For basketball aficionados, the days of reckoning officially begin April 19, the start of the NBA playoffs.

In the NBA, there are two conferences: the Eastern and Western Conferences. Within each conference, there are three divisions, each comprised of five teams.

According to the NBA, in the Eastern Conference, there are the Southeast, the Atlantic and the Central divisions. In the Western Conference, there are the Northwest, the Southwest and the Pacific divisions. To determine who will compete for the championship, each team plays 82 games.

The teams with the first four wins in their respective games keep playing each other to vye for the conference championship.

According to NBA standings, this year, the Eastern Conference teams are the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks. For the Western Conference, the competitors are the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies.

Although no one can predict the actual outcome, many feel that the favorite for the Eastern Conference is the Heat because they have won the NBA championship for two consecutive years, let alone the Conference championship.

Meanwhile, the possibilities for the Western Conference are wide open. Although some people lean towards a Heat-Spurs rematch in the finals, the Heat and Spurs have both dealt with their fair share of injuries this year. People are all rooting for their favorite teams because the scores cannot give any indication of who will win.

Both conferences have good teams, but the Eastern Conference is infamously known for being the weaker conference. A 36-win team qualifies for the playoffs in the East, while even a team with 49 wins in the Western Conference does not make the tournament.

Cheer on your favorite teams and watch them as they proceed onto the NBA championship!