As the NBA playoffs move into the conference semifinals, basketball experts are weighing in with their predictions on which teams will advance to the next round. The Boston Celtics, who clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference, await the winner of Sunday's Game 7 between the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the Western Conference, the defending champions Denver Nuggets will kick off their title defense against the Minnesota Timberwolves with Game 1 on Saturday night in Denver. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks, who recently eliminated the LA Clippers, will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder starting next Tuesday.

A panel of NBA experts made their picks for the conference semifinals, with a clear consensus emerging. In the Eastern Conference, all 11 experts unanimously predicted that the New York Knicks will advance. The experts predicted the Knicks to win the series in either six or seven games, indicating a tough battle against their opponent, the Indiana Pacers.

Moving to the Western Conference, the majority of experts favored the Denver Nuggets to prevail in their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Out of the 11 experts, 10 predicted the Nuggets to advance, while only one chose the Timberwolves as the victor. The predictions varied on the exact number of games, ranging from six to seven, highlighting the potential competitiveness of the matchup.

It is worth noting that these predictions reflect the opinions of the experts based on the current information and performance of the teams. However, basketball is an unpredictable sport, and anything can happen once the games are underway.

As the NBA playoffs continue, fans eagerly await the start of these thrilling conference semifinal matchups. Stay tuned for updates on the remaining conference semifinal series predictions, which will be revealed next week.