NBA Playoff Schedule 2015: TV Start Times, Live Stream Info for Tuesday's Games
There's no time to rest for those keeping up with the 2015 NBA playoffs, as the first round of the postseason continues with Game 2 action.
For the most part, home teams and superior seeds have risen to the top in the opening days of the playoff grind. But many squads on the road have started to figure out how to execute some of their advantages, and a couple of series could end up going the distance.
Will one of Tuesday's three games be part of a seven-game thriller? To make sure you're tuned in to everything, let's take a look at all of the essential information below.
Tuesday, April 21 NBA Playoff Schedule
| 7 p.m. | Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers | TNT | Cavaliers 1-0 |
| 8 p.m. | Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors | NBATV | Wizards 1-0 |
| 9:30 p.m. | Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets | TNT | Rockets 1-0 |
Live Stream: Watch TNT
Game to Watch: Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors (Game 2)
The Toronto Raptors thought they'd seen the last of Paul Pierce.
The Raptors were ousted in an immensely painful first-round exit to the Brooklyn Nets in seven games last season, and Pierce led the charge with a series-saving block in the closing moments. This time, he's back in a different jersey to torch Toronto once again.
More of a role player on this Washington Wizards team with John Wall and Bradley Beal, Pierce still takes on the go-to role, as he did in Game 1—when he scored 20 points in an overtime victory.
Although only 48 minutes have been played, things have already amped up. Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri dropped an expletive prior to Saturday's game for the second straight year, leading to a fine. If the Raptors really want to get back in this series, however, they will have to do so on the court, as Greivis Vasquez told Bleacher Report Radio:
It's not difficult to figure out where the Raptors are struggling so far in this series. As a unit, they shot 38 percent from the floor in Game 1, with only one of five starters in double figures.
Chief among the Raptors' shortcomings was a game to forget for Kyle Lowry, who scored only seven points before fouling out. Meanwhile, Wall and Beal rose to the occasion and took advantage.
The fact that Lowry struggled in the loss to Washington wasn't a coincidence, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post noted:
Similar performances can't be expected from the Raptors' best player in Game 2, nor can it be expected that Lou Williams and DeMar DeRozan will combine for 10-of-36 shooting. With that said, it's what the Wizards are doing defensively that is limiting the Raptors, not anything Toronto isn't doing.
They can take solace in having another game in the raucous Air Canada Centre, where the atmosphere has been electric. The energy helped push them into overtime Saturday, and it could be the difference in Game 2.
But unless the Raptors find a way to wear down Wall and Beal on the defensive end—Beal did play 48 minutes in Game 1—while keeping Pierce from going off, Toronto may not be returning home if it loses Game 2.
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