NBA Playoff Schedule 2015: TV Guide, Live Stream Coverage for Entire Postseason
The first round of last year’s NBA playoffs was arguably the most exciting in league history, but given the lack of a clear-cut top-tier teams this season, there’s a reasonable chance that the 2015 encore will eclipse its predecessor. Additionally, with four new teams from last year’s postseason, All-Stars such as Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving will be making their debuts on the big stage.
The historically loaded Western Conference in particular figures to become a bloodbath, with legitimate championship contenders such as the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers facing off in the opening round.
In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers may be the clear favorites, but dark horses such as the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls will have opportunities to dethrone LeBron James from his accustomed perch as a conference champion.
Let’s highlight the top storylines of the playoffs and lay out the complete first-round TV schedule and streaming info. Start dates for the entire postseason can be found on the league's official website.
| Sunday, April 19 | (8) Brooklyn Nets at (1) Atlanta Hawks | 5:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Wednesday, April 22 | (8) Brooklyn Nets at (1) Atlanta Hawks | 7 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Saturday, April 25 | (1) Atlanta Hawks at (8) Brooklyn Nets | 3 p.m. | TNT |
| Monday, April 27 | (1) Atlanta Hawks at (8) Brooklyn Nets | TBD | TBD |
| Wednesday, April 29* | (8) Brooklyn Nets at (1) Atlanta Hawks | TBD | TBD |
| Friday, May 1* | (1) Atlanta Hawks at (8) Brooklyn Nets | TBD | TBD |
| Sunday, May 3* | (8) Brooklyn Nets at (1) Atlanta Hawks | TBD | TBD |
| Sunday, April 19 | (7) Boston Celtics at (2) Cleveland Cavaliers | 3 p.m. | TV |
| Tuesday, April 21 | (7) Boston Celtics at (2) Cleveland Cavaliers | 7 p.m. | ABC |
| Thursday, April 23 | (2) Cleveland Cavaliers at (7) Boston Celtics | 7 p.m. | TNT |
| Sunday, April 26 | (2) Cleveland Cavaliers at (7) Boston Celtics | 1 p.m. | TNT |
| Tuesday, April 28 * | (7) Boston Celtics at (2) Cleveland Cavaliers | TBD | ABC |
| Thursday, April 30 * | (2) Cleveland Cavaliers at (7) Boston Celtics | TBD | TBD |
| Saturday, May 2 * | (7) Boston Celtics at (2) Cleveland Cavaliers | TBD | TNT |
| Saturday, April 18 | (6) Milwaukee Bucks at (3) Chicago Bulls | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Monday, April 20 | (6) Milwaukee Bucks at (3) Chicago Bulls | 8 p.m. | TNT |
| Thursday, April 23 | (3) Chicago Bulls at (6) Milwaukee Bucks | 8 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Saturday, April 25 | (3) Chicago Bulls at (6) Milwaukee Bucks | 5:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Monday, April 27* | (6) Milwaukee Bucks at (3) Chicago Bulls | TBD | TBD |
| Thursday, April 30* | (3) Chicago Bulls at (6) Milwaukee Bucks | TBD | TBD |
| Saturday, May 2* | (6) Milwaukee Bucks at (3) Chicago Bulls | TBD | TNT |
| Saturday, April 18 | (5) Washington Wizards at (4) Toronto Raptors | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Tuesday, April 21 | (5) Washington Wizards at (4) Toronto Raptors | 8 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Friday, April 24 | (4) Toronto Raptors at (5) Washington Wizards | 8 p.m. | ESPN 2 |
| Sunday, April 26 | (4) Toronto Raptors at (5) Washington Wizards | 7 p.m. | TNT |
| Wednesday, April 29* | (5) Washington Wizards at (4) Toronto Raptors | TBD | TBD |
| Friday, May 1* | (4) Toronto Raptors at (5) Washington Wizards | TBD | TBD |
| Sunday, May 3* | (5) Washington Wizards at (4) Toronto Raptors | TBD | TBD |
| Saturday, April 18 | (8) New Orleans Pelicans at (1) Golden State Warriors | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Monday, April 20 | (8) New Orleans Pelicans at (1) Golden State Warriors | 10:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Thursday, April 23 | (1) Golden State Warriors at (8) New Orleans Pelicans | 9:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Saturday, April 25 | (1) Golden State Warriors at (8) New Orleans Pelicans | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Tuesday, April 28* | (8) New Orleans Pelicans at (1) Golden State Warriors | TBD | TBD |
| Friday, May 1* | (1) Golden State Warriors at (8) New Orleans Pelicans | TBD | TBD |
| Sunday, May 3* | (8) New Orleans Pelicans at (1) Golden State Warriors | TBD | TBD |
| Saturday, April 18 | (7) Dallas Mavericks at (2) Houston Rockets | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Tuesday, April 21 | (7) Dallas Mavericks at (2) Houston Rockets | 9:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Friday, April 24 | (2) Houston Rockets at (7) Dallas Mavericks | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sunday, April 26 | (2) Houston Rockets at (7) Dallas Mavericks | 9:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Tuesday, April 28* | (7) Dallas Mavericks at (2) Houston Rockets | TBD | TBD |
| Thursday, April 30* | (2) Houston Rockets at (7) Dallas Mavericks | TBD | TBD |
| Saturday, May 2* | (7) Dallas Mavericks at (2) Houston Rockets | TBD | TNT |
| Sunday, April 19 | (6) San Antonio Spurs at (3) Los Angeles Clippers | 10:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Wednesday, April 22 | (6) San Antonio Spurs at (3) Los Angeles Clippers | 10:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Friday, April 24 | (3) Los Angeles Clippers at (6) San Antonio Spurs | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sunday, April 26 | (3) Los Angeles Clippers at (6) San Antonio Spurs | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Tuesday, April 28* | (6) San Antonio Spurs at (3) Los Angeles Clippers | TBD | TBD |
| Thursday, April 30* | (3) Los Angeles Clippers at (6) San Antonio Spurs | TBD | TBD |
| Saturday, May 2* | (6) San Antonio Spurs at (3) Los Angeles Clippers | TBD | TNT |
| Sunday, April 19 | (4) Portland Trail Blazers at (5) Memphis Grizzlies | 8 p.m. | TNT |
| Wednesday, April 22 | (4) Portland Trail Blazers at (5) Memphis Grizzlies | 8 p.m. | TNT |
| Saturday, April 25 | (5) Memphis Grizzlies at (4) Portland Trail Blazers | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Monday, April 27 | (5) Memphis Grizzlies at (4) Portland Trail Blazers | 10:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Wednesday, April 29* | (4) Portland Trail Blazers at (5) Memphis Grizzlies | TBD | TBD |
| Friday, May 1* | (5) Memphis Grizzlies at (4) Portland Trail Blazers | TBD | TBD |
| Sunday, May 3* | (4) Portland Trail Blazers at (5) Memphis Grizzlies | TBD | TBD |
Top 1st-Round Storylines
Spurs vs. Clippers
San Antonio made a huge late-season push after sitting in the No. 7 slot for most of the regular season, winning 21 of their final 25 games. However, starting the postseason on the road is surely a disappointment for Gregg Popovich’s crew, which was in position to earn the second seed on the final night, only to lose its finale against New Orleans.
Now, the defending champs will play a Clippers squad that seems to have reached a point of no return. Though Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and head coach Doc Rivers have led the once-moribund franchise into its greatest era of prosperity, the Clippers still have not advanced past the second round with this core. Even with home-court advantage off the heels of a successful 56-26 campaign, ESPN's metrics still see the Clips as an underdog:
However, one advantage for Los Angeles is its imposing frontcourt tandem of Griffin and Jordan, which possesses far more athleticism and length than the Spurs forwards. As such, ESPN's Amin Elhassan suggests that San Antonio will go small with a floor-stretching four and hope they can hold up on the boards or get Jordan in foul trouble:
"Much of Los Angeles' defensive competence is hinged on Jordan's presence on the floor as a rebounder and shot-blocker, so it makes sense for San Antonio to take him out of the equation.
By spreading the floor and pushing tempo, the Spurs can negate the Clippers' size advantage, forcing Jordan to guard a player with immense playmaking ability like Boris Diaw, who could wear him out, get him in foul trouble or simply expose his unwillingness to stray from the painted area.
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Indeed, if the Spurs can force L.A.'s stars into uncomfortable situations, Rivers will have a difficult time matching San Antonio's bench depth. The Clippers' starting five boasts as much star power as any in the league, but this series will require those starters to sustain productivity against waves of ball-handling and shooting from the Spurs.
Legitimacy of Top Seeds
It's safe to say that no one would have predicted the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks to be the two best teams in the league. The Dubs and Hawks ran away with their respective conferences, clinching the top seed and cruising through the final month of the regular season. However, neither has made it past the second round with its current core, let alone won a championship.
Of the two, Golden State looks like the surer bet. Odds Shark actually has the Warriors as the championship favorite—which differs from some other places, as we'll see—after an NBA-best 67-15 campaign.
With a whopping plus-10.1 average margin of victory, the Dubs are just one of 10 teams in league history with at least 67 wins and a double-digit per-game point margin. Seven of the previous nine teams won the title:
Atlanta is a trickier case. The Hawks were seven games clear of the rest of the East at 60-22, but based on Basketball-Reference.com's Simple Rating System (SRS), Atlanta held a very narrow edge over Cleveland, which didn't even find its footing until after the All-Star Break.
Indeed, despite an uber-efficient offense that ranked sixth in points per 100 possessions this season, SB Nation's Mike Prada suggests that the Hawks could find scoring more difficult in the postseason:
"There's also a school of thought that the Hawks' offense won't be as effective in the playoffs because teams have more time to scout their system. Teams with similar-sized wings have switched different players onto Korver as he runs off screens, lessening his impact. The Hawks have multiple potential 'go-to guys' in late-game situations, but Teague in particular can be pressured into poor decisions.
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Coupled with a rotation-heavy defensive system that relies on turnovers, there's a risk that sound ball-handling teams with shot creators could take down Atlanta. For that reason, the Hawks enter the postseason as underdogs to another team in their own conference.
Cavs the Favorites?
ESPN's David Purdum noted that Cleveland opened the postseason as the 9-4 favorite to win the title, a reflection of the perception that LeBron James and co. have essentially evolved into a different team since their early-season chemistry issues. Looking at the season in 41-game splits, the Cavs have been a totally different squad in terms of per-possession efficiency:
| First 41 Games | 109.9 | 6 | 109.9 | 26 |
| Second 41 Games | 113.9 | 1 | 104.3 | 11 |
Indeed, that second-half offensive rating would have led the league by 1.5 points if Cleveland had sustained it over 82 games. With enviable spacing due to its cavalcade of bench shooters, there's ample room for James and Irving, two of the best iso players in the world, to wreak havoc on opposing defenses.
Unlike last season, when the Miami Heat's offense sputtered after Kawhi Leonard stifled LeBron in the NBA Finals, this Cavs squad possesses enough scoring depth to overcome any individual defensive matchup.
However, projections from the likes of FiveThirtyEight still see the Cavs as big underdogs to the Warriors in the big picture despite Golden State's significantly more difficult path to the NBA Finals. In truth, their championship hopes rest precariously on the shoulders of Timofey Mozgov, as the aforementioned Prada opines:
"Each member of Cleveland's Big 3 is important (yes, even Kevin Love), but did you know Timofey Mozgov actually has Cleveland's highest on-court rating? The Cavaliers outscore opponents by more than 11 points per 100 possessions when Mozgov is in the game, which is higher than James (+9.8), Love (+6.6) and Irving (+6.5). Cleveland is still a good team (+2.8) with Mozgov out, but becomes a juggernaut when he's in.
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Mozgov may not be as crucial against a smaller spacing-based team such as the Warriors or Rockets, but versus teams with a bruising frontcourt such as Chicago, the 28-year-old becomes indispensable. Though David Blatt was able to keep Mozgov's minutes relatively consistent in the mid-20s, expect that to shoot up by as much as 10 minutes per game if the Cavs run into Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol.
Ultimately, the Cavs are the clear top dogs in the East and might actually get a tougher matchup from Chicago in the semis than the Hawks in the conference finals if they reach that point. However, this is still an incomplete team relying on a couple of incandescent talents to hide those weaknesses.
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