LeBron James is on pace to face the Miami Heat in what would be the most anticipated first-round NBA playoff series ever

With about 25 games remaining in the NBA's regular season, what is just a whisper right now is going to grow into a loud roar if things keep going at their current pace.

There is an excellent chance LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will face the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

If the season ended today, the Cavs would actually be the 4-seed and would face the Washington Wizards and the Heat would be the 7-seed and face the Toronto Raptors.

But the season does not end today and the Cavs are red hot.

Over their last 18 games, the Cavs are 16-2. During the same stretch, the two teams ahead of Cleveland in the standings, the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors, are 10-8 and 11-7 respectively. What was a 7.5-game gap between the Raptors and the Cavs is suddenly just 2.5 games.

Of course, the Heat also need to stay ahead of the five teams on their tail and any potential match-up between the Cavs and Miami and would be muted by the loss of Chris Bosh who will miss the rest of the season while being treated for blood clots in his lungs.

But seven months after James left the Heat to return home, Commissioner Adam Silver and the playoff networks, ESPN and TNT, must be licking their lips.