NBA playoffs second-round predictions: Celtics, Heat to meet for East crown; Suns return to conference finals

See who our experts pick to reach the conference finals

After the Grizzlies' Game 6 clincher over the Timberwolves on Friday, the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs is set. Bad news in the East: Khris Middleton is out for No. 3 Milwaukee's series vs. No. 2 Boston, and Joel Embiid is out indefinitely with a fractured orbital bone and a concussion as the No. 4 Sixers set to take on the top-seeded Miami Heat.

Embiid won't play Game 1, but if he clears concussion protocols and can find a way to play through the orbital fracture, he hasn't been officially ruled out beyond that. In the West, it'll be the No. 1 Suns vs. the No. 4 Mavericks, and the No. 2 Grizzlies vs. the No. 3 Warriors.

Below are our staff's picks for each series.