Everything you need to know about the Eastern Conference teams in the NBA Playoffs.
Milwaukee Bucks
Season record: 60-22
Playoff seeding: 1
Home Court: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Coach: Mike Budenholzer
Key Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Franchise star Antetokounmpo has blossomed from rising star to league MVP favourite thanks to a season of offensive and defensive dominance that has powered the Bucks, a team constructed around his strengths, to a league-best 60-22 record. No opponents have found a way to stop Antetokounmpo's relentless drives to the basket. He averages 27.7 points per page (third best in the league) as a result, with a stunning 57.8 field goal percentage.
History: The Bucks have one NBA title to their name, a 1970/71 championship built on the dominance of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. Milwaukee were a perennial presence in the playoffs throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but their recent postseason history isn't anything to shout about - they haven't won a playoff series since 2000/01. That looks set to change this time around.
Watch the Playoffs LIVE with a Free 7-Day Trial of NBA League Pass!
Toronto Raptors
Season record: 58-24
Playoff seeding: 2
Home Court: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
Coach: Nick Nurse
Key Player: Kawhi Leonard
All Raptors fans will hope former Finals MVP Leonard, acquired from the San Antonio Spurs last summer in a blockbuster trade, will be able to trigger a change of postseason fortunes for the Raptors, who, despite consistently strong regular seasons, have routinely failed to deliver in the playoffs.
When he has played, Leonard has looked every inch the franchise star the Raptors need him to be, averaging 26.6 points per game while terrorising opponents with his All-NBA defensive skills. The only downside is the 22 regular season games Leonard missed through the season. That won't matter one jot if managing Leonard's workload enables him to star in the postseason.
History: This will be the Raptors' seventh successive year in the playoffs. Unfortunately, their postseason history is littered with disappointments, chiefly their inability to get past LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers. Their best run came two years ago when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals only to fall to the Cavs in six games.
Philadelphia 76ers
Season record: 51-31
Playoff seeding: 3
Home Court: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coach: Brett Brown
Key Player: Joel Embiid
Sixers center Embiid, the self-proclaimed "most unstoppable player in the league", has the size, skill, and attitude to lead the Sixers deep into the playoffs. 'The Process' has earned MVP consideration, with season averages of 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. The charismatic Cameroonian center remains as entertaining off the court as he is on it, using social media to troll opponents and fan bases, and taking particular delight in asserting his superiority over rival centers.
History: The 76ers have won three NBA titles in their 70-year history, the last coming in 1982/83 when Julius Erving and Moses Malone led them past Magic Johnson's 'Showtime' era Lakers. Philly's last Finals appearance was in 2000/01, where a Sixers team led by the otherworldly talents of Allen Iverson were overpowered by a Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal-led Lakers.
Boston Celtics
Season record: 49-33
Playoff seeding: 4
Home Court: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Coach: Brad Stevens
Key Player: Kyrie Irving
Irving remains one of the most creative offensive players in the league who thrives at the conclusion of games. As a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, he made an NBA title-winning shot, killing off the Golden State Warriors in crunch time of game seven of the 2015/16 Finals. Despite creating his fair share of locker room drama in the Celtics locker room this season, Irving remains an elite guard, averaging 23.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
History: With 17 NBA titles to their name and generation-defining former players (Bill Russell, Larry Bird) who led them through era of league dominance, the Celtics are the Eastern Conference's most storied franchise. They last won the NBA in 2007/08, led by the 'Big Three' of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. The current iteration of the Celtics have been beaten in the Eastern Conference Finals in the last two postseasons.
Indiana Pacers
Season record: 48-34
Playoff seeding: 5
Home Court: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Coach: Nate McMillan
Key Player: Myles Turner
After the Pacers lost star man Victor Oladipo to a season-ending injury, most thought that they would fall away from the leading contenders in the East. Instead, thanks to a collective effort built on defense, they kept pace with the more-talented Sixers and Celtics, and kept pace in the race for fourth place until the final days of the regular season. Their defensive tenacity is anchored by center Myles Turner, a shot-blocking machine averaging a league-leading 2.7 rejections per game. On offense, Bojan Bogdanovic, Turner, and sixth man Domantas Sabonis have picked up the slack in Oladipo's absence.
History: The Pacers' most successful era came in the mid-nineties, where, led by noted 'Knick killer' Reggie Miller, they reached and lost four Eastern Conference Finals before breaking through to reach the NBA Finals in 1999/2000, only to fall to Kobe and Shaq's Lakers. More recently, they reached two successive Eastern Conference Finals in 2013/14 and 2014/15, losing out to LeBron James' Miami Heat on both occasions.
Brooklyn Nets
Season record: 42-40
Playoff seeding: 6
Home Court: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Coach: Kenny Atkinson
Key Player: D'Angelo Russell
Two years ago, Russell was considered a draft bust deemed surplus to requirements by the Los Angeles Lakers. But he got an opportunity to start over in Brooklyn, and has made the most of his second chance. Russell has averaged 21.1 points and 7.0 assists per game this season, and is among the leading contenders of the NBA's Most Improved Player award.
History: The New Jersey Nets were synonymous with underachievement for much of their NBA tenure. That changed when they acquired Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd, who led them to successive NBA Finals in 2001/02 and 2002/03. They were soundly beaten in both series. Since moving to Brooklyn, their best playoff run has been reaching the Eastern Conference semi-finals (with Kidd as coach) in 2013/14.
Orlando Magic
Season record: 42-40
Playoff seeding: 7
Home Court: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Coach: Steve Clifford
Key Player: Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic's scoring and rebounding has been crucial as the Magic produced an impressive late-season surge to claim the seventh seed. The Montenegrin big man ended the regular season with averages of 20.8 points and 12.0 rebounds per game, and earned All-Star selection for the first time in his eighth NBA season.
History: The Magic have reached the postseason 15 times in their 30-year history. Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway led them to the NBA Finals in 1994-95, where they lost to the Houston Rockets. Stan Van Gundy's Magic team, built around the size, strength, and athleticism of Dwight Howard, reached the 2008/09 Finals but were denied by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Detroit Pistons
Season record: 41-41
Playoff seeding: 8
Home Court: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Coach: Dwane Casey
Key Player: Blake Griffin
Once an uber-athletic dunking machine, the mature version of Griffin is more reliant on shooting skill and passing vision. With no elite point guard, the Pistons run their offense through Griffin, and he has responded with a quietly excellent season, posting averages of 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game while transforming himself into an above-league-average three-point shooter.
History: This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first of the back-to-back NBA titles won by the Pistons 'Bad Boys' teams led by Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, and Dennis Rodman. It's now 15 years since Detroit's last NBA title triumph, when Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, and Rasheed Wallace defeated the heavily-favoured Lakers to end the Shaq-Kobe era in Los Angeles.