One sweep and one upset are forecasted for the opening round of the four series in the East. The Heat will continue to demonstrate their dominance, and the Celtics, like the city of Boston, will display their resilience.

(1) Miami Heat vs. (8) Milwaukee Bucks

There’s no reasonable expectation of the Bucks making it past this round of the playoffs. After all, the Heat are the defending champions, and once again they have the best record in the regular season (66-16). About the only aspect where the Bucks are competitive is at point guard, where Brandon Jennings is easily better than the Heat’s Mario Chalmers. The only other matchup which comes close is Dwyane Wade (pictured) vs. Monta Ellis, who is 11th in the league in scoring with 19.2 points per game. But the fact remains that Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh are a trio that will be difficult, if not impossible, for Milwaukee to contain. The Bucks might steal one, but even that will be tough for them to get.

Prediction: Miami Heat in four.

(2) New York Knicks vs. (7) Boston Celtics

Despite the camaraderie that has developed between the two cities in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, these teams are still old rivals and they would like nothing better than to beat their longtime nemesis. The Knicks have the advantage for as long as the league’s scoring champ, Carmelo Anthony, stays healthy, and for as long as J.R. Smith is at the top of his game. On the down side, New York will be without Amar’e Stoudemire and Rasheed Wallace, who picked a bad time to retire (again). Meanwhile, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett should not be underestimated: they have much more experience at winning in the post-season. Despite not having Rajon Rondo at point guard, they have an entire city behind them which has pulled together (“Boston Strong”) in the wake of the tragic events of April 15. The Celtics will be stretched to the limit, but if there’s an upset in the making anywhere in the first round, it could be here.

Prediction: Boston Celtics in seven.

(3) Indiana Pacers vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks

While you would expect center Roy Hibbert to give the Hawks the most matchup issues, it’s actually David West who has been more dangerous, averaging 21.3 points per game and 53 percent shooting from the floor against Atlanta. What will really make the difference is defense: nobody does it better than Indiana. Paul George and Joe Johnson will also give Atlanta trouble on the wings. Both clubs have lost five of their past seven games, so neither one has momentum on its side. Along with defense, the Pacers are more experienced in the post-season and have more quality depth in Tyler Hansbrough and D.J. Augustin.

Prediction: Indiana Pacers in five.

(4) Brooklyn Nets vs. (5) Chicago Bulls

The Nets have the better record at 49-33 than the Bulls’ 45-37 mark. However, Chicago won three of the four head-to-head meetings, including a 92-90 victory the last time these teams saw each other. On the plus side for Brooklyn, Deron Williams has been fantastic and Brook Lopez has acquitted himself well against the league’s top centers. The Bulls have been able to make do once again without point guard Derrick Rose; even if he can somehow be healthy enough to play at some point in this series, Chicago has done as well as can be expected without him. Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson are also nursing injuries, but the Bulls have better defense and have shown they can beat Brooklyn. The last 10 times these two teams have met, going back to January 2011, Chicago has won seven of them, including four at home.

Prediction: Chicago Bulls in seven.