The Eastern Conference Playoffs Are All About Grudge Matches FiveThirtyEight’s NBA podcast asks why some of the top seeds in the East are on the ropes.

Welcome to The Lab, FiveThirtyEight’s basketball podcast. On Monday’s show (April 23, 2018), Neil and Kyle discuss three tight series in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Toronto, Boston and Cleveland are each tied 2-2 against their lower-seeded opponents — how much trouble are the favored teams in?

The Lab will be back with another episode later this week. In the meantime, keep an eye on FiveThirtyEight’s NBA predictions, which are updated after every game.