Storylines to follow for every NBA playoff team

Everyone knew the Raptors were a good team, but not many, if any, saw them winning 59 games on their way to the top seed in the East this season. Dwane Casey remade this team with a new system that has paid real dividends in the regular season. However, this is a team that famously drops just about every Game 1 it plays in the postseason. Has the team truly turned the corner, or are Raps fans in for another rude awakening once the games really matter?

The good news: The Celtics won 55 games this year, good for No. 2 in the East, and Brad Stevens is a certified basketball genius. The bad news: Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving aren't walking through that door, at least not until next season. That doesn't mean the C's will just roll over, however, and a year of postseason experience for Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier is invaluable. Don't expect Boston to return to the Eastern Conference Finals, but winning a series isn't out of the question.

After winning all of 65 games over the last four seasons, the Sixers infamously overt tanking process finally bore fruit this season, giving the team its first 50-win campaign since the days of Allen Iverson. Now, the 76ers head into the postseason as the hottest team in the league, riding a 16-game winning streak, the last eight without the services of "The Process" himself, Joel Embiid. Embiid's return date is still up in the air, but Ben Simmons is a superstar in his own right. With him at the helm, the sky's the limit for the Sixers, but will they get there this year?

No team had more extreme ups and downs in 2017-18 than the Cleveland Cavaliers. Remember when Isaiah Thomas and Dwyane Wade were on this team? Now with their troubles seemingly in the rearview, will LeBron and crew run through the East once again? Or will the lingering effects of a turbulent regular season come rearing back? Any team with LeBron on it is the favorite until it is not, but the Cavs are more vulnerable than in years past. Still, bet against the King at your own peril. 

Where did this Victor Oladipo come from? The former No. 2 overall pick didn't just make a leap this year — he made several. Anyone telling you that they knew Oladipo would be an All-NBA performer prior to this season is a bald-faced liar. The Pacers were one of the feel-good stories of the season, and now they have to see if they can convert that goodwill into a postseason victory. All they have to do is topple the man who has led his team to the last seven Eastern Conference Finals.

This could be the last time we see Dwyane Wade in the postseason in a Miami Heat uniform, and while the Sixers are red-hot, their postseason inexperience could very well help Miami pull off a first-round upset. Erik Spoelstra is still one of the best coaches in the league, and Hassan Whiteside is still one of the best centers (when he wants to be). Add in a little D-Wade playoff magic, and the Heat could find themselves in the second round. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo established himself as one of the elite players in the NBA this year, but that didn't do a whole lot for the Milwaukee Bucks' spot in the standings. Just ask former head coach Jason Kidd. But the Greek Freak is one of the few players who can take over and win a game by himself, and with the Celtics shorthanded, an upset is very much in the cards.

Suffice to say, losing 12 of their last 16 regular-season games was not how the Wizards wanted to head into the playoffs. Still, this is a team with not one, but two all-stars on it, and with the Raptors' aforementioned postseason problems, Washington is certainly capable of making it to the second round … or being swept. It just depends which Wizards team decides to show up. 

Wire to wire, the Houston Rockets were the best team in the league all season, and James Harden was Houston's best player. Coming into the season, all the talk was about whether or not anyone could knock off the Warriors (with most answers being a resounding "no"), but six months and 65 wins later, now it's Houston sitting atop the hill. The Warriors are out there lurking, and there is still plenty talent out west. This is the best Houston Rockets team since the days of Hakeem; now they just have to prove it.

Remember them? You know you're one of the best teams of all time when 58 wins is considered an off year. Steph Curry is likely going to miss the entire first round, and the team probably won't even blink. That said, Golden State drew the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Sure, the Spurs are also missing their best player, but the Dubs were likely hoping to see someone other than the Fightin' Popovichs in the opening round. 

Portland point guard Damian Lillard has been one of, if not the, most underrated players in the NBA for some time now, but 2017-18 was the year he started finally getting his due. He's firmly entrenched in both the MVP and All-NBA conversations, but can he take over when it means the most? He won't be going at it alone, as C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic make for a solid core, but the Blazers will only go as far as their captain will take them. 

It took a little bit of stat padding, but reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the second season in a row. Last year, OKC only managed one playoff win before bowing out to Houston. This year, Westbrook has some help in the form of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, but the Thunder drew a tough Jazz squad in the first round, so the they might need a little extra Russell-mania if they want to get through to round two. 

The Utah Jazz won 48 games in a year when most thought they'd be beginning their rebuild. The big reason for this was the emergence of rookie superstar Donovan Mitchell. His offense combined with Rudy Gobert's defensive prowess give Utah a one-two punch that most teams would kill to have on their rosters. Much like Sixers, this team will go as far as their young guns will take them. 

Anthony Davis is the best player in the NBA without a postseason win under his belt. This is just his second trip to the postseason, but he is a top five talent capable of putting a team on his back. The Pels would be much more formidable if they still had the services of Boogie Cousins, but any team with the Brow on its side can win a series. 

The Cavs led the league in drama this year, but the Spurs weren't far behind, as uncharacteristic as that sounds. Kawhi Leonard played in all of nine games this year despite being cleared by team doctors for most of the second half. This reportedly created a rift within the team to the point that Kawhi might find himself in a new uniform next season. For now, the Spurs have to put that all behind them and try to figure out how to get by the best team in modern NBA history. If any coach could do that, it's Pop, but this likely won't be the year the team takes home its sixth championship. 

After 13 seasons of futility, the Minnesota Timberwolves are once again back in the postseason. The playoffs started a game early for the Wolves as they needed to knock off the Denver Nuggets in an ostensible play-in game just to qualify. The reward? A showdown with the best team in basketball, the Houston Rockets. Minnesota is better than its record would indicate, but even with Jimmy Butler back on the court, it's going to take a miracle or two for Team Thibodeau to survive and advance.