary), TBD
- Game 7, May 4: Philadelphia at New York (if necessary), TNT
Season series: Knicks won 3-1
Key stats: Four teams finished in the top 10 offensively and defensively, and the Knicks were one of them.
Who to watch: Jalen Brunson and his ability to carry the Knicks without Julius Randle, and the Sixers have two All-Stars in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers
Bucks lead series 1-0
- Game 1: Buck 109, Pacers 94
- Game 2, Tuesday: Indiana at Milwaukee, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
- Game 3, April 26: Milwaukee at Indiana, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 4, April 28: Milwaukee at Indiana, 7 p.. ET, TNT
- Game 5, April 30: Indiana at Milwaukee (if necessary), TBD
- Game 6, May 2: Milwaukee at Indiana (if necessary), TBD
- Game 7, May 4: Indiana at Milwaukee (if necessary), time TBD, TNT
Season series: Pacers won 4-1
Key stats: Get ready for scoring. The Pacers had the No. 2 offense (120.5 points per 100 possessions), the Bucks are No. 6 (117.6 points per 100 possessions) and neither ranked in the top 15 defensively.
Who to watch: The health of Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo (missed final three regular-season games with a strained left calf), and Damian Lillard (sore adductor muscle) and the Tyrese Haliburton-Pascal Siakam playoff debut for the Pacers.
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic
Cavaliers lead series 2-0
- Game 1: Cavaliers 97, Magic 83
- Game 2: Cavaliers 96, Magic 86
- Game 3, April 25: Cleveland at Orlando, 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV
- Game 4, April 27: Cleveland at Orlando, 1 p.m. ET, TNT
- Game 5, April 30: Orlando at Cleveland (if necessary), TBD
- Game 6, May 3: Cleveland at Orlando (if necessary), TBD
- Game 7, May 5: Orlando at Cleveland (if necessary), TBD
Season series: Tied 2-2
Key stats: The Magic’s No. 3 defense (110.8 points allowed per 100 possessions) vs. the Cavaliers’ No. 7 defense (112.1 points allowed per 100 possessions).
Who to watch: Second-year All-Star Paolo Banchero and third-year forward Franz Wagner are appearing in their first playoff series, and the Cavaliers feature Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley – a formidable inside-outside foursome.
Western Conference first-round series, schedules
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans
Thunder lead series 1-0
- Game 1: Thunder 94, Pelicans 92
- Game 2, April 24: at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
- Game 3, April 27: at New Orleans, 3:30 p.m. ET, TNT
- Game 4, April 29: at New Orleans, time and TV TBD
- Game 5, May 1: at Oklahoma City (if necessary), TBD
- Game 6, May 3: at New Orleans (if necessary), TBD
- Game 7, May 5: at Oklahoma City (if necessary), TBD
Key stats: The Thunder were one of two teams to finish the regular season with a top-four offensive and defensive ranking.
Who to watch: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams of the Thunder are the present and the future.
No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers
Nuggets lead series 2-0
- Game 1: Nuggets 114, Lakers 103
- Game 2: Nuggets 101, Lakers 99
- Game 3, April 25: Denver at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
- Game 4, April 27: Denver at Los Angeles Lakers, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 5, April 29: Los Angeles Lakers at Denver (if necessary), TBD
- Game 6, May 2: Denver at Los Angeles Lakers (if necessary), TBD
- Game 7, May 4: Los Angeles Lakers at Denver (if necessary), time TBD, TNT
Season series: Nuggets won 3-0 Lakers; Nuggets won 2-1 Pelicans
Key stats: The Nuggets are No. 5 offensively (117.8 points per 100 possessions) and No. 8 defensive (112.3 points allowed per 100 possessions).
Who to watch: Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, a wizards with the basketball, may just end up winning his third MVP in four seasons, and LeBron James and Anthony Davis are back.
No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns
Timberwolves lead series 1-0
- Game 1: Timberwolves 120, Suns 95
- Game 2, Tuesday: Phoenix at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT
- Game 3, April 26: Minnesota at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 4, April 28: Minnesota at Phoenix, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
- Game 5, April 30: Phoenix at Minnesota (if necessary), TBD
- Game 6, May 2: Minnesota at Phoenix (if necessary), TBD
- Game 7, May 4: Phoenix at Minnesota (if necessary), time TBD, TNT
Season series: Suns won 3-0
Key stats: It’s the Timberwolves’ top-ranked defense (108.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) against the Suns’ No. 10 offense (116.8 points per 100 possessions).
Who to watch: Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony form a Big 3 for the Timberwolves, and Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal do the same for the Suns.
No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks
Clippers lead series 1-0
- Game 1: Clippers 109, Mavericks 97
- Game 2, Tuesday: Dallas at Los Angeles Clippers, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
- Game 3, April 26: Los Angeles Clippers at Dallas, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 4, April 28: Los Angeles Clippers at Dallas, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 5, May 1: Dallas at Los Angeles Clippers (if necessary), TBD
- Game 6, May 3: Los Angeles Clippers at Dallas (if necessary), TBD
- Game 7, May 5: Dallas at Los Angeles Clippers (if necessary), TBD
Season series: Clippers won 2-1
Key stats: Who likes offense? The Clippers are No. 4 (117.9 points per 100 possessions) and the Mavericks are No. 8 (117 points per 100 possessions).
Who to watch: The Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden present problems on both sides of the court; Dallas’ Luka Doncic keeps inching closer to an MVP.
