Playoff Preview: Eastern Conference - NYTimes.com If the eight teams that qualified for postseason play out of the Eastern Conference seem familiar, that is because all eight also made it last season. The Indiana Pacers were the biggest movers, improving from No. 8 last season to No. 3 this season, but many of the story lines remain the same in a conference dominated by the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat. 1 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 8 Philadelphia 76ers 2010-11 Head to Head: Bulls 2-1 As he is the face of the Bulls, Derrick Rose receives constant comparisons to Michael Jordan, but unlike Jordan's offensive juggernauts, this Rose-led team is more of a defensive powerhouse, allowing an N.B.A.-low 88.2 points a game. The Bulls had numerous injuries throughout the season, losing both Rose and Richard Hamilton for long stretches, but finished as the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season. At one point the 76ers would have seemed like a tough matchup, with Philadelphia's deep roster seemingly perfect for this season's compact schedule. The unique rotation usage by Coach Doug Collins led to two bench players, Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young, finishing first and third on the team in scoring. But as the season progressed, Philadelphia's magic wore off. On Feb. 13, the 76ers were 20-9, just 2.5 games out of the No. 1 seed in the East, but after that the team went 15-22. A late rebound, with four consecutive wins heading into the season's final game (a loss), was not enough as Philadelphia ended up falling all the way to No. Provided Rose remains healthy, something he has struggled to do this season, the Bulls are a far superior team. Pick: Bulls 2 Miami Heat vs. No. 7 Knicks 2011-12 Head to Head: Heat 3-0 If the Heat seemed unconcerned with the regular season, often playing without any focus and losing games they clearly should have won, that is because nothing matters to Miami other than winning the N.B.A. Finals. In the first season LeBron James joined Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, the Heat won 58 games and reached the finals, but the campaign was deemed a disaster when they did not win it all. The team is so focused on the playoffs that Coach Erik Spoelstra regularly rested his banged up stars down the stretch despite the Heat being in contention for the No. 1 seed in the East until the season's final week. But if the Heat lacked focus, the Knicks were downright blurry. The superstar-laden roster was considered a failure until Jeremy Lin came out of nowhere to save the day. As his magic wore off and the Knicks fell back to mediocrity, Coach Mike D'Antoni, who had previously been hailed as a genius for his use of Lin, resigned. Under D'Antoni's replacement, Mike Woodson, things have been much more simple: get Carmelo Anthony the ball as often as possible; play solid defense; and hope for the best. Amar'e Stoudemire's ability to play into game shape, and Baron Davis's ability to post back-to-back quality games make the Knicks this playoff season's biggest wildcard. If the Heat play to the best of their ability, Stoudemire and Davis will not matter. Pick: Heat Indiana Pacers vs. No. 6 Orlando Magic 2011-12 Head to Head: Magic 3-1 The Pacers were the feel-good story of the season, with a relatively anonymous roster storming to the No. 3 seed in the East. The Magic, on the other hand, had a season-long melodrama play out with the team's franchise player, Dwight Howard, at various points demanding to be traded, demanding the team trade for other players, agreeing not to opt-out of his contract and subsequently demanding that the coach be fired. Coach Stan Van Gundy was not let go, but with Howard lost for the season following back surgery, the Magic are suddenly a lottery team trapped in the playoff seeding of a contender. The Magic won the season series between the teams, but in those games Howard averaged 23.8 points and 10.8 rebounds. It would seem unlikely that a Howard-less Magic (4-6 since his injury) could do much to stop a loaded Pacers frontcourt of Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and David West. Pick: Pacers 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks 2011-12 Head to Head: Boston 2-1 One of the teams expected to be most affected by the compact schedule, due to the roster's advanced age, the Celtics adapted as a team, giving up some offense but more than making up for it on defense. The team's average of 98.2 points allowed per 100 possessions was the best defensive rating Boston had produced since 1975-6 according to Basketball-Reference.com, meaning it was better than four Celtics teams that won the N.B.A. Finals. Unfortunately for Boston, the team's current injury report reads like an All-Star game roster: Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett all missed time to injuries recently. The Celtics won the season series against the Hawks by limiting Atlanta to 86.3 points a game, 10.3 below the team's season average, and completely shut them down in the paint. The Hawks are without Al Horford, the team's injured All-Star center, so even a weakened Celtics team should have an advantage. Pick: Celtics