THE NBA PLAYOFFS GET ALL REVVED UP - CHECK OUT SATURDAY'S ACTION THAT TIPS OFF A GREAT ROUND I

Hip, hip, hooray! The NBA Playoffs are here and everyone wants to know: Are we headed for a Cleveland Cavaliers versus Golden State Warriors IV in this year's NBA Finals?
Well, check out the up-to-the-minute Odds to Win it All here and you'll find out what the good folks in Las Vegas think ... hey, they do think we're headed to Cavs-Warriors one mo' time!

NBA ODDS TO WIN IT ALL

The NBA Playoffs is always a real blast - and this year Jim Hurley's Network is gonna rock-n-roll with a bunch of post-season b-ball winners and so make sure you're all aboard for all the playoff goodies. And make sure you cash in big with all our Major-League Baseball winners too -- check it all out right here online or via our toll-free telephone # of 1-800-323-4453 and keep piling up the profits this spring!

NBA PLAYOFFS
Now, here's a look at the playoff series that swing into action on Saturday:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

WASHINGTON (43-39) at TORONTO (59-23) - 5:35 p.m. ET, ESPN
If you've been listening to all the blather from folks at ESPN, the NBA Network, etc. then you get the sense this could be a go-the-distance/seven-game series providing the underdog Washington Wizards bring their "A game" every night ... and we're wondering why the Toronto Raptors don't get more "love" after playing .720 ball this year? Guards DeMar DeRozan (23 ppg) and Kyle Lowry (6.9 apg) are veritable stat-sheet stuffers but whether or not the North-of-the-Border wins a five- or six-game set or else has to really fret depends on whether front-court stars C Jonas Valanciunas and F Serge Ibaka can kick in more than a combined 25 ppg and whether they can draw some paint fouls against Washington's drive-to-the-hoop PG John Wall. Will Wizards' G Bradley Beal figure out his shot after going 4-of-15 from the field (including 1-of-7 from three-point range) or will he be slumping right into these playoffs?

Here's the 2017-18 regular-season matchups between the Wizards and the Raptors (all home teams in CAPS):

MIAMI (44-38) at PHILADELPHIA (52-30) - 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN
First things first, we're still wondering why the Heat and 76ers played one another four times within a 36-day period this year and so no wonder there were some real "bad blood" moments tossed into the mix as these clubs split the regular-season showdowns - and now you wonder if this series is gonna be a bit more physical than anyone anticipates and so that may well mean "depth" is the key word here. No doubt the favored 76ers have more able bodies and a deeper bench even though C Joel Embiid is expected to miss this Game 1 and one X-factor here is Philly not only needs Rookie of the Year frontrunner Ben Simmons (15.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 8.2 apg) to be stat-sheet stuffer but reserves Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova (they combined for 23 ppg this season) must step up or defensive-minded Miami could make things real sticky.

Here's the 2017-18 regular-season matchups between the Heat and the 76ers (all home teams in CAPS):

WESTERN CONFERENCE

SAN ANTONIO (47-35) at GOLDEN STATE (58-24) - 3:05 p.m. ET, ABC
Last year's showdown in the NBA's Western Conference Finals - a clean sweep for the Warriors - was a walk-in-the-park series for Steve Kerr's club but even he doesn't know what to expect from the 2015 and 2017 champs here: Golden State's without megastar G Stephen Curry (knee) and motivation has been a season-long issue for the three-time defending Western Conference champs who will count on Kevin Durant getting 30-or-so ppg here and you can't hide the fact that San Antonio's been awful on the road the final few weeks of the season. No Kawhi Leonard for San Ant - please don't ask us about that drama - and likely not enough firepower here for Gregg Popovich's club even if F LaMarcus Aldridge "goes off" a couple of times.

Here's the 2017-18 regular-season matchups between the Spurs and the Warriors (all home teams in CAPS):

NEW ORLEANS (48-34) at PORTLAND (49-33) - 10:35 p.m. ET, ESPN
Three cheers for the West's sixth-seeded N'Orleans Pelicans who didn't throw in the white towel after losing C DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins following his year-ending Achilles injury after just 48 games: Instead, MVP candidate Anthony Davis (28.1 ppg) played brilliantly - and stayed healthy - and now the underdog Pels believe anything is possible as they open up this playoff series against a Portland team that staggered a bit down the stretch (lost four of its last five games) and may have to worry a bit regarding star G Damian Lillard (26.9 ppg) who banged up his hip in the season-ending win against Utah this past Wednesday night. Hey, if Lillard is less than 100 percent here than the T-Blazers are in trouble because fellow G CJ McCollum (21.4 ppg) likely can't carry the load. New Orleans is "playing with house money" and that makes 'em scary in this round.

Here's the 2017-18 regular-season matchups between the Pelicans and the Trail Blazers (all home teams in CAPS):

NOTE: Catch Sunday's NBA Playoff previews in tomorrow's Jim Sez.