Two games that went down to the buzzer and two blowouts summed up the first day of NBA playoff action on Saturday.Sunday brings an interesting quartet of games starting with the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards at 1 p.m. ET.Here's a look at the first-round schedule as well as predictions for each series.The first round includes games whose dates, times and television stations are officially confirmed, viaNBA.com. Only Games 1-4 are confirmed at this time, with Games 5-7 to be played if necessary.Indiana vs. ClevelandIt's not a good sign that the Cavs needed a superhuman effort from LeBron James (32 points, 13 assists and six rebounds in 43 minutes) to defeat a 42-40 Pacers team at home by just one point.The Cavs need to right the ship on defense, which was again porous as the Pacers made 11 of 24 three-pointers and hit 49.4 percent of their shots overall.Cleveland can outscore Indiana to win this series (expect that to be the case), but against tougher competition, it won't suffice.Pick:Cavaliers in five gamesMilwaukee vs. TorontoBucks big man Thon Maker introduced himself to NBA fans nationwide by blocking three shots in just 15 minutes, symbolizing the tough and gritty Milwaukee defense on display during their 97-83 win over Toronto on Saturday.That being said, it's hard to imagine the Raptors (outside power forward Serge Ibaka) combine to shoot just 31.1 percent from the field even one more time in this series. The Raptors' top two scorers this season, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, made just nine of 32 shots.The Raps, who finished the regular season 12-2, should find their offensive stride, regroup and beat the Bucks, but Milwaukee will put up a good fight.Pick:Raptors in six gamesMemphis vs. San AntonioThe Spurs put on a clinic in the third quarter of their 111-82 win over Memphis on Saturday, outscoring the Grizzlies, 32-15.Most notably, no one on the Memphis team is able to slow down Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (whoscored 32 points on 11-of-14 shooting and sat the entire fourth quarter)with Grizzlies guard/forward Tony Allen out indefinitely with a right calf strain.It's difficult to envision a path to victory for Memphis in this series, especially considering Grizzlies center Marc Gasol put on a show himself (32 points), and the Grizzlies still lost by 29.Pick: Spurs in four gamesUtah vs. Los Angeles ClippersThis series will partially hinge on the health of center Rudy Gobert, who was knocked out of Game 1after he and Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute collided.The good news is that Gobert does not have a torn knee ligament. Here's the latest per Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune:As foolish as it seems to write after the Jazz just beat the Clippers, 97-95 in Los Angeles without Gobert on the court, the pick here is for the Clips to win the series even if he returns.Clipper guards J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford simply could not get anything going on Saturday, shooting a combined 7-of-18 from the field (1-of-7 from three-point range) and turning the ball over six times.The veterans won't be that ineffective all series. Expect them to bounce back and help the Clips to a series win.Pick: Clippers in six gamesAtlanta vs. WashingtonThis should be the best first-round series. It features a hot Hawks team, which won its last four regular-season games, against the Wizards, who started the season horribly and finished strong to get the No. 4 seed.Keep an eye on the matchups down low, which will dictate this series.Hawks center Dwight Howard nearly averaged a tidy 15-15 stat line against Washington this season, posting 14.3 points and 14.8 rebounds per game in four contests.Atlanta power forward Paul Millsap continues to be one of the steadier and consistent frontcourt presences in the NBA, as he averaged 18.1 points and 7.7 boards per game in his fourth straight All-Star year.But watch out for Wizards power forward Markieff Morris, who is heating up at the right time. The former Kansas star has made 30-of-49 field goals in April, including eight of 13 three-pointers. Morris averaged 17.0 points per game against the Hawks this season and will be a serious matchup problem if he's sticking his threes.This one should go down to the wire. Give the edge to the Wizards due to their home-court advantage.Pick: Wizards in seven gamesPortland vs. Golden StateNo team will be a match for Golden State this postseason. With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant on the floor together for the Warriors, teams are tasked with trying to stop three elite scorers over the course of a seven-game series. Sure, teams can shut them down for one game, or maybe two, but it's hard to see any team doing that enough to beat the Dubs in a playoff round.Portland had a good run to the playoffs, and it should be even better next year, but its postseason will end early.Pick: Warriors in four gamesChicago vs. BostonWhich Bulls team are we going to get' The one that beat the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, or the one that lost to the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets in April as they were fighting for a playoff spot'The answer is that there is no answer. Who knows'Expect the Dr. Jekyll Bulls and the Mr. Hyde Bulls to show up in this series. The return of Dwyane Wade will certainly help, and power forward Nikola Mirotic's recent hot streak will help ease the burden off superstar Jimmy Butler, but the C's have home-court advantage and are ultimately the stronger and more well-rounded team.Pick: Celtics in six gamesOklahoma City vs. HoustonUnless Houston goes ice cold from beyond the arc, where they shoot over 40 times per game, this series should go in the Rockets' favor. Houston is a tough matchup for OKC, which does not have the offensive firepower to go toe to toe with the Rockets.That being said, do not be surprised to see Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook score 40-plus a few times and will OKC to a victory or two. Westbrook averaged 36.3 points per game against Houston this year, and as Royce Young of ESPN.com reported, head coach Billy Donovan saidWestbrook's (and otherplayers') minutes should go up in the postseason.Pick:Rockets in six games
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