NBA Playoffs 2015: Latest Scores, Round 2 Bracket and Upcoming Schedule
2015 NBA playoffs action moves forward into a pair of Game 6s Thursday night, as two teams attempt to punch the first tickets to the conference finals round.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be first up, aiming to take the series in Chicago against the Bulls. LeBron James and Co. are riding high off of two straight victories in a series that has produced numerous down-to-the-wire finishes, but the Bulls will return a key contributor with their season on the line.
Late theatrics haven't followed in the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets series, in which four of the five games have been decided by 16 points or more. The Clippers initially had Houston on the ropes, but they are one defeat away from a Game 7 on the road.
Take a look at the full updated NBA playoff schedule below.
2015 NBA Playoffs: Round 2
| Game 1 | Warriors win 101-86 | - |
| Game 2 | Grizzlies win 97-90 | - |
| Game 3 | Grizzlies win 99-89 | - |
| Game 4 | Warriors win 101-84 | - |
| Game 5 | Warriors win 98-78 | - |
| Game 6 (at Memphis) | Friday, May 15 at 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Game 7* (at Golden State) | Sunday, May 17, TBD | TBD |
| Game 1 | Bulls win 99-92 | - |
| Game 2 | Cavaliers win 106-91 | - |
| Game 3 | Bulls win 99-96 | - |
| Game 4 | Cavaliers win 86-84 | - |
| Game 5 | Cavaliers win 106-101 | - |
| Game 6 (at Chicago) | Thursday, May 14 at 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Game 7* (at Cleveland) | Sunday, May 17, TBD | TNT |
| Game 1 | Wizards win 104-98 | - |
| Game 2 | Hawks win 106-90 | - |
| Game 3 | Wizards win 103-101 | - |
| Game 4 | Hawks win 106-101 | - |
| Game 5 | Hawks win 82-81 | - |
| Game 6 (at Washington) | Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Game 7* (at Atlanta) | Monday, May 18 at 8 p.m. | TNT |
| Game 1 | Clippers win 117-101 | - |
| Game 2 | Rockets win 115-109 | - |
| Game 3 | Clippers win 124-99 | - |
| Game 4 | Clippers win 128-95 | - |
| Game 5 | Rockets win 124-103 | - |
| Game 6 (at Los Angeles) | Thursday, May 14 at 10:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Game 7* (at Houston) | Sunday, May 17, TBD | TBD |
Game 6 to Watch: Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls
Having LeBron James can make up for a lot of deficiencies. More than anything else, that phenomena is why the Bulls head back to United Center playing for their season in Game 6.
One basket away from going down 3-1 in the series, James took it upon himself to lead his team back level in Game 4 with his buzzer-beating shot from the corner over Jimmy Butler. One 38-point, zero-turnover performance in Game 5 later, his Cavaliers are one game away from slipping past their rival team that had them on the ropes just days ago.
They lost Kevin Love before the series even started, and Kyrie Irving has been far from his spectacular self with nagging leg injuries. But James has willed his team into this position, and now it's time for the Bulls to answer—or face the music.
Amid the King's greatness, it's impossible to ignore the impact that losing Pau Gasol for Games 4 and 5 has had on Chicago's offense. Fortunately for the Bulls, he guaranteed himself a go for Game 6, per Bleacher Report's Ethan J. Skolnick:
Struggles from Nikola Mirotic and Joakim Noah in the post are bubbling to the surface more than ever, as Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov continue to assert their dominance. They are lacking that scoring option Gasol brings, showcased in his 21-point, 10-of-16 performance in a Game 1 victory.
Having Gasol back will inevitably jump-start the offense, but the point guard battle between Derrick Rose and Irving was where the Bulls initially took control of this series. For the first time all series in Game 5, Irving outplayed Rose with 25 points—looking much more spry than in previous games.
A bounce-back effort with the season on the line should be expected from both Rose and Butler as they return to United Center, but will it carry over to the rest of the team? As K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune noted from Game 5, the jury is still out on the Bulls offense:
To be frank, Rose has returned to the superstar level needed to take Chicago to the promised land and Butler is doing the same. But for some reason, the rest of the roster, which carried the Bulls throughout Rose's injury-plagued seasons, hasn't been able to follow suit and match the intensity of Cleveland down the stretch of games.
There's solace to take in the fact that Rose is back, but you won't find many people clamoring about that in the Windy City if the Bulls' season ends Thursday night.
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