Worst first-round opponent for each NBA Eastern Conference playoff team

The right matchup can mean everything in the NBA playoffs. The flip side being a first-round opponent that increases the chances of an early exit.

The true contenders will find a path to where they’re supposed to be independent of circumstance. It’s the ones trying to squeeze out one more round that can see their goals made or destroyed depending on the layout of the playoff picture.

We witnessed the benefits of seeding just last year when the Portland Trail Blazers went to the Western Conference Finals while the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors battled it out in the conference semis.

Had Houston been on the other side of the bracket, avoiding the Warriors until the conference finals, Portland likely doesn’t advance the farthest it’s been since the turn of the century.

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This exercise proved a bit more difficult for the Eastern Conference — the Western Conference article will arrive soon. There isn’t as much room for mobility among the top eight teams, where two slots seem to be the strict maximum only several teams can wiggle between, resulting in repetitive answers.

There’s a distinct drop off after the sixth seed, where the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic are in a club all their own with little chance of letting anyone else in. Furthering the rigidness of the standings.

Some teams will get their preferred matchup, which by definition means others won’t be as fortunate. Only time will show us how much, if at all, that matters once play finally resumes at month’s end.