NBA Eastern Conference playoffs preview

No. 1 DETROIT PISTONS (64-18) vs. No. 8 MILWAUKEE BUCKS (40-42)

Season series: Pistons won, 3-1, with Milwaukee's only victory coming Monday night when Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace didn't play for Detroit.

Storyline: The team that finished with the NBA's best record against the only sub-.500 team in the playoff field. The only thing that matters to the Pistons is getting back to the NBA Finals to make up for last season's loss, and this series should be nothing more than a brief first step.

Key matchup I: Michael Redd vs. Hamilton. Redd is one of the league's best shooters, and the Bucks' best hope of making this a competitive series is if he gets hot and can carry them. But Hamilton is constantly in motion on offense, and Milwaukee can't afford to have Redd wear himself out chasing him. Tayshaun Prince will probably defend Redd.

Key matchup II: Chauncey Billups vs. T.J. Ford. Ford is one of the league's quickest players, but even if he gets into the lane, there's little chance of him getting his shot over Ben or Rasheed Wallace. And he doesn't have the strength to prevent Billups from getting to the spots he wants.

X-Factor: Andrew Bogut. The former Ute and No. 1 pick in the draft had a solid, but not spectacular, rookie season. He'll need to raise his level of play to keep the Wallaces occupied on defense.

Little-known fact: The Pistons ended the regular season with a two-game losing streak. They also lost their last two preseason games — then won their first eight of the regular season.

Prediction: Pistons in 4.

No. 2 MIAMI HEAT (52-30) vs. No. 7 CHICAGO BULLS (41-41)

Season series: Heat won, 2-1, with the Bulls getting their only win last Sunday when Dwyane Wade didn't play because of illness.

Storyline: The Heat won 52 games even though they seemed to occasionally lose interest, but their troubles were with elite teams, not the ones below them. With Pat Riley returning to the playoffs, he'll make sure his team is motivated against a Chicago team that won 12 of its final 14 games.