NBA Playoffs 2015: Full Round 2 Postseason Schedule and Championship Outlook
As if the first round lacked at all in the entertainment department, the 2015 NBA playoffs are heating up even more as the second round of play is nearly in full swing.
Half of the Round 2 affairs already began over the weekend. The championship-favorite Golden State Warriors surprised nobody by topping the Mike Conley-less Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 on Sunday. As for the Washington Wizards, they had no desire to start with a road loss, beating the Atlanta Hawks with a dominant second half.
That's only half of the action, as the Cleveland Cavaliers open up their series with the Chicago Bulls before the Los Angeles Clippers make a quick turnaround to start their Round 2 series against the Houston Rockets on Monday night.
Let's run down everything to know regarding the second round and the latest championship outlook.
Latest 2015 NBA Playoff Round 2 Schedule
| Game 2 (at Golden State) | Tuesday, May 5 at 10:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Game 3 (at Memphis) | Saturday, May 9 at 8 p.m. | ABC |
| Game 4 (at Memphis) | Monday, May 11 at 9:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Game 5* (at Golden State) | Wednesday, May 13, TBD | TNT |
| Game 6* (at Memphis) | Friday, May 15, TBD | ESPN |
| Game 7* (at Golden State) | Sunday, May 17, TBD | TBD |
| Game 1 (at Cleveland) | Monday, May 4 at 7 p.m. | TNT |
| Game 2 (at Cleveland) | Wednesday, May 6 at 7 p.m. | TBA |
| Game 3 (at Chicago) | Friday, May 8, TBD | ESPN |
| Game 4 (at Chicago) | Sunday, May 10 at 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Game 5* (at Cleveland) | Tuesday, May 12, TBD | TNT |
| Game 6* (at Chicago) | Thursday, May 14, TBD | ESPN |
| Game 7* (at Cleveland) | Sunday, May 17, TBD | TNT |
| Game 2 (at Atlanta) | Tuesday, May 5 at 8 p.m. | TNT |
| Game 3 (at Washington) | Saturday, May 9 at 5 p.m. | ESPN |
| Game 4 (at Washington) | Monday, May 11 at 7 p.m. | TNT |
| Game 5* (at Atlanta) | Wednesday, May 13, TBD | TNT |
| Game 6* (at Washington) | Friday, May 15, TBD | ESPN |
| Game 7* (at Atlanta) | Monday, May 18 at 8 p.m. | TNT |
| Game 1 (at Houston) | Monday, May 4 at 9:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Game 2 (at Houston) | Wednesday, May 6 at 9:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Game 3 (at Los Angeles) | Friday, May 8 at 10:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Game 4 (at Los Angeles) | Sunday, May 10 at 8:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Game 5* (at Houston) | Tuesday, May 12, TBD | TNT |
| Game 6* (at Los Angeles) | Thursday, May 14, TBD | ESPN |
| Game 7* (at Houston) | Sunday, May 17, TBD | TBD |
Western Conference
There's going to be a new top dog out West, not to mention the entire NBA.
After the San Antonio Spurs' shocking Game 7 loss on Saturday night to the Los Angeles Clippers, we are guaranteed to see a new NBA champion crowned come late June. Moreover, the team representing the West in the NBA Finals will be one that hasn't been there in quite some time.
With the Spurs and Dallas Mavericks being ousted in Round 1, the West will boast a representative in the Finals not seen in the last 20 yearsโeven longer than that if the Rockets do not make it.
Honestly, though, that could have been easily forecast weeksโmaybe monthsโago given how the Golden State Warriors are shredding opponents.
Coming off a first-round sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans, the Warriors stepped up to the task in Game 1 against the ultra-physical Memphis Grizzlies. Even playing far from their best basketball, the Warriors are still winning comfortably:
"Golden State really struggled with controlling the pace and flow in Round 1, but they still, you know, swept them
โ Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 30, 2015"
Grizzlies point guard Conley missed Game 1 with a facial injury after trying to give it a go in warm-ups. According to WMCactionnews5.com's Jarvis Greer and Carrie Anderson, he hopes to return in Game 2. With that said, even his return would do little to limit a Golden State team that shoots hot from all five positions.ย
If Golden State is truly going to be tested en route to the Finals, the challenge will more than likely come from its opponent in the conference finals. And those hopeful opponents have more than enough on their plates already.
Coming off that emphatic buzzer-beating win over the Spurs, the Clippers are reeling with Chris Paul as a game-time decision with his strained hamstring, perย Los Angeles Times' Ben Bolch.
With hardly any effective guards on the roster beyond Paul, it's hard to see the Clippers standing strong against a Houston Rockets team with James Harden in the backcourt.
At the very least, a battle of frontcourt heavyweights is in store, as finally healthy Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan figure to battle in the postโif Jordan can hit enough free throws to stay on the floor, that is. That prize fight will loom large in deciding who gets to face the West's top seed in the next round.
Eastern Conference
In an Eastern Conference playoff that has gone pretty much followed expectations thus far, the one team not expected to be here is making all the noise so far in Round 2.
The Washington Wizards were the road team in a Round 1 series with the Toronto Raptors that many expected to go the distance. Instead, they swept the Raptors in embarrassing fashion.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks were busy struggling in a six-game series with eighth-seeded Brooklyn. The Hawks got back to their insane ball movement and unselfish ways to win that series, but it all went flying out of the window in Game 1 against the Wizards.
Behind incredible second-half performances from guaradsย John Wall and Bradley Beal, Washington stole Game 1 in Atlanta. Injuries during that win threatened to cast a dark cloud, but neither of the Wizards stars expect to miss any time, asย The Washington Post's Jorge Castillo reported:
The Hawks have already overcme plenty of adversity in the postseason, but dealing with Beal and Wall is proving to be a headache.
If both are able to stay healthy and effective, Atlanta's incredible regular season may be what we remember the 2014-15 Hawks by in the end, because they won't be getting past these Wizards.
There's no shortage of top-level basketball on that end of the bracket, but the real action lies in the great Central Division battle between two longtime rivals.
OK, perhaps the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers' rivalry only got bitter again the moment LeBron James announced his return to the Cavs. But ever since that moment, both of these organizations have been building toward this series.
The Bulls used the offseason to shore up their depth concerns and land a scoring presence down low in Pau Gasol, and Jimmy Butler's breakout season is not to be overlooked. However, the shadow of another Derrick Rose injury was cast over the franchise late this season, and he's still getting back to his old self.
Despite that, Rose has excelled against the Cavs this season, averaging well over 20 points per game in the three games he's played against them.
Rose may not be aware of that, but his success against Cleveland has been obvious, per Bleacher Report's Ethan J. Skolnick:
If Rose continues to put up those types of numbers, he should do enough to win his one-on-one battle against Kyrie Irvingโwhich will be no simple task.
But for all of Irving's brilliance and breakout games this season, he's not the one to worry about.
The Cavs still have the world's best player, and folks should expect the prideful superstar to want to prove something after the league announcedย Stephen Curry as its 2014-15 MVP, per The Big Lead's Jason McIntyre:
There may be no Kevin Love for the rest of the season in Cleveland, which could be an issue against the Bulls' loaded frontcourt, but it's no secret that the Cavs' success has hinged upon James, Irving and a cast of role players much more so than Love.
While he will be missed, his absence doesn't take away from the fact that Cleveland still has more than enough depth to continue winning.
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