NBA Playoffs 2015: Conference Finals TV Schedule and Storylines to Follow
The dust has finally settled from a dicey start to the 2015 NBA playoffs, and only the two top seeds in each conference are left standing in a battle for the right to advance to the NBA Finals.
The regular-season dominance of the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks—the only two teams to surpass 60 wins—has shone through as both top seeds host foes to start Round 3. However, the Hawks and Warriors have both been taken to six games already in this postseason and face their toughest challenges yet.
The individual star power will be there as well, with three of the top four MVP finalists still vying for a championship. A meeting out West between the MVP winner and runner-up won't be short on storylines.
With that all said, let's take a closer look at the next round.
2015 NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals
| 1 | Wed., May 20 | Cleveland at Atlanta | 8:30 p.m. | TNT |
| 2 | Fri., May 22 | Cleveland at Atlanta | 8:30 p.m. | TNT |
| 3 | Sun., May 24 | Atlanta at Cleveland | 8:30 p.m. | TNT |
| 4 | Tues., May 26 | Atlanta at Cleveland | 8:30 p.m. | TNT |
| 5* | Thu., May 28 | Cleveland at Atlanta | 8:30 p.m. | TNT |
| 6* | Sat., May 30 | Atlanta at Cleveland | 8:30 p.m. | TNT |
| 7* | Mon., June 1 | Cleveland at Atlanta | 8:30 p.m. | TNT |
| 1 | Tues., May 19 | Houston at Golden State | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| 2 | Thu., May 21 | Houston at Golden State | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| 3 | Sat., May 23 | Golden State at Houston | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| 4 | Mon., May 25 | Golden State at Houston | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| 5* | Wed., May 27 | Houston at Golden State | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| 6* | Fri., May 29 | Golden State at Houston | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| 7* | Sun., May 31 | Houston at Golden State | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
Storylines to Watch
The King's Throne—Once Again—in Jeopardy
None of the four teams still alive for the championship have advanced this far since LeBron James carried the Cavaliers in 2008-09. Meanwhile, James is making his fifth consecutive appearance in the Eastern Conference Final and eyes a fifth straight NBA Finals appearance.
But he faces the unlikely phenomena against the Atlanta Hawks of being the underdog, at least in terms of seeding.
The Hawks have long looked like the biggest threat to the Cavs' NBA title pursuit and withstood two six-game tests from Washington and Brooklyn to get here. They've looked far from their usual best in the process, but they are 3-1 this season against Cleveland and can cause tons of problems with their stellar ball movement.
To make matters worse for James, he's going up against a defender who has his number this season, per ESPN's John Buccigross:
In the same mold as Kawhi Leonard, Carroll could pose problems for James, but it doesn't stand to be much tougher than in Round 2. The Bulls' Jimmy Butler bottled up the King remarkably well, until James began finding teammates and eventually wore down Butler.
If James is going to lead his team past this test, he'll need more supporting-cast help. Kevin Love went down for the season, and Kyrie Irving was a non-factor (at least defensively) for most of the Bulls series, but the dynamic duo seems ready for the next challenge, as Fox Sports Ohio's Zac Jackson noted:
Hawks point guard Jeff Teague may be the X-factor, as he can wear down Irving quickly and find space for himself by penetrating and executing a screen-and-roll. But after getting outplayed at times by Ramon Sessions in the conference semifinals, that won't be a simple task for Teague.
When it comes down to it, the LeBron James factor should impact this series enough to give Cleveland the advantage. But if the Cavs don't dig in on defense and get in the face of the Hawks shooters, momentum will swing right back to Atlanta.
Much More than an MVP Thing
As Sunday's Game 7 ended with the Houston Rockets emerging victorious, hopes faded away for a brutally physical series between the rival Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. But what we got in return was no consolation prize.
There's another hotly contested matchup with the Warriors facing the Rockets, but it's an individual one as this year's MVP Stephen Curry faces runner-up James Harden for a spot in the NBA Finals. Even with dying aspirations of Clippers-Warriors, it was hard to be down about the matchup that it produced, as Chris Palmer noted:
The Warriors have a decided edge in the team game, as they have taken the last five meetings against the Rockets. But fireworks should be expected from both of them throughout the series, as ESPN Stats and Info noted:
The individual matchup will be touted and talked about ad nauseam, but that will only be a sliver of what decides who advances onward.
Harden's brilliance carried his Rockets team throughout the regular season, but the playoffs have been a different story. He didn't even play in the fourth quarter of the Rockets' stunning Game 6 comeback in Los Angeles.
Curry has never had to carry the Warriors, although his recent shooting numbers (14-for-26 from three-point range in the last two games) are downright scary. But the two top seeds in a brutal Western Conference didn't get there on the back of one player, and that will be proven throughout this series.
How's it "Goink?"
Phil Jackson's 11 NBA championships are set in stone, as are his principle beliefs of the game. But the times change. Jackson's outlook, well, hasn't.
One of his main gripes has revolved around three-point-shooting teams and their inability to win in the playoffs. He took advantage with the Warriors, Hawks and Rockets all surprisingly down in their series last week, firing out this scorching take:
Jackson's timing was worse than the Lakers' decision to hire Mike D'Antoni over him. On the cusp of sending that fateful tweet, the Warriors started catching fire from deep, and fellow three-point-shooting teams advanced along with them.
In fact, three-point-shooting prowess is the biggest similarity between the teams still left, as Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report noted:
Jackson is arguably the greatest coach in the history of American professional sports, but the game has changed considerably since Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant helped turn him into a legend. The Association is dominated by the perimeter with so many elite guards, and deep-shooting teams are becoming more and more efficient.
As for how it's "goink" in these playoffs, perhaps Jackson should ask the same question of his Knicks as former players Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Pablo Prigioni continue to thrive in the postseason.
