(AP) - Capsule preview of the conference semifinals that begin Monday (Tuesday, Manila time):
No. 2 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (51-31, 4-0) vs. No. 3 TORONTO RAPTORS (51-31, 4-2)
Season series: Cavaliers, 3-1.
Story line: Rematch of last season's Eastern Conference finals, won by Cleveland in six games. The Cavaliers then beat the Raptors three more times in the first six weeks of this season before Toronto won on the final night with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love all sitting out.
Key matchup: James vs. Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker. Toronto acquired the defensive-minded forwards during the regular season but they didn't have much success stopping Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first round. Antetokounmpo is good. James, who averaged a spectacular 32.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 9.0 assists in a first-round sweep of Indiana, is better.
Prediction: Cavaliers in 7.
No. 2 SAN ANTONIO SPURS (61-21, 4-2) vs. No. 3 HOUSTON ROCKETS (55-27, 4-1)
Season series: Spurs, 3-1.
Story line: Houston goes from the spectacular Russell Westbrook to the sturdy Spurs in the first postseason matchup between the division and Texas rivals since 1995. San Antonio limited the record-setting Rockets to 29.2 percent shooting from 3-point range in a four-game season series in which the Spurs won by two, two and six.
Key Matchup: Kawhi Leonard vs. James Harden. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called Leonard the best player in the league right now and it certainly would've been hard to argue after San Antonio's 112-110 victory on March 6, when Leonard made the go-ahead 3-pointer and then blocked Harden's shot in one of the signature sequences of the NBA season. He spearheaded a defensive effort that limited Harden to 29.4 percent shooting behind the arc in the season series.
Prediction: Spurs in 7.