The 2018 NBA playoffs tip off on Saturday, as 16 teams set out on the journey to be the last ones standing, celebrating like madmen and holding the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy come June. We’ll be with you every step of the way, from preview considerations of the key X-factors and the top storylines to watch through game-by-game coverage, all the way through the 2018 NBA Finals.

[NBA Playoffs Bracket Challenge: $1M for the perfect bracket]

Before we start our journey, though, let’s get on the record. Here, for your reading and ranting pleasure, are the series-by-series predictions of the Yahoo Sports NBA team: Michael Lee, Shams Charania, Chris Mannix, Ben Rohrbach and Dan Devine, from the eight first-round matchups through the championship round.

And, because the NBA viewing experience always has been and always will be about more than just who’s holding the trophy at the end, we also drilled from the team level down to the individual, making some predictions about which players might rise and fall over the course of the next two months:

However things end up, you can bet it’s going to be a heck of a ride.

More from Yahoo Sports:
• After scrapping Kaepernick visit, Seahawks sign a QB
• Report: Girl targeted for beaning by youth baseball coaches
• Barack, Michelle Obama’s niece picked in WNBA draft
• OKC broadcaster under fire for ‘offensive’ remark