After an exciting and eventful 2021-22 regular season, the NBA playoffs are finally here. Eight first-round series matchups are underway with 15 teams left in the hunt for the 2022 NBA title. The Boston Celtics were the first team to punch their ticket to the second round, completing the four-game sweep of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. 

What once looked like a potential sweep is now an intriguing series as the Toronto Raptors bested the Philadelphia 76ers 103-88 in Game 5 on Monday night. The win was the second straight for Toronto, and a series that was started off 3-0 in Philadelphia's favor is now 3-2 with Game 6 set to be played in Toronto on Thursday night. 

After going up 3-0 in their first-round series against the Toronto Raptors, the Philadelphia 76ers have lost two straight and suddenly find themselves in a pretty nerve-wracking position. Joel Embiid has a torn thumb ligament that will require surgery in the offseason. Game 6 is at Toronto. If it gets back to Philadelphia for Game 7, which feels like a pretty decent bet, the Sixers will be playing under the added pressure of trying to avoid becoming the first team in NBA history to lose a playoff series after leading 3-0. 

Russell Westbrook was supposed to help a team just two years removed from a championship climb back to the mountaintop. Instead, his struggles helped keep the Los Angeles Lakers out of the playoffs. The trade was among the worst in NBA history, but even with the season over, Westbrook still refuses to accept responsibility for his part in it.

Dallas Mavericks star point guard Luka Doncic has been diagnosed with a left calf strain after undergoing an MRI on Monday afternoon, the Mavericks announced Tuesday. Doncic's status for Game 1 of the Mavericks' first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz on Saturday is still unknown as Dallas hasn't set a timetable for his return, but things don't seem to be trending in the right direction.

The Brooklyn Nets entered this season as title favorites, but a detrimental injury to Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving being a part-time player until the final month of the season and an unexpected trade demand from James Harden led them to the No. 7 seed. This certainly isn't the place the Nets -- or anyone else -- expected them to be. 

With their 110-98 victory on Wednesday night, the Brooklyn Nets completed the season sweep over the New York Knicks. The Nets have now won seven straight games over the Knicks, and that streak will carry over into next season. 

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Celtics on Thursday to move into the East's No. 2 seed, one game up on No. 3 Boston and No. 4 Philadelphia. A potentially complicated tiebreaker scenario could unfold between the Celtics and Bucks, which we'll explain in detail below. 

Giannis served the Sixers a 40-piece on Tuesday as the Bucks, who've won 11 of 15 since the All-Star break, moved into the East's No. 2 seed, one game up on both Boston and Philadelphia. 

Julius Randle's season has been an unmitigated disappointment after all of the hope and optimism surrounding his Most Improved Player campaign a year ago. His numbers are down across the board, and after earning the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks have fallen out of the top 10 this season. Randle looked like New York's franchise player before the season. Now, the team and the city are wondering what his future is even with the franchise.

By way of the Spurs' last-second loss to the Grizzlies on Wednesday, the Lakers are back in the play-in picture for the time being as the West's No. 10 seed, one game up in the loss column on San Antonio. The Lakers, of course, could give the spot right back with a loss in Utah on Thursday, with Anthony Davis and LeBron James both not expected to play.