One week into the NBA Playoffs and one thing is crystal clear - the higher seeded teams are finding success to be a little more difficult to attain than they probably expected - except Dallas.

In the East, a total of ten playoff games have been completed... with the lower seeded team winning four of the ten.  A pair of matchups are deadlocked at 2-2 while the other two series are 2-1 with pivotal Game 4's looming.

For a closer look, let's take a gaze into each series:

#1 Detroit vs. #8 Milwaukee

After a pair of dominating performances at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the two-time defending Eastern Conference Champions, the Detroit Pistons, headed northwest to the "Beer City" to cast further doubt into the hearts and minds of the heavy-underog, Milwaukee Bucks.  But after 48 minutes of uninspired basketball by the Pistons in Game 3, the only doubt casted was whether or not the Pistons still have the ability to be a shutdown defensive unit. 

The Bucks shot an unthinkable 60 percent from the field, including 65 percent from 3-point range, in route to an easy 124-104 victory.  Much like he did during the regular season, Michael Redd blistered Detroit with 40 points on 14 of 21 shooting and a returning Tony Kukoc delivered a spark off the Bucks' bench with 10 points and six assists.  Maurice Williams added 20 points as well as the game was never in doubt from the middle of the third stanza onward.

Overview:  Despite all the offensive success the Bucks enjoyed in Game 3, it was just one game - a game in which Milwaukee knew they had to have to stay in the series, and a game the Pistons clearly didn't view as being crucial to their overall success. 

Detroit will need to make a concerted effort to play much better team defense and slow down the pace in tomorrow's Game 4.  While it's certainly not a "must-win" situation for the Pistons, a victory would put them in a position to close out the series early at home and give one of their key contributors, Richard Hamilton, some much needed extra rest for his injured ankle.

As for Milwaukee, the Bucks must realize that they won't shoot 60 percent for an entire game again for the rest of the series.  They must commit to playing solid half-court defense with an emphasis on forcing turnovers and quickening the pace.  If they can do these things, they'll have a chance to make it a series.  If not, they'll be heading back to Detroit down 3-1 with their postseason fate already decided.

#2 Miami vs. #7 Chicago

Perhaps the most intriguing of the so-called "David vs. Goliath" series, the Heat and the Bulls have spent the better part of sixteen playoff quarters of basketball trying to impose their will on each other.  The result - a 2-2 tie heading into a monumentally important Game 5 in South Beach on Tuesday night.

For Pat Riley and the Heat, their focus was to utilize their size and ability to score in the paint as a way to exploit the physically inferior Bulls.  Of course, at the forefront of their size advantage and ability to dominate the paint is Shaquille O'Neal.  Through the first two games in Miami, Shaq averaged 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds, which parlayed into Heat victories.  However, in Game's 3 and 4, O'Neal got into early foul trouble and never found a rhythm.  The result was a 12 point, 6 rebound average and a pair of defeats in the Windy City.

The Bulls, on the other hand, have tried to use their quickness and ability to score from the perimeter to offset the Heat's physical prowess.  Scott Skiles hoped to trap Miami into an up-and-down game in order to wear out Shaq and exploit their superior guard play.  Thus far, mission accomplished as the trio of Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Chris Duhon have vastly outplayed their couterparts, Jason Williams, Dwyane Wade and Gary Payton - especially in Chicago.

Overview:  The Miami Heat, for the most part, have been their own worst enemy.  Turnovers, poor shot selection, and extended minutes of lackluster play at the defensive end of the floor have allowed the upstart Bulls to climb back into the series. 

That's not to say the Bulls haven't been a huge part of that.  Hinrich has done an admirable job of bothering Wade and forcing him to expend energy at the defensive end.  The constant shuffling in and out of players like Malik Allen, Tyson Chandler and Michael Sweetney on Shaquille O'Neal has been moderately effective and has allowed Scott Skiles to equally distribute fouls among his big men.  And the perimeter shooting and overall athletic abilities of Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni has spread the Heat defense thin and created second and third chance opportunities when they do happen to miss from outside.

Going forward, Miami must get back to their game plan of pounding the ball inside to Shaq and Alonzo Mourning and forcing Chicago into a half-court game.  Doing so will not only equate success for their big men, the double-teams will open up opportunities for their perimeter players as well as driving lanes for Dwyane Wade.  And it should equate to a berth in the second round for the Heat.

#3 New Jersey vs. #6 Indiana

Much like the Heat/Bulls series, the Pacers/Nets encounter involves two teams with two completely different identities.  The New Jersey Nets (like the Bulls) are a guard-oriented club who prefer a quicker pace, while the Indiana Pacers are more of a half-court team designed to grind it out possession by possession.  Thus far, the pace has favored Indiana ever so slightly.  Nonetheless, the series is tied going back to the Meadowlands with the Nets back in possession of home-court advantage.

One of the most talked about themes of this series was how the Pacers would be able to combat New Jersey's "big three" of Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter.  So far, they've done so with inspired efforts from PG Anthony Johnson, whose 16.5 ppg are twice that of his counterpart, Jason Kidd (8.8).  They've also received significant contributions from SF Steven Jackson (14.5 ppg) and C Jermaine O'Neal.  Still, the Nets tantilizing trio has done their damage, especially Jefferson and Carter who have amassed 50 points combined in three of the four games.  The key for Indiana in their two victories has been limiting the impact of C Nenad Kristic, as well as making Carter and Jefferson work for their points.

Overview:  The consensus going into this series was that of all the first round matchups in the Eastern Conference, this one was the most likely to go the full seven.  After four games, that consensus seems to be even more prevalent.

New Jersey will need to get out to an early lead and sustain it in Game 5.  Because with the Pacers' battle-tested, veteran lineup, the longer the Nets allow Indiana to hang around, the more likely it will be that the Pacers head back to Indianapolis with an opportunity to close out the series on their home floor.

#4 Cleveland vs. #5 Washington

No Eastern Conference series possessed more star power than the Wizards/Cavs matchup.  With LeBron James, Gilbert Arenas, LeBron James, Antawn Jamison, and... well... LeBron James, the potential for an offensive showcase seemed not only a probability, but inevitable - and almost pre-determined.  Yet through three games, neither team has scored 100 points to this point and only one game (Game 3) has seen both teams topple the 90-point plateau.  Yes, believe it or not folks, it's been a defensive struggle thus far between these two offensive juggernauts.

Having said that, one has to assume that both teams will eventually open things up as the "feeling out" process has come and gone.  And when you figure neither team was known for their defensive abilities all season long, that only adds to the notion that the scorekeepers will have a severe case of writer's cramp when it's all said and done.

LeBron James' game-winning floater in the lane in Game 3 shifted the momentum back in the Cavs' favor and gave coach Mike Brown's club an opportunity to take a stranglehold on the series with another victory in the nation's capital.  With claims of a traveling violation on that last shot aside (and warranted at that), LeBron has torched the Wizards in the two Cleveland victories, scoring 32 and 40 points respectively.  If the Wizards want to get back in the winning column, they'll have to be more physical in their approach to defending James, much like they were in Game 2 when LeBron was just 7 of 25 from the field.  Washington must force the Cavs' supporting cast to beat them.  In addition, they'll need more consistent outputs from Jamison and Caron Butler to coincide with the 30 ppg that Arenas brings to the table.

Overview:  Tonight's Game 4 (which is 14 minutes from tip-off as I write this) will go a long way in deciding this series.  A Wizards' win ties it at two and gives Washington the momentum and confidence needed to pull off the minor upset.  They've already proven they can beat the Cavs in Cleveland so that shouldn't present a problem for them.  However, a Cavs win tonight will bury Washington in a deep hole that will be virtually impossible to climb out of - having to win three straight and two of the three on the road. 

Much like New Jersey in their next game, it will be vital for Washington to get off to a quick start tonight and allow their fans to have an impact on the playoff-deprived Cavaliers.  Otherwise, they'll likely leave it up to fate in the final seconds with the ball in the hands of the confident, young mega-star who did them in just two nights ago.

Here's how I see these first round matchups ending up:

Detroit over Milwaukee (4-1)

Miami over Chicago (4-3)

New Jersey over Indiana (4-3)

Cleveland over Washington (4-2)

Yeah, I know ... I didn't really go out on a limb there, did I?  But don't fret, there will be plenty of opening round upsets in the West ... well, at least one. 

Kobe, I take everything I said about you three months ago back!  You are indeed - the MAN!