NBA Playoffs 2015: Saturday TV Schedule, Odds and Bracket Predictions
Game 7 of the series between the Los Angeles Clippers and the defending champion San Antonio Spurs takes center stage on Saturday. It is the only game on the schedule and the only first-round series that extended to a seventh contest.
The third-seeded Clippers have home-court advantage for the game, but that hasn't proven to mean much in this series. The road team has won four of the six games. That includes the Clippers' 102-96 win in San Antonio in Game 6 on Thursday.
Blake Griffin and Co. will look to close things out on Saturday evening. The game gets underway at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised on TNT.
Per Odds Shark, the Clippers are 2.5-point favorites. However, when dealing with a team as experienced as the Spurs, Las Vegas odds nor home-court advantage make much difference. The Clippers must continue to do damage in transition as they did on Thursday to the tune of 30 fast-break points.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers discusses the team's Game 6 win in the video below.
Los Angeles must also take care of the ball. It had just 10 turnovers in the Game 6 win. If the Clippers can do that—especially down the stretch—they will advance to take on the Houston Rockets in the second round.
The rest of the NBA playoff bracket is set. Here's a look at the matchups for the next round with predictions for each series.
| Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards | Washington in 7 |
| Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | Chicago in 6 |
| Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors | Golden State in 7 |
| Houston Rockets vs. L.A. Clippers/San Antonio Spurs | TBD |
Now or Never for the Bulls
The Chicago Bulls couldn't have a more favorable setup for the second round of the playoffs. Sure, they have to go through the best player in the world to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, but LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be without two major weapons for all or part of the series.
Kevin Love will miss the entire postseason with a shoulder injury. J.R. Smith will miss the first two games of the series against the Bulls after being suspended for elbowing Jae Crowder in the Cavs' series-clinching victory over the Boston Celtics.
Even with all of their weapons, the Cavs figured to be tested by a suddenly healthy, talented and deep Bulls team. As Bulls Nation points out, Game 1 of the series on Monday marks the first time Cleveland will face a Bulls team with all of its weapons.
What's more, the Bulls now have established rookie Nikola Mirotic as a viable scoring option late in games. His presence won't allow Cleveland to focus solely on stopping Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler. Adding yet another layer, Pau Gasol's scoring prowess in the low post should also be a major issue for Cleveland.
Chicago showed its potential by destroying the Milwaukee Bucks 120-66 in its closeout win on Thursday night. Yet, it has been inconsistent all year long. This is the series the team has likely been waiting on all season. The motivation should be there in every game.
There's always the LeBron factor and Kyrie Irving is a true star, but you almost have to pick the Bulls in this series.
Style Makes Fight
The top-seeded Golden State Warriors will be well rested when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round. They'll likely need all of their energy when they face the physical and gritty Grizzlies.
Led by MVP-candidate Stephen Curry, Golden State was the highest-scoring team in the NBA during the regular season, but only one team allowed fewer points per game than the Grizzlies. Which style wins out?
While I do believe the Grizzlies will take a lot of the steam out of the Warriors and this series may ultimately cost them an NBA championship, Golden State will win the series as long as Andrew Bogut continues to be an inside presence and stays healthy.
He's the only player the Warriors have with the size to match up with Memphis' beefy frontcourt duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. The Warriors' ability to score points in bunches and their bench production will be the difference.
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