NBA Playoff Schedule 2015: Dates, TV Coverage for Remaining Round 1 Games
The 2015 NBA playoffs are still young, but we've already learned quite a lot about some of the bigger storylines that should swirl around the remaining weeks of the season.
We learned that the San Antonio Spurs like to play Hack-a-Shaq on DeAndre Jordan. We also learned that Rajon Rondo really, really hates Rick Carlisle, according to this tweet from Fox Sports 1. We even learned that the Brooklyn Nets love hanging around with the Atlanta Hawks only to eventually let the game slip away later on.
There are far more stories than just the three above, as is the case with every installment of the NBA playoffs. Since it's still Round 1, the teams to watch are the No. 1 seeds—the Hawks of the Eastern Conference and the Golden State Warriors of the Western Conference.
The two have looked very different in the first two games of their respective series even if both are up 2-0. We'll highlight what's been going on with each team below, and we'll also take a look at the remaining games in Round 1 of the playoffs.
| Sunday, April 19 | (8) Brooklyn Nets at (1) Atlanta Hawks | Hawks, 99-92 | TNT |
| Wednesday, April 22 | (8) Brooklyn Nets at (1) Atlanta Hawks | Hawks, 96-91 | 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 | Cavaliers, 113-100 | TV |
| Tuesday, April 21 | (7) Boston Celtics at (2) Cleveland Cavaliers | Cavaliers, 99-91 | 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 | Bulls, 103-91 | ESPN |
| Monday, April 20 | (6) Milwaukee Bucks at (3) Chicago Bulls | Bulls, 91-82 | 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 | Wizards, 93-86 | ESPN |
| Tuesday, April 21 | (5) Washington Wizards at (4) Toronto Raptors | Wizards, 117-106 | 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 | Warriors, 106-99 | ABC |
| Monday, April 20 | (8) New Orleans Pelicans at (1) Golden State Warriors | Warriors, 97-87 | 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 | Rockets, 118-108 | ESPN |
| Tuesday, April 21 | (7) Dallas Mavericks at (2) Houston Rockets | Rockets, 111-99 | 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 | Clippers, 107-92 | TNT |
| Wednesday, April 22 | (6) San Antonio Spurs at (3) Los Angeles Clippers | Spurs, 111-107 | 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 | Grizzlies, 100-86 | TNT |
| Wednesday, April 22 | (4) Portland Trail Blazers at (5) Memphis Grizzlies | Grizzlies, 97-82 | 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 |
Tracking No. 1 Seeds
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are up 2-0, sure, but we haven't seen the crisp basketball from Atlanta that we did during the regular season. The Nets, who are a far inferior team in nearly every major aspect of the game, have hung around in both Game 1 and Game 2, losing by seven and five, respectively.
Grantland's Zach Lowe tweets that he's also concerned:
Game 2 shouldn't have been as close as it was given a variety of factors, including Nets point guard Deron Williams' incredibly poor play. He has yet to deliver any semblance of legitimate success since joining the Nets, and it looks like he's letting the fans down yet again. Yahoo Sports' Dan Devine writes that it's Williams' fault that Atlanta earned the win in Game 2:
"At the end of the day, though, all the Nets needed in the final minute was a stop and a bucket. Williams gave up one and couldn't secure the other. It's a bummer of a story, but it's one with which Nets fans have become pretty familiar over the past few years."
The Hawks have been a bit sloppy early this postseason. One might attribute it to the classic case of playing down to a far inferior opponent, but let's look at the facts.
Al Horford, despite hitting his first jumper of the night from about 18 feet on Wednesday, finished just 6-of-15 from the floor. He needs to convert at a higher rate for the Hawks to be successful. He's crucial to the team's offensive balance. Of course, the poor shooting is probably a result of the dislocated right pinky he suffered in Game 1, but if he's healthy enough to play, then he shouldn't be a detriment to the team.
Without Horford performing like a force on the interior, Brook Lopez, Miles Plumlee and Thaddeus Young have an easier go of things close to the basket. Lopez is part of the reason why the Nets continue to hang around in games, as he's averaging 18.5 points and 11 rebounds per game in the series.
If Horford can't recover in time to get back to his usual efficiency, then Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroeder need to play light-years better than Williams, Jarrett Jack and Markel Brown—something that shouldn't prove too difficult.
The Hawks don't look good right now, but they'll only get better with time. As Horford gets healthier and the team has time to work out the early-playoff kinks, they'll continue to roll through the Eastern Conference.
They have a difficult road to the NBA Finals, though, as the explosive Cleveland Cavaliers appear to have blocked the path at the moment.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors, on the other hand, have had few problems with the New Orleans Pelicans in Round 1.
Game 1's seven-point victory might have been a little close for comfort, but Game 2's 10-point win was more in line with what we're used to from the Dubs. Even though the game was tied entering the fourth quarter, Golden State completely dominated the final 12 minutes en route to the win.
The key was actually the team's defense, as it held New Orleans to just 37.8 percent from the floor (35 percent from three). Anthony Davis was only 9-of-22 from the field while Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans combined to shoot 13-of-32.
Davis was thought to be the one player capable of taking over a game or two and stealing them from the Warriors in this series, as he's arguably the most talented big man in the NBA. But the Warriors have done well to keep him in check (for the most part) through two games.
It probably has something to do with assistant Alvin Gentry's theory that the team fears no one, as he told SI.com's Ben Golliver:
"We respect every single team in this league, we just don't fear anyone. We worry more about our team and the way we are performing rather than worrying about other teams. Our whole goal is to play to the top of our game, execute the way we're supposed to, we'll take the results of what happens from there. We [relish] the 'favorites' tag. We've earned that spot.
"
Everything is working in Golden State's favor. It's up 2-0 and is now an absurd 41-2 at home on the year (including the playoffs). The defense is clicking, and the offense isn't failing. While the West is tough, it's easy to see why this team is the favorite.
Naturally, a pop culture icon from the 1990s would be proud to watch this team:
Look for the Warriors to steamroll the Pelicans, perhaps being kind and letting them one win game at home along the way.
Kenny DeJohn is a Breaking News Team Featured Columnist. Follow him on Twitter.
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