NBA Playoff Bracket 2018: Warriors vs. Rockets, Cavs vs. Celtics Odds, Schedule
And then there were four.
The 2018 NBA postseason is halfway through its four-round schedule, with only the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics left standing. The on-paper potential for drama is through the roof as the conference finalists fight for the two openings in the championship round.
With a three-day layoff between this round and the last, the hunger for hoops is causing stomachs to growl across the basketball landscape. But the Cavs and Celtics will start to answer that demand during Sunday's opener, while the Warriors-Rockets series tips one night later.
After examining the latest odds, courtesy of OddsShark, and laying out the upcoming schedule, we'll dig deeper into both of the upcoming matchups.
2018 NBA Championship Odds
Golden State Warriors -150
Houston Rockets +240
Cleveland Cavaliers +550
Boston Celtics +1600
2018 NBA Conference Finals Schedule
Eastern Conference
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 1—Sunday, May 13: Cavaliers at Celtics, 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Game 2—Tuesday, May 15: Cavaliers at Celtics, 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 3—Saturday, May 19: Celtics at Cavaliers, 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 4—Monday, May 21: Celtics at Cavaliers, 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 5*—Wednesday, May 23: Cavaliers at Celtics, 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 6*—Friday, May 25: Celtics at Cavaliers, 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 7*—Sunday, May 27: Cavaliers at Celtics, 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Western Conference
No. 1 Houston Rockets vs. No. 2 Golden State Warriors
Game 1—Monday, May 14: Warriors at Rockets, 9 p.m. ET on TNT
Game 2—Wednesday, May 16: Warriors at Rockets, 9 p.m. ET on TNT
Game 3—Sunday, May 20: Rockets at Warriors, 8 p.m. ET on TNT
Game 4—Tuesday, May 22: Rockets at Warriors, 9 p.m. ET on TNT
Game 5*—Thursday, May 24: Warriors at Rockets, 9 p.m. ET on TNT
Game 6*—Saturday, May 26: Rockets at Warriors, 9 p.m. ET on TNT
Game 7*—Monday, May 28: Warriors at Rockets, 9 p.m. ET on TNT
*—if necessary
2018 NBA Conference Finals Previews
Celtics vs. Cavaliers
If not for the names on the front of the jerseys, it would be hard to remember these same teams squared off in this same round just one year ago. Those Celtics had Isaiah Thomas doing the heaviest lifting on offense. Those Cavaliers had Kyrie Irving around to help LeBron James carry the scoring load.
This might be a rematch on paper, but it's an entirely different matchup in practice.
The Cavs were pushed to the brink by the Indiana Pacers in the first round before rallying for a season-saving 105-101 Game 7 victory. But they made quick work of the Toronto Raptors in the semis with a 4-0 sweep that seemingly cost former Raptors skipper Dwane Casey his job.
The Celtics showed similar round-by-round improvement. They also went the distance in their playoff opener against the Milwaukee Bucks before dispatching the upstart Philadelphia 76ers in five games.
Boston boasts one of the best defenses LeBron James has seen during his eight straight trips to the ECF. The Celtics surrendered a league-leading 101.5 points per 100 possessions in the regular season and are littered with the agile, athletic and versatile stoppers needed to silence modern attacks.
"Defensively Boston is elite," Kyle Korver said, per Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor. "They're really good. They're always in the right spot. They have a great game plan. They've got guys that have a high IQ on the defensive end and guys that just mix it up."
Whether the Celtics have a LeBron stopper—does anyone?—is a question worth asking. But Boston twice held Cleveland to 102 points or fewer in the regular season, well below its per-game average of 110.9.
The Shamrocks could roll the dice on focusing on James' supporting cast instead of selling out on trying to contain him. Given the groove he's in—postseason averages of 34.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists—it seems likely he'll get his numbers regardless of the strategy deployed against him.
"Physically, he is more superior than any guy that is on the floor," Jaylen Brown said, per Tom Withers of the Associated Press. "He's 260-plus pounds. Can run like a gazelle. Athletic. He's physical. He's just unstoppable."
For the Celtics to have a shot in this series, they'll need their youngsters to keep producing like seasoned veterans. Brown (16.9 points on 48.7 percent shooting), Jayson Tatum (18.8 on 45.9) and Terry Rozier (18.2 on 42.3) are all helping offset the losses of Irving (knee surgery) and Gordon Hayward (fractured tibia and dislocated ankle).
But James is tough to handle at full strength; he hasn't fallen short of the Finals since 2010. Boston actually sent him packing back then, but that squad had more firepower and fewer injuries than this one.
Rockets vs. Warriors
This is supposed to be the Finals appetizer, but doesn't it feel a lot more like the main course?
If this season has taught us anything, it's that Houston and Golden State are the strongest two teams in the field. The Rockets had the regular season's highest net efficiency (plus-8.5), while the Warriors finished a close second (plus-8.0). The only thing that's changed in the playoffs is the order at the top—Golden State is No. 1 (plus-9.5) and Houston is right behind (plus-9.0).
"The Rockets and Warriors are the Association's best teams," Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal wrote. "They're playing the real Finals, even if they're technically competing for the right to gain entry into the actual Finals."
Houston, of course, has prepared for this moment. In fact, it's been the driving force behind every decision the franchise makes.
"It's the only thing we think about," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told ESPN Radio in December. "I think I'm not supposed to say that, but we're basically obsessed with 'How do we beat the Warriors?'"
Only one team has figured out how to do that over the previous three postseasons. And it not only employed LeBron, it also benefitted from a suspension to Draymond Green and facing a less-than-100-percent Stephen Curry.
Houston, though, has some intriguing assets for this series.
It starts with James Harden and Chris Paul, perhaps the most lethal one-two point-guard punch in NBA history. But it also includes a bevy of three-point shooters—the Rockets hit a record 1,256 triples this season—and a small army of long-limbed, shapeshifting defenders.
Then again, Golden State might have the strongest quintet ever assembled. The Hamptons Five lineup of Curry, Green, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala has steamrolled postseason opponents by 40.9 points per 100 possessions across 54 minutes.
Oh, and this group has sufficient championship experience—plus the jewelry to prove it.
"I like where we are," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "Our guys have rings. That's a good position to be in."
It's hard to tell if Houston has a legitimate shot of dethroning Golden State or just the best chance of a field struggling to contend with a collection of four in-prime All-Stars.
The Warriors feel like the smart pick until proved otherwise. As long as Curry is at or near 100 percent—he recently missed more than a month due to an MCL sprain—the Warriors might have too many offensive weapons for any team to handle.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from Basketball Reference or NBA.com.
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