Kwai and Paul George are waiting for Luka Doncic • Philadelphia will try to surprise Boston without Simmons • Jukic and Guber meet in a giant battle • And Toronto will fight mostly on its own • Everything you need to know about the four series that opens today (starting at 8:30 p.m. ) In the NBA playoffs

• Luca. 32 points per evening in a bubble

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  IP

• Kwai. The Clippers have no room for mistakes

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  IP

• Taitum. Boston is back strong and healthy

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  IPI

• The Joker is waiting for Utah

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  IP

After the ranking games, and the internal tournament for the eighth place in the West, tonight (Monday) the real thing begins - the NBA playoffs. Four series will open tonight in a bubble in Orlando and the focus of the first battle between Luka Doncic and Kwai Leonard and Paul George. 

Denver Nuggets (3) - Utah Jazz (6) 

West, First Round, 8:30 p.m. 

The series that will open the playoffs tonight. The nuggets of Nikola Jukic and the improving Michael Porter Jr. recorded a solid balance in a bubble of 4 wins and 4 losses and along the way also rediscovered the sensational Bull Bull. The balance sheet is mostly indicative of the instability of Denver struggling in a bubble without two regular rotation players - Will Barton and Gary Harris. 

On the other side stand the Jazz who stuttered in the bubble with 3 wins and 5 losses finished in sixth place, thus at least managing to avoid a meeting with the Houston Rockets that ousted them in the playoffs in the last two years. What will make it difficult for Utah at the start of the series will be Mike Conley's absence from the first games, after he left the bubble in light of his son's birth.  

The matchup of the series: Jamal Marie and Nikola Jokic opposite Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gober. Which of the pairs will be better on a given evening will probably also win the game.

Wake up in front of Gover. Hold tight // Photo: EP

Toronto Raptors (2) - Brooklyn Nets (7) 

East, First Round, 11 p.m., Sports 5 

Probably one of the most one-sided series we’ll get in the first round. Toronto with a 1: 7 balance in the bubble that included a pretty impressive win over the Lakers. This is one of the best defensive teams in the league, and the best in the bubble a lot thanks to Mark Gasol who even at the age of 35 manages to be a player who changes the rival attack. And for those who have forgotten, this is a champion who is still in office.

Brooklyn on the other hand is a pleasant surprise. A team that did not even expect to look good in the bubble, certainly when it puts a secondary and anonymous squad without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving who will only collaborate next season. Charis Lavbert, Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen are the trio who set up a 3: 5 balance in the bubble that helped them lock in seventh place and avoid a series with Milwaukee.

The matchup of the series: Charis Labert against the Toronto defense. If the Nets steal a game in the series it will probably be thanks to the great and underappreciated guard.  

Gasol. Defensive playmaker // Photo: EP

Boston Celtics (3) - Philadelphia 76 '(6) 

East, First Round, 1:30 p.m.

Boston looks stronger, deeper, and a more mature playoff team than Philadelphia. The Celtics went into a bubble in order to train Kamba Walker's fragile knees and succeeded, and on the way they recorded a 3: 5 balance. Brad Stevens has a young and hungry bunch and it is possible that in this playoff we will see Jason Taitum and Jaylen Brown turn before our eyes from all-stars to superstars. 

We probably would have talked differently about Philadelphia (4: 4 balance in the bubble) had it not been for the injury of Ben Simmons, who finished the season. What’s left for Philly is mostly her two highs Joel Ambed and Al Horford, who frankly haven’t exactly found their rhythm together so far. They have a hard time cooperating in the minutes of both of them on the field, but that should be exactly their key in the series. The Phillies have a distinct height and size advantage in color and if they manage to use it properly, we might as well get a tight series despite the lack of Simmons. By the way, Horford who was in Boston last year, is well acquainted with the Celtics' method of play and players.

The matchup of the series: Philly's tall against the wings of Boston. 

Ambide. Will he be able to keep the series close? // Photo: IPI

LA Clippers (2) - Dallas Mavericks (7) 

West, First Round, 4 p.m., Sports 5

The Clippers finished the ranking games in a bubble with a 3: 5 balance, but given all the isolation and glitches it seems we haven’t really seen Doc Rivers ’team at the height of its power. Montreux Harrell has yet to play a single game in the bubble and it looks like it will still take him a while to get into full playing fitness, but either way the deadly duo Kwai Leonard and Paul George should make it in the series against Dallas. Ivica Zubac looks excellent in Orlando so far with a double-double average (11.3 points and 11.1 rebounds).

And what about Dallas? For the first time we will get to see Luka Doncic - the king of triple-doubles of the regular season - in the playoffs. The wonderful Slovenian averaged 32 points and a triple-double in the bubble games, but the Mavericks' problem remained the same - their attack squeaked in the clutch. Many times we have seen them reach the final quarter and manage to lose the game, but if Doncic and Kristaps Forzingis manage to crack this mental hurdle, we have the potential for a long and tense series.

The matchup of the series: Luka Doncic against Kwai Leonard and Paul George. The young Mavericks star will have to deal with two of the best and toughest guards in the league, who will focus mainly on him.  

Kwai vs. Luca in a bubble. Will the Slovenian be amazing in the playoffs as well? // Photo: IPI