First-round success means something different for all 16 teams

— -- Every team in the NBA playoffs would love to hold the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June. But let's face it: In a league where 32 games separated the top seed from the 8-seed in the West, and where the top seed was 13 games better than the 8-seed in the East, some teams aren't necessarily playing for the same thing.

With that in mind, we asked our 16 writers to answer: What does first-round success look like for each team in the 2016 playoffs?

Western Conference

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics (No. 5 seed)

From the start of the 2015-16 season, Celtics players said their primary goal was to build off what they accomplished last season. That meant getting back to the playoffs and -- after getting swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers last year -- being more competitive in the opening round of the playoffs. Winning 48 games is a nice step, but showing that Brad Stevens and this young core can be competitive in the postseason would absolutely help Boston's cause when free agency opens in July (the pitch to a star: Imagine what's possible with you as the centerpiece of this team). And if Boston bows early, there's always the silver lining of that Brooklyn pick that will have a 15.6 percent chance at being No. 1 overall and a 46.9 percent chance of being top 3. -- Chris Forsberg