Basketball fans everywhere, it is almost that time. The painful memories of March Madness are beginning to fade as the 2013 NBA Playoffs are set begin on Sunday, April 21.

Following an action packed season that involved a flurry of winning streaks, unlikely injuries, and dominant performances, the 2013 postseason has arrived and I see no reason to expect anything different than the championship run we witnessed last year by the defending champion Miami Heat.

The Miami Heat will finish the season with a remarkable 66-16 record. Six wins short of the single-season win record set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls team, the defending champs have done a lot since last year to improve their roster in an attempt to repeat as the champions of the basketball world.

Crucial additions such as the NBA’s all-time 3-point shooter Ray Allen, dead-eye shooter Rashard Lewis, and energetic big man Chris “Birdman” Anderson will prove worthy as they compete for another NBA championship.

Winning basketball games for Miami has become so easy that a caveman could do it. Not only do the Miami Heat dictate the outcome of games when the big three are on the court, but the team has dominated and in some instances played statistically better when only one or two of the three kings (Wade, Bosh, James) are off of the court.

The Heat is on. It will undoubtedly be a daunting task to match up with the Miami Heat in the playoffs this year. Honestly, it seems that Miami has been playing with playoff intensity the entire season.

Not to mention that nine year NBA veteran LeBron James will win his fourth Most Valuable Player award. Seriously, 27 game win streaks do not occur often in the NBA. In fact, the only team in history to win more games was the 1971-72 Lakers who won 33 straight. Therefore, it is hard to fathom the 2012-13 Miami Heat team losing 4 out of 7 to any NBA team this year.

The only Eastern Conference franchise that could possibly compete in a series with the “Beatles” is the Knicks of New York. New York, led by NBA scoring champion Carmelo Anthony must exert a great collective effort on both sides of the ball if he and the Knicks plan to beat the Heat.

Lately, Anthony has dominated NBA defenders, averaging just below forty points per game in the month of April.

Team chemistry amongst the Knicks is one of their biggest strengths. Sixth man J.R. Smith has played a major role in the success of the Knickerbockers this year. New York has also displayed versatility and balance by flawlessly adapting as players have been sidelined with injury this season, specifically to defensive anchor Tyson Chandler and offensive big man Amare Stoudmire. New York has mastered the art of the three point shot this season, breaking the single season record for 3-pointers. Overall, it will not be enough to defeat the Heat this year.

Out of the West, expect to see the Oklahoma City Thunder meet the Heat in the NBA finals for the second straight year. OKC has received a lot of criticism for an early season trade that sent the lethal scoring machine James Harden to the Houston Rockets for guard Kevin Martin.

Although the Thunder lost key pieces in the trade, Martin’s scoring as well as the efforts of fourth year big man Serge Ibaka has filled the void. This season, Ibaka matched his highly regarded defensive intensity with a more refined offensive arsenal.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have once again been nothing short of spectacular as both players are in the top ten in scoring this year.

Unfortunately, I expect to see the Thunder sent home after 5 or 6 games with the Heat. Not because they will not play up to their potential, but because many of the Heat’s bad games have still resulted in victories.

Minus Harden, I do not see the Thunder having the fuel to pressure Miami on the defensive end, while still being asked to outscore the likes of James, Wade, Bosh, and Allen on the offensive end. It is just too much to ask.

Truthfully, as a die-hard Lakers fan, it is painful to admit that the Miami Heat franchise has indeed discovered the formula to win multiple championships. It is even more painful to accept the fact that Los Angeles is not in the conversation to compete after Kobe Bryant’s season-ending injury.

But in all seriousness, South Beach is witnessing a Heat team dominate the NBA ranks with unprecedented levels of chemistry, continuity, and charisma.

Expect to see the Miami Heat do a great deal of damage in the playoffs this year. It would come as a great surprise to see the “Heatles” fall to anyone this postseason.

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• Kalyn Hoyle, Word Editor