NBA Playoff Schedule 2016: Known Dates for Each Round of Bracket

Even though the regular season is almost over, the NBA isn't anywhere close to saying farewell.

Once the season ends on Wednesday, hoops fans must brace themselves for another long postseason. Depending on how many games the NBA Finals last, the playoffs could engross two full months before declaring a champion.

No matchups are cemented, so the early schedule remains abstract. The NBA has announced that the postseason starts on Saturday, April 16, with the conference semifinals starting on May 2, the conference finals on May 17 and the NBA Finals tipping off on June 2. Postseason games will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. A full schedule has yet to be determined.

Does Anyone Want the West's No. 8 Seed?

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

In a tepid battle for the Western Conference's No. 8 seed, neither the Utah Jazz nor the Houston Rockets look interested in securing a first-round date with the Golden State Warriors. 

A six-game winning streak has the Dallas Mavericks on the cusp of clinching a playoff berth. One more win and they're in. Since the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers are locked into the No. 2 and 4 seeds, respectively, they have little motivation to battle Dallas at full strength during the final week.

Suddenly the Mavericks are closer to No. 6 than No. 8, pitting polar opposites Utah and Houston against each other for the chance to face the 71-win Warriors. Per CBS Sports' Matt Moore, according to data based on SportsLine's forecast, Golden State holds a 97.33 first-round win probability. 

Maybe that's why the Rockets and Jazz keeping losing. Before the season began, FiveThirtyEight gave the Rockets a 88 percent chance of making the postseason. Their chances have dwindled to 12 percent after two straight losses dropped them to 40-42:

Team	Prob. of Making Playoffs
Dallas Mavericks	99%
Utah Jazz	89%
Houston Rockets	12%

Their past seven games have encapsulated the full 2015-16 Rockets experience. Sure, they bested the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder. They also, however, lost to the 22-58 Phoenix Suns at home.

"It's frustrating," James Harden said after Thursday night's loss, per an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com). "Sums up our season."

Pat Sullivan/Associated Press

Another lapse from the league's No. 22-rated defense puts Houston in jeopardy of following a Western Conference Finals appearance by missing the playoffs altogether. Utah, however, is keeping things interesting.

The Jazz entered Friday night winners of four of their last six, the losses including an overtime defeat to Golden State and a two-point shortcoming against San Antonio. Appreciating Utah's tough path, the basketball gods awarded it a Clippers squad resting Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and J.J. Redick.

The Clippers won anyway. Behind 30 points from Jamal Crawford and 21 points and 18 boards from Cole Aldrich, they escaped with a 102-99 overtime triumph. Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press categorized Utah's blunder as more embarrassing than Houston slipping up against the Suns:

Making matters worse for Utah, Houston holds a tiebreaker and an exploitable schedule. If the Rockets handle all three of their lottery-bound opponents, the Jazz also must win out to fend them off:

Date	Rockets	Jazz
Sun, April 10	vs. Los Angeles Lakers	@ Denver Nuggets
Mon, April 11	@ Minnesota Timberwolves	vs. Dallas Mavericks
Wed, April 13	vs. Sacramento Kings	@ Los Angeles Lakers

Then again, does it matter? Although Utah twice came painfully close, neither team defeated the Warriors this season. Back when the Rockets weren't a mess last spring, they still lost the Western Conference Finals in five games.

One of the Association's biggest teams who play at the slowest pace, the Jazz would pose a stark contrast to Golden State's high-octane attack. The Rockets, on the other hand, would offer more aesthetically pleasing shootouts.

Houston has the star power, but Utah is the up-and-coming team that could morph into a title contender with a potent point guard. Coming up short in close contests would serve the narrative of Utah gaining playoff experience and standing on the precipice of a significant breakout. 

Both are capable of stealing a game against Golden State, but they're merely fighting for a brief postseason cameo.

Note: All advanced stats courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.