We all know perennial NBA powers Lakers, Celtics, Cavaliers and Spurs will be playing deep into May, and even maybe through June. Each team has been there before and it would take a major injury to derail their title chances (see Manu Ginobili and Spurs).

But what about those teams that enjoyed playoff success last season after some no-so-good years. A look at which teams are title contenders which ones are one-hit wonders.

Orlando Magic
A trip to the NBA Finals usually merits a clear-cut “title contender” label but there are a lot of questions that need to answered heading into this season for the Magic. First, can Vince Carter replace Hedo Turkoglu as the team’s go-to guy in the clutch? Is Jameer Nelson completely recovered from his shoulder injury and ready to reclaim his All-Star status? Can Dwight Howard get better after leaping into first-team All-NBA status last year? I say, NO, YES, YES. I guess two out of three ain’t bad. Orlando Magic: CONTENDER.

Houston Rockets
Losing Yao Ming for the season hurts and head coach Rick Adelman will need to scrap his post-up offense in favor of a more wide-open style. Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry have to step into the vacuum left by Yao and Luis Scola must become the team’s No. 1 option on the block. Here’s an addition by subraction: Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest. At this stage of his career, Artest is a shell of himself and Ariza has more upside. It will be feast or famine on offense as the focus shifts entirely on Aaron Brooks. If the young point guard can somehow bottle up his seven-game playoff performance against the Lakers and unleash it for an entire season, the Rockets will be a factor. Speaking of IF, Tracy McGrady won’t be able to rejoin the team until November. Even if T-Mac returns to the court, it remains to be seen how much he can contribute. And can his surgically repaired knee hold up for an entire season? Anything out of T-Mac will be a big plus for the Rockets, but will it be enough? Houston Rockets: ONE-HIT WONDER.

Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets won 54 games last season and reached the Western Conference finals before losing to eventual world champion L.A. Chauncey Billups gets a full training camp the time around and his presence alone can help Denver smooth out all the small problems the Nuggets have had in years past. J.R. Smith, who will miss the first seven games of the season because of suspension, is the key. If he can shave the “hot dog” off his game, he makes the Nuggets a championship-caliber team. Nene’s health is also another factor, but he seems to be fully recovered from all his ailments. and adding Arron Afflalo helps the Nuggets on the defensive end. Afflalo is bigger, stronger, quicker and a better offensive player than Dahntay Jones. Denver Nuggets: CONTENDER.

Derrick Rose was a catalyst in the Bulls' seven-game classic against Boston. (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES)

Chicago Bulls
The epic seven-game war with the Celtics put the Bulls back in the limelight, but to think that Chicago is back as a contender is wishful thinking. Last year’s Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose will get better but he’s the only player on the current roster than has room to improve. Everyone else is tapped out. The loss of Ben Gordon is huge. BG was the guy who made the big shots vs. the Celtics and I don’t think the often-injured Luol Deng can cover for his loss. There’s a saying that you don’t appreciate someone until they are gone. Well, Ben Gordon has left Chicago to be the new microwave in Detroit. Chicago Bulls: ONE-HIT WONDER.

Portland Trail Blazers
The young Blazers grew leaps and bounds a season ago and are primed for bigger and better things this season. Brandon Roy is a star and LaMarcus Aldridge is getting there. The addition of point guard Andre Miller will help take some of the ball-handling duties from Roy, and will push Steve Blake to the bench where he can be more effective. The key is Greg Oden. If he can give Portland a solid 70 games, Portland could challenge Denver for the top spot in the Northwest Division. Portland Trail Blazers: CONTENDER.

Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade can’t possibly carry this team by himself. He needs help and I don’t think Pat Riley did enough to give D-Wade support during the offseason. Center Jermaine O’Neal can’t stay healthy and forward Michael Beasley is still trying to get his life in order. Miami made the playoffs last year but could struggle to get back this season. Miami Heat: ONE-HIT WONDER.

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Joakim Noah (middle) made a great defensive play for Chicago late in Game 6 and Rajon Rondo (right) could not deliver the game-winning shot for Boston.

Overtimes, buzzer-beaters, late-game heroics, flagrant fouls and one bloody nose.  Game 6 between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls was an instant classic. The whole series has been one for the NBA archives. Four of the six games have gone into overtime (seven overtimes total) and five of the six games have been decided by five points or less. In the words of the great lyrical poet Kanye West, this series has been “So amazing … So amazing … So amazing.”

You have to go back to the early 1980s to make a comparison. The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers waged a seven-game Eastern Conference war in 1981 and again 1982, with the Celtics winning in ‘81 and the Sixers winning in ‘82. Those two battles produced many, many memorable plays and earned Sixer guard Andrew Toney the nickname “Boston Strangler” for his penchant for silencing the Boston Garden crowd.

The only difference between this season’s Boston-Chicago showdown and the epic battles in the ’80s is that the stakes were higher for Boston and Philly. The 2009 Boston-Chicago matchup is being played out in the first round, whereas Larry Bird’s Celtics and Julius Erving’s 76ers went head to head in the conference finals. But that should not minimize the greatness of this year’s playoff series.

Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, the 2008-09 rookie of the year, got the party started with a 36-point performance in Game 1 to briefly steal home-court advantage away from the Celtics. Game 2 saw a UConn shootout between Ray Allen and Ben Gordon. Despite Gordon’s 42-point effort, it was Allen who had the last say when he buried a trey over 6-11 Joakim Noah for the game-winner. After Boston wrestled home court back with a blowout victory in Game 3, the Bulls tied the series at 2 by winning Game 4 in overtime.

Things got heated in Game 5 in Boston as Rajon Rondo gave Brad Miller a dose of his own medicine but smacking him so hard on the face that Miller’s head was still ringing when he missed both free throws, and the Celtics escaped with a 106-104 win.

But the first five games were all trumped by Game 6. There were not enough superlatives to describe Thursday night’s game at the United Center in Chicago.

John Salmons channeled his inner-Jordan, dropping 35 points on the C’s despite logging 59 out of a possible 63 minutes of court time. Miller, the goat of Game 5, scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 34 minutes off the bench. On the other hand, Allen played like a God in Game 6, channeling his inner Jesus Shuttlesworth, swishing two miraculous shots in two of the three OTs just to keep the game going. Ray-Ray lit up the Bulls for a record-tying nine 3-pointers en route to a 51-point performance in 58 minutes, and STILL his supernatural effort was not enough to save the Celtics. Rondo – who has been nothing short of brilliant in the series, averaging a triple double entering the sixth game – had 19 assists and played another solid all-around game. But Rondo could not deliver in the clutch as his potential game-winning shot was blocked by Rose to secure the Bulls’ 128-127 triple-overtime victory.

Allen said he wished he could have done more. “When you are on the losing end, you think about all the (plays) you missed,” Allen said. Hard to blame a guy who just dropped 51 points and hit the 3-pointer that sent the game into a third OT. If there is blame to pass around, it should be pointed at Celtics coach Doc Rivers for not giving Allen the ball in the Celtics’ second-to-last possession that resulted in a blocked shot, and at Paul Pierce for his costly mistake.

Pierce, Boston’s go-to guy and the hero of Game 5, had a rough Game 6. He took an inadvertent shot to the nose in the third quarter and briefly left the bench area to have it mended in the locker room. His fatigued legs also failed him late. With the game tied at 123, Pierce coughed up the ball to Noah, who then outsprinted Pierce for an and-one dunk to give the Bulls a three-point lead and send Pierce to the bench after committing his sixth foul.

Game 7 wasn’t so special since both teams looked absolutely gassed. The Celtics were saved by their bench, mainly Brian Scalabrine and Eddie House, to finally eliminate the pesky Bulls and advance to the conference semifinals against Orlando. Though the ending did not live up to the hype, the seven-game series was still one for the history books.

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The Boston Celtics are not optimistic about Kevin Garnett's injured knee.

When Paul Pierce was asked which team was the toughest to eliminate in the Celtics’ road to winning their 17th championship, he said, without any hesitation, “Cleveland.”

The Cavaliers pushed the Celtics to seven grueling games in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals, and when the series was over, the Celtics and pretty much every team in the East said that if Cavaliers management provides LeBron James another all-star player to play with, look out!

When Mo Williams joined Cleveland this season, the Cavs soared to the best record in franchise history and claimed home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs.

News of Kevin Garnett to likely to miss the entire playoffs was so devasting that Boston GM Danny Ainge suffered a mild heart attack.  Garnett was tabbed very, very questionable by Coach Doc Rivers after watching KG struggle in practice. Though Boston will not be the same without its quarterback on defense, the Celtics are still the champs and they still have two studs in Pierce and Ray Allen.

Orlando did not finish well and is still vastly untested in the playoffs. As good as Dwight Howard has been during the regular season, there are still doubts about his ability to consistently carry the Magic on his broad shoulders when it matters most. He still lacks a killer instinct. He’s just too nice. And if Orlando gets in any type of trouble, it will be interesting to watch whether Coach Stan Van Gundy pushes the panic button.

OneManFastbreak.net analyzes and predicts the winners of the Eastern Conference playoffs:

FIRST ROUND

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons – In a rematch of the 2007 conference finals, this should be a one-sided affair. Cleveland will not overlook Detroit. CAVALIERS IN 4.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Chicago Bulls – The Bulls will make it close but the Celtics have enough pride to avoid getting bounced in the first round. CELTICS IN 5.

(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers – Orlando swept the Sixers during the regular season and there is no reason why the Magic can’t do the same in the playoffs. MAGIC IN 4.

(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Miami Heat – NBA scoring champ Dwyane Wade is good enough to extend this series to the max. But in the end, home-court advantage will be the difference. HAWKS IN 7.

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks – Size will matter in this series. Can the undersized Hawks keep up with the bigger Cavs? The answer: too much Ilgauskas, Varejao and LeBron. CAVALIERS IN 6.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Orlando Magic – With or without KG, the Celtics are still better than the Magic. Boston won 62 games and most of it was done without Garnett. CELTICS IN 6.

CONFERENCE FINALS

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (2) Boston Celtics – When Boston was completely healthy last season and LeBron was basically by himself, it still took the Celts seven games to knock off the Cavs. This season, Cleveland clinches the series in Boston. CAVALIERS IN 6.

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