NBA Playoffs 2015: Updated Standings, Conference Finals Schedule and More
The conference finals of the 2015 NBA playoffs are in full swing, with adversity already striking in each of the two series.
The first to take a hit were the Houston Rockets, who saw Dwight Howard miss the latter part of their Game 1 defeat to the Golden State Warriors as the West's top seed snatched early momentum in the Western Conference Finals. The Atlanta Hawks unfortunately followed suit, losing Game 1 to Cleveland, as well as DeMarre Carroll to a scary leg injury that ended up being nothing more than a hyperextended knee, as reported by USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt.
So the Cavaliers and Warriors enter their respective Game 2s with the momentum, but it could just as easily swing in the opposite direction if key players for the losing sides return. Let's take a look at the updated conference finals standings and schedule.
2015 NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals
| 1 | Wed., May 20 | Cavaliers win 97-89 | 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 | Warriors win 110-106 | 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 |
| Western Conference | Warriors lead 1-0 |
| Eastern Conference | Cavaliers lead 1-0 |
Game to Watch: Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors
The Warriors seemed to suffer from the rust-versus-rest issue after a handful of days off prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. But it didn't seem to matter in the second half, when Golden State got going and took the opening game.
Although, it was hard to ignore the absence of one of the Rockets' most important players throughout the Warriors' second-half surge. Howard's knee injury prevented him from playing late, which forced Houston to play right into the opposition's hands by allowing them to play a smaller lineup.
Howard expects to be a game-time decision for Thursday's Game 2 in the Bay Area, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. But playing through what has been diagnosed as a spain, per ESPN's Calvin Watkins, won't be easy:
A possible return of Howard will undoubtedly allow the Rockets to expose the Warriors' biggest disadvantage down low in the series. But that likely won't matter if Stephen Curry continues to heat up.
Curry's subpar start to the conference semifinals against Memphis feels like years ago. In the last three games, he's hit 20 three-pointers in three impressive Warriors victories.
Without Patrick Beverley in the fold for these playoffs, the Rockets simply have no answer in the backcourt to contain Curry defensively. Jason Terry looked like a huge mismatch in the opening game, as Amin Elhassan of ESPN compared to the other conference finals series:
For all of Curry's greatness early in the series, it's come without typical contribution from his fellow Splash Brother. Klay Thompson hit just one of seven three-point attempts in Game 1, and his struggles to contain James Harden in the opening game proved to be one of Golden State's only areas of concern.
After sticking around late in Game 1 despite a Warriors surge, Harden and Co. remain confident moving into Game 2, per Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle:
“We have to have the same mindset we had in Game 1 – limit their runs, limit our turnovers. I think we did a good job of controlling the ball but they had two runs at the end of the second and end of the fourth – we take that out of the game and we will be all right.”
