It took 1,230 games for the National Basketball Association to complete its regular season and select the top eight teams in both the Eastern and Western conferences that will participate in the four-tier playoffs.

And now, the playoffs are here. Action commences today (Manila time) with Game One in four of the eight best-of-seven, first-round matchups to be played.

For the second consecutive year, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers registered the NBA’s best record (61-21) during the regular wars and will enjoy homecourt advantage in every series they play in the postseason.

However, the Cavs, whose city is still looking for its first championship in any of the four U.S. major pro team sports leagues (basketball, hockey, football and baseball) since Jim Brown (who later became a movie star) powered the Cleveland Brown to the National Football League title in 1964, were unable translate the advantage into actual victories last year.

Despite the heroics of James, the Wine City squad was upset by the Orlando Magic, 4-2, in the 2009 Eastern final playoffs.

Cleveland, with the addition of Shaquille O’Neal (specifically brought in to contain Orlando's Dwight Howard)and Antawn Jamison, hopes to avoid another debacle in the current postseason.

No team in NBA history has topped the regular season in back-to-back seasons without qualifying for the NBA Finals at least once.

Unquestionably, the Cavs are the oddsmakers’ choice to annex their first-ever NBA crown this year.

Still, the road to the NBA champion passes through the reigning titlist Los Angeles Lakers – or at least until they are beaten four times in any Western Conference series.

While they ranked first in the Western Conference for a third year in a row with a 57-25 card the Lakers trailed Cleveland and Orlando (59-23) in the overall league standings.

The Hollywood City boys will be hard-pressed to become the first team to reach the NBA Finals for three straight years since the 2000-01-02 NBA champ Lakers,let alone repeat as the league's kingpin.

The swagger is gone. Neither is the sense of urgency or "hungry" attitude in the Lakers, who stumbled into the playoffs with seven losses in their final 11 regular assignments.

Moreover, the Lakers are hobbled by injuries to meal ticket Kobe Bryant (plagued by a swollen right knee, ankle sprain and a broken bone in the index finger of his right shooting hand), 7-foot center Andrew Bynum (who returns to the floor after missing the teams' final 13 regular games with a strained left Achilles tendon), and backup guard Jordan Farmer (strained hamstring).

From where this Hoopster sits,it will beCleveland vs. Orlando in the East finals and the Lakers vs. Dallas in the West finals. For the 2010 title, I pick the Cavs or the Mavericks.

Here's how the eight first-round NBA playoff matchups, all of which are best-of-seven affairs, will likely go.

EAST

1-Cleveland (61-21) vs. 8-Chicago (41-41)
Forecast - Cavaliers over Bulls, 4-1

Soon to be crowned NBA MVP for a second straight year, Cleveland star LeBron James can't be stopped (league second-best 29.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, career-high 8.6 apg to become only the third player in league to collect a 29-7-8 in a single season after Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan). Don't believe Bulls frontliner Joachim Noah when he said the Bulls would shock the worldf by beating the Cavs. It does not even look good when Bulls executive John Paxson and head coach Vinny Del Negro had a physical confrontation late last month over foot-troubled Noah's playing time limit.

2-Orlando (59-23) vs. 7-Charlotte (44-38)
Forecast - Orlando over Bobcats, 4-1

Magic center Dwight Howard may be the NBA's second best player, topping the league in rebounds (13.2 rpg) and blocked shots (2.78 bpg)for a record second consecutive season and also in field goal percentage (.612). Just making the playoffs for the first time in their six-year franchise history under new majority team onwer Michael Jordan is already a huge accomplishment for the Bobcats.

3-Atlanta (53-29) vs. 6-Milwaukee (46-36)
Forecast - Hawks over Bucks, 4-1

All-Star Joe Johnson, a free-agent eligible in July, has the Hawks flying high and perhaps even upsetting the Magic in the conference semis. The Bucks are without huge 7-foot Aussie center Andrew Bogut due to various injuries after he posted career-high numbers during the regulars.

4-Boston (50-32) vs. 5-Miami (47-35)
Forecast - Celtics over Heat, 4-2.

No upset here. The Celtics' Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen have shown signs of aging. With young cat-quick playmaker and steals champion Rajon Rondo around, the Green have enough gas to get past Dwyane Wade and the nothing-else-follows Heat.

WEST

1-LA Lakers (57-25) vs. 8-Oklahoma City (50-32)
Forecast - Lakers over Thunder, 4-2

The Lakers can't take lightly the Thunder, who are making their first playoff trip in five years and have the youngest NBA scoring champion in league history in 21 tear-old, 6-9 Kevin Durrant, who averages a career-high 30.1 ppg. Oklahoma City likes to run a lot and with little to lose, may play above its potential. Watch how 6-7 defender Ron Artest shadows the springy Durrant, who Lakers mentor Phil Jackson says is getting special superstar treatment from the refs (like LeBron, he's averaging a league-high 10.2 free-throw attempts a game)despite his third-year pro status.

2-Dallas (55-27) vs. 7-San Antonio (50-32)
Forecast - Mavericks over Spurs, 4-1

After dethroning San Antonio as the Southwest Division champion, Dallas, behind its longtime German hero Dirk Nowitzki, the Jason guards Kidd and Terry, and in season recruits Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood, also has the aging Spurs' number in this classic all-Texas series. Spurs' star forward Tim Duncan is in his last legs and backcourters Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are hurting as well. The Mavs look to reach as far as the NBA Finals for the first time since 2006.

3-Phoenix Suns (54-28) vs. 6-Portland (50-32)
Forecast - Suns over Trail Blazers, 4-1

With playmaker Steve Nash taking his fourth assist crown in six seasons and nearly-traded frontliner Amare Stoudemire returning to All-Star form, Phoenix Suns got back into the playoffs after a one-year absence. The Suns are the NBA's highest scoring team at 110.0 ppg and topped the league in field goal percentage for a fifth consecutive year at .472. The injury-riddled Trail Blazers lost first-center Greg Olden to injury in midseason and will be without their top point-producer, guard Brandon Roy (21.5 ppg) in the playoffs after undergoing surgery on his right knee yesterday.

4-Denver (53-29) vs. 5-Utah (53-29)
Forecast - Nuggets over Jazz, 4-2

Utah lost to Phoenix on the final day of the regulars to hand to Denver its second straight Northwest crown on a silver platter and drop from a potential No. 2 seed to a No. 5 seed without a homecourt advantage. The Nuggets beat the Jazz, 3-1 during their season series,to gain the division flag on a tiebreaker. Hotshot Carmelo Anthony and playmaker de luxe Chauncey Billup are up to the challenge although Denver will be handled by acting coach Adrian Dantley in the playoffs as regular mentor George Karl is recovering from a diizzing six-week treatment of chemotherapy and radiation for throat and neck cancer. Dantley, who will trade Xs and Os with the NBA's longest-tenured bench boss in Utah's Jerry Sloan, has never had any head coaching playoff experience. The Jazz could be in trouble, though, without top scorer and rebounder Carlos Boozer (19.5 ppg, 11.2 rpg) due to a rib cage injury. This could be a short series without Boozer and a long one with him around.