16 playoff teams, 16 questions: East

Any chance we can just turn these East playoffs into a best-of-21 series between the Celtics and Pistons? Maybe a 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-1-1-1-1-1 format?

No?

OK, we'll invite the Cavs and Wizards, too. LeBron and Agent Zero should make for good fun.

Aside from that, most of our attention will be on the West bracket. But that doesn't mean our East friends don't have questions that also need answering.

8. Atlanta Hawks – Is Josh Smith crazy?

Yes. Smith claims the Hawks are going to "shock the world" and upset the Celtics.

He'll likely be wrong, of course, but give him credit for trying. The Hawks haven't been to the playoffs since 1999, so they have every right to celebrate this accomplishment, even if they got in with 37 wins.

The problem is that their stay doesn't figure to be long. This is what happens when you get in with 37 wins: You get the NBA's best team as your opponent.

Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby will need to be at their best and Smith will have to play smart, in addition to filling out a box score, to prevent this from becoming a four-and-out return for the Hawks.

7. Philadelphia 76ers – Does ending the regular season with a four-game losing streak mean anything once the playoffs start?

Only that it landed you in a first-round series with the Detroit Pistons instead of the Orlando Magic. Chances are if the Sixers aren't called back onto the floor with .2 seconds left against Cleveland, they're heading into the playoffs with a two-game win streak. That still might not have allowed them to move past Toronto and take the No. 6 seed (the Raptors would have had incentive to win their final game against Chicago), but they would have felt better about themselves.

The Sixers obviously haven't played as well as they did last month, though they're athletic and fast enough to cause some problems for the Pistons. What Philadelphia lacks is experience. The Sixers have 95 games of playoff experience compared to 647 for Detroit, and that counts for something.

The Sixers will learn a little more about themselves in their first-round series. No matter the outcome, this was a surprisingly successful season for them. They'll spend some free-agent dollars this summer and come back ready to aim for a higher seed next season.

6. Toronto Raptors – Is Sam Mitchell's job in jeopardy?

That depends whether Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo wants to commit $9.5 million to buy out the remainder of Mitchell's contract. That seems a little steep, considering the team didn't have a losing record.

But … Mitchell and Colangelo do have a difference of opinion on the Raptors' 41-41. Colangelo thinks it was a disappointing dropoff from last season while Mitchell called it "unbelievable," given the injuries to Chris Bosh and T.J. Ford.

Still … Bosh was on the floor for the final 15 games and the Raptors only went 7-8. If they flat-line in this series, Mitchell's going to feel the heat. Toronto can give the Magic a competitive series. They can also win it provided …

Someone in addition to Bosh hits a shot. The Raptors have made only slightly better than 30 percent of their three-point in attempts in April. Losing Jorge Garbajosa early in the season was huge, Andrea Bargnani has regressed and Jason Kapono, for all the millions he received last summer, has made one three-pointer since March 19.

Mitchell doesn't need to print out his resume just yet. But he might want to make sure it's updated.

5. Washington Wizards – Can Gilbert Arenas handle coming off the bench?

For the playoffs? Yes. Arenas should embrace this role. He's still on a minute limit, but that shouldn't keep him from becoming the perfect tempo-changing reserve. The Hibachi also rarely needs 10 shots to warm up. Anyone doubt Arenas could walk into the game stone cold and drill a 24-foot game-winner?

Arenas doesn't. He finally ended his silence Friday by declaring himself an “assassin.” He also delivered this warning to the Cavs: “When I come off that bench, there is going to be some trouble.”

Arenas isn't back to full speed yet and he's still a defensive liability. But if the Wizards are finally healthy, as they claim, they can beat the Cavaliers without homecourt. Without Agent Zero starting.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers – Can King James get some help? Even a little?

How long have we been asking this question? The Cavaliers acquired Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith and Delonte West at the trade deadline hoping to strengthen LeBron James' supporting cast, but it's questionable whether the team has improved at all.

Wallace has been slowed by back spasms and Szczerbiak has shot so poorly that Cavs coach Mike Brown didn't even play him against Philadelphia in the second-to-last game of the season. Daniel Gibson has made only 15 of 58 shots since returning from his injury and James has had his own back issues, contributing to Cleveland's 5-7 finish down the stretch.

James is capable of taking over a series on his own, but he can't carry these Cavs to their second straight NBA Finals without at least a little help. Right now it doesn't look like he's going to get it.

3. Orlando Magic – If Rashard Lewis can get a $118 million contract, how much is Hedo Turkoglu worth?

There's no question who's been the more surprising 6-foot-10 forward for the Magic this season. Turkoglu has hit the bigger shots, he's versatile enough to initiate the offense and has developed into a triple-double threat.

Lewis has been pretty good himself, making well above 40 percent of his three-point attempts the second half of the season. The playoffs, however, are where he needs to earn some of his payday. The Magic need him not only to space the floor for Dwight Howard but also rebound better than he did during the regular season.

Lewis didn't play particularly well the last two trips he made with Seattle and has only 16 games of postseason experience. But teams lean on their stars during the postseason, and it's up to Lewis to make sure the Magic have three of them.

2. Detroit Pistons – Can the Pistons really count on their bench?

According to coach Flip Saunders, the answer is yes. Saunders said he'd feel confident using any of the 12 guys on his playoff roster. "I don't think any other team can say that," he told Detroit reporters.

That doesn't mean Saunders plans on going that deep into his bench. Teams typically shorten their rotations for the playoffs and Detroit's starting five is as talented and battle-tested as any in the league.

But unlike a year ago, the Pistons' starters should feel fairly fresh as the playoffs start. Jarvis Hayes was a nice pickup and the continued development of forwards Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson, as well as the emergence of rookie guards Rodney Stuckey and Aaron Afflalo, afforded Detroit's veterans an opportunity to rest a little more this season.

1. Boston Celtics – Is there any chance Kevin Garnett's head will explode?

KG has been dying for this opportunity ever since the Lakers bounced his Minnesota Timberwolves from the 2004 Western Conference finals. That, as everyone well knows, was the first and only time he advanced past the first round of the playoffs.

So it was goes without saying that Garnett is a little amped for this. He doesn't want to end his career on the "Best Players to Never Win a Championship" list. Doc Rivers has had to occasionally tell him to rein in his emotions a bit and he'll probably have to do so once or twice during the playoffs.

If KG can do that, if Ray Allen can stay healthy and if the bench proves to be reasonably productive, the Celtics should make their date with the Pistons in the East finals. They've been the best team all season. There's no reason to start doubting them now.