NBA Playoffs 2015: Wednesday TV Schedule and Semifinal Predictions
The championship picture is beginning to surface with each passing game, as the 2015 NBA playoffs carry on toward more second-round action Wednesday night.
Even though Round 2 is still young, surprises have already hit most of the matchups. Road teams won three of the four Game 1 affairs, with the lone exception being the Golden State Warriors topping the Memphis Grizzlies at home.
But while Game 1 tilting to the road team can begin to define a series, it can instead do the opposite and wake that opponent up. Two home teams enter Wednesday hoping to shake off the disappointment from starting their series off on a sour note, so take a look below at all of the information you will need as well as broader projections for the second-round matchups.
Wednesday, May 6 Schedule
| 7 p.m. | Game 2: Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers | TNT |
| 9:30 p.m. | Game 2: Los Angeles Clippers at Houston Rockets | TNT |
Conference Semifinals Predictions
| Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers | Rockets in 7 |
| Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies | Warriors in 6 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls | Bulls in 7 |
| Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards | Hawks in 6 |
Even without Kevin Love for the rest of the postseason, there remained little reason to believe that the Cleveland Cavaliers were anything other than the favorite in the East. After all, they still have LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, and they were headed into a series against a Chicago Bulls team fresh off of some struggles and still finding their playoff footing.
Then, Game 1 happened. The Bulls brought their best offensively, shredding the Cavs early, and Derrick Rose outplayed Irving in the backcourt to allow Chicago to take home-court advantage in the series.
All too often, Game 1 can be overanalyzed and taken out of context. But in this instance, the Bulls showed they finally have the talent at every position, and perhaps the most important one-on-one matchup—Jimmy Butler against James—is going the way Chicago had hoped early, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info (via ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst):
Even in the loss, James' greatness kept Cleveland close, and his effectiveness bodes well for the Cavs' chances to make this a long series. But unless if Irving can get the best of Rose from here on out, it's hard to see Cleveland doing enough to win four games if the Bulls continue playing at a high level.
The Cavs have been virtually unbeatable at home as of late, but the Bulls are testing that trend, and one more victory on the road would put Cleveland near the brink, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:
Across the way in the East is the Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards, who are mired in a 1-1 series after Atlanta took Game 2. Washington hung around, but it fell victim to a late Hawks surge, and the absence of John Wall loomed large.
Wall was ultra-effective in Game 1 with 12 assists, which hasn't been off of his norm; he's averaging 12.1 helpers in his last 10 games. But unless he is able to return to that level quickly as the series heads to Washington, the Hawks figure to continue finding their groove offensively with each passing game.
As for the West, things have already gotten wild.
The Los Angeles Clippers offered the lone head-turning result from Round 1, dispatching the reigning-champion Spurs in a seven-game thriller and capping it off with Chris Paul's last-second winner. Paul's ensuing absence from Game 1 against the Houston Rockets figured to be a death sentence, before the Clippers shocked the NBA by stealing the series opener.
Paul's status for Wednesday's Game 3 is still up in the air, but Magic Johnson believes the Game 1 result will give Clippers coach Doc Rivers some flexibility he didn't figure to have:
The Clippers' Game 1 performance should be commended, starting with Blake Griffin's second straight triple-double. But it boiled down to the Rockets failing to execute on both sides of the ball more than anything else, and that's sure to change as the series progresses.
LA showed it was the hotter team in Game 1, but momentum can change in an instant in this type of matchup. The advantage still points the Rockets' way, as their deeper roster and star power promises to take over at some point.
In line with the three previously mentioned up-for-grabs series, the Golden State Warriors' second-round bout with the Memphis Grizzlies turned a bit more interesting Tuesday night as the Grizzlies posted a comprehensive Game 2 victory.
Memphis established itself down low in a big way, and Mike Conley's return should pay dividends as the series shifts to Tennessee—but only enough for the Grizzlies to steal one more game. For all of Memphis' successes, Game 2 boiled down to the Warriors' own mistakes, and that will surface with them bouncing back to win in six.
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