NBA Playoff Schedule 2016: 1st-Round TV Info and Predictions

These upcoming NBA playoffs have a somewhat different feel to them.

Out in the Eastern Conference, a hodgepodge of names all cling to similar records, and honestly, the top two teams—the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors—have experienced enough hiccups to suggest the bracket won't be as straightforward as it should be.

Then there's the Western Conference, where the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs look downright unstoppable. Yet the former's pursuit of a record and the latter's age at certain spots could leave them vulnerable in a seven-game series against any number of teams, from Oklahoma City to Los Angeles to Portland.

It's not a postseason to miss. Folks can prepare with the Round 1 schedule out in the wild.

NBA 1st-Round Info

The NBA has announced that the postseason will begin on Saturday, April 16. Games will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBATV. A full schedule has yet to be determined.

Predictions

Houston Misses the Boat 

It's only fitting that one of the year's most dysfunctional and disappointing teams misses the postseason boat. 

The Houston Rockets chewed through a head coach early in the season, had to deal with a sluggish James Harden missing most of the summer practices while rehabbing an injury and have been the definition of "inconsistent."

To their credit, the Rockets kept fighting to stay alive in the race Sunday afternoon, besting the Los Angeles Lakers, 130-110. James Harden poured in 40 points, though he needed 31 shot attempts to do so.

Not that Harden doesn't understand his team's predicament. He joked with Kobe Bryant after the game about getting some help in Houston's postseason push, according to ClutchFans:

Still, Houston sits behind both the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz in the conference standings, teams that have both won six of their last 10 games. Both also have rather routine finishes to the season, whereas an erratic Houston team dealing with an upstart Minnesota squad and a dangerous Sacramento one looks rough.

Again, it's fitting it comes down to this for Houston. With Harden, Dwight Howard and others, maybe the Rockets have the potential to pull off a stunner in the playoffs.

The problem remains getting there, which will come to a head in the middle of next week.

Clippers Surprise

Look out for the aforementioned Los Angeles Clippers.

Don't laugh—the Clippers don't get much attention with Golden State and San Antonio running wild, nor does it help that Kevin Durant has Oklahoma City in third place. But this is a team that just got Blake Griffin back and was 8-2 over its last 10 outings entering Sunday.

The two games the Clippers lost in that span were notable. One came on the road against the Warriors, and the other was a two-point loss in Oklahoma City. Otherwise, Chris Paul and Co. have bested Boston and Utah in that span.

With Griffin in the fold and Paul running the point, the Clippers also have elite shooters in J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford, DeAndre Jordan underneath the basket and Paul Pierce as the veteran presence bringing it all together for a serious push.

Nothing about Los Angeles' recent run should come as a surprise. This was supposed to be the year the Clippers put it all together, with Jordan electing to re-up with the team and on and on—but then the Griffin incident popped up. 

Better late than never, though, right? The talent is still there, and it's already showing on the court, even when the team rests its starters, as it did in a recent win against the Jazz. These Clippers will make some serious noise in the first round, whether it's against Memphis or Dallas or another team, and give the top two seeds something to think about. 

Cleveland Figures It Out

The Cavaliers will make it to the Eastern Conference Finals and more. 

It seems like a bad time to make such a prediction, with the Cavaliers having dropped back-to-back games to Indiana and Chicago, after all. But the former was without LeBron James in the lineup, and the latter a loss to a dangerous team on the edge of playoff elimination.

In reality, the Cavaliers are just fine ahead of the postseason, playing more cohesive ball than they have all year over the course of the past couple of weeks. Even James took to the media to celebrate the positive vibes, according to ESPN Cleveland:

And really, Cleveland making the Finals isn't so much about the team figuring it out as it is the level of competition.

Remember last year? Cleveland went 1-3 against the Atlanta Hawks before sweeping them out of the playoffs like a pesky gnat.

Who can stop the Cavaliers this year? A Toronto team that still cannot get out of the first round? An Atlanta team that contemplated blowing it up at the trade deadline? A Boston team that, while amicably built for the future, has zero experience? A Miami Heat team that might not have Chris Bosh?

Please. LeBron can do what he does and take games over. The growing semblance of cohesiveness over the past few weeks helps, too. When push comes to shove in the postseason, as usual, James will have his team bullying opponents down over seven games before advancing.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. Schedule courtesy of Sports Media Watch.