This is one of two sweeps we’re likely to see in the first round of the Eastern Conference. The Pistons should also make quick work of the Orlando Magic in that one-on-eight matchup.

I bet Lebron James is still grinning from ear to ear. It looked like the Cavs would end up as the number five seed, putting them in a terrifying first-round matchup with the Miami Heat. And if they do pull off that series, they would have a chance to face the Detroit Pistons in the conference semifinals and we know how well that worked out last season. The Bulls lost to New Jersey in the final game of the season on Wednesday night, and Cleveland is in great shape now.

King James and Co. get the Washington Wizards minus All-Stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler in this two-seeded vs. seven-seeded matchup. With Washington so battered, everyone in the Eastern Conference would love the chance to take part in this first-round cruiser. The Wizards have lost 8 of their last 10 games down the stretch, proving that without Agent Zero and Mr. Consistency Caron Butler, they’re not much.

It’s a shame we’re looking at an easy second-round bye for Cleveland with the entertainment these teams provided a season ago. We saw three one-point games in last year’s first-round matchup and a lot of trash talking between James and Arenas with James seemingly getting into Arenas’ head. Expect three double-digit wins from Cleveland this time around.
The only first-round series that should be less interesting will be Detroit/Orlando. At least we’ll get to see a lot of standout plays from King James.

I guess since this one is in the bag, we could project for a minute what the series would look like if Washington were healthy. The Wizards were not a good road team this season and they play very poor defense. So I think we’d be safe in saying the Cavs would prevail here even if they faced the Wizards stars. Cleveland’s defense has improved a lot this season and with Lebron leading the Cavs to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, we have to believe this kid is capable of doing big things before he ends his career. They may start this season as Cleveland’s path to the conference finals seems clear.