The 2024 NBA Playoff bracket is officially set.

The marathon of the NBA regular season officially ended on Monday and teams now know what their fate is. That is, of course, the top two seeds in each conference that await the play-in games.

Another year of intriguing matchups throughout the playoffs is set and these three series are the major ones to watch.

No. 2 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers/No. 8 Miami Heat

The New York Knicks won five games in a row to end the season and clinch the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Was this the right move? It is hard to ask a team to lose to set up potential matchups so it is better to just stay hot and win.

With that being said, the Knicks have a difficult matchup coming no matter who they play.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat will face off in the play-in round. The winner will take on the Knicks as the loser will advance to the second stage of the early round. The Knicks will be slight favorites to advance either way but both teams can pull off the upset.

The Knicks have not had success against Miami. This year, New York is the better team but this is a matchup that will strike fear into Knicks’ fans. As for the Sixers, this is a team that was without Joel Embiid for much of the year due to an injury. He sat out the season finale but will be ready for the postseason. With Embiid in the lineup, the Sixers are a much different team.

It will be interesting to see how this play-in game plays out and who will face the Knicks.

No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic

Did the Cavaliers lose on purpose later in the year? Who knows. Again, this is a difficult game to play but nonetheless, Cleveland will face the Orlando Magic in round one. The Magic are one of the teams around the league that outplayed expectations this season. Led by Paolo Banchero, Orlando improved greatly and will have a chance to advance in the postseason. As for Cleveland, many believed this was one of the best teams in the East but it fell in the standings late in the season. It is hard to believe in either one of these teams long-term but this is part of what makes the matchup so intriguing.

No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns

Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns avoided the play-in tournament and will face the Minnesota Timberwolves. Like Orlando, the Timberwolves made great strides in a year where no one was expecting it. This is largely because Anthony Edwards took steps toward looking like one of the best players in the league.

Durant and Devin Booker have a long history of doing this as well. The potential trio, with Bradley Beal, was not productive this season due to injuries. The postseason is right around the corner and this is where stars in the league shine. There is plenty of experience in Phoenix while Minnesota has not been on this stage much, especially as the higher seed.