NBA Playoffs 2016: TV Schedule and Predictions for Saturday's Round 1 Games
The Golden State Warriors were surely the champions of the regular season. Now, the team with the best record in NBA history will look to seal their place among the all-time great teams in the 2016 NBA Playoffs.
It's a journey that all starts on Saturday with the Dubs' first-round matchup against the Houston Rockets.
Golden State isn't the only team looking to kick off a title run Saturday, though. The playoff slate begins with four Game 1's throughout the day as fans looking to soak in the first day of playoff basketball will have plenty of options to choose from.
Here's a look at the complete schedule for the day with predictions for each game and the biggest storylines to watch.
| Indiana Pacers at Toronto Raptors | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN | Raptors |
| Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | Warriors |
| Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Hawks |
| Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN | Thunder |
Are the Raptors over the First-Round Hump?
The Toronto Raptors find themselves in uncharted territory heading into the postseason: Eastern Conference favorites.
According to FiveThirtyEight's ratings, the Raptors have the second-best odds to win the East:
Those numbers don't even factor in the lack of chemistry held by the conference's No. 1 seed. The Cavs might have the best record, but they are still a team that fired their coach midseason and don't seem to have their chemistry figured out despite Year 2 with essentially the same cast.
It's tough to believe in the Raptors, though. Toronto has been ran out of the first round in each of its last five playoff trips. Last season, they were swept in shocking fashion by the Washington Wizards.
The Raptors truly are a young team, and that can't be discounted. Team leaders Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are both at points in their careers where they can still improve dramatically, and DeRozan feels the playoff loss was a driving force for their improvement this season, per Lori Ewing of the Canadian Press (h/t Winnipeg Free Press):
""We learned a lot from last year, and the day after that series, me and Kyle talked probably every single day, how we were going to change our game, how we were going to get better. I think I was the only person who knew that he was going to lose weight," DeRozan said. "And when you take that type of approach, you understand that the next go-around is going to be different. We were definitely locked in the next day, for him to be quicker on his feet, lighter on his feet, healthy."
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The Raptors have certainly looked like a different team in the regular season, but that won't make much difference if they don't play the part in the NBA's second season.
Game 1 in Toronto is a great opportunity for them to show off how much they've grown as a team against Paul George and the Indiana Pacers.
Can the Warriors Keep Dominating Throughout the Playoffs?
Golden State doesn't just have the normal pressure of winning the title. It's on the precipice of becoming one of the greatest teams of all time.
The regular season record is already on their list of accomplishments—the once seemingly unreachable 72 wins in one season has been toppled. But if they don't win a title, their claim as the best team in the history of the game falls apart.
That's not something the Warriors have to worry about right now. ESPN's BPI illustrates just how undermanned the Rockets are to unseat the Warriors:
In short, the Warriors are playing unbelievable basketball right now. They're fifth in defensive efficiency, according to NBA Stats, on top of being incredible offensively. There just aren't many holes to expose, and the woeful Rockets certainly don't have the tools to bring any of them to light.
It might be fun watching James Harden desperately try to match Steph Curry, but this game shouldn't be fun to watch from a competitive standpoint. The Warriors will look to prove they can continue their absolute domination in the postseason.
Who Will Land the First Blow in Celtics-Hawks?
There might be some lopsided matchups on tap, but the series between the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks isn't one of them.
Boston and Atlanta finished with identical regular season records and are even similar in their composition. Both will have to sort out what their playoff rotation will look like. Both teams have 10 guys on the roster who averaged at least 15 minutes per game.
Both teams are extremely efficient on the defensive end of the floor. The Hawks are second in the league in points surrendered per 100 possessions, while the Celtics are fourth.
Ultimately, Game 1—and the series—could come down to whether the Celtics have figured out a way to match up with Paul Millsap. Just a week ago, the forward put up numbers against Boston that have only been duplicated by Pau Gasol, per NBA on ESPN:
The matchup between the guards will be worth watching. Jeff Teague and Isaiah Thomas should go head-to-head as offensive catalysts throughout the series.
However, this ultimately comes down to Boston's bigs. Can they come up with a way to slow Millsap?
Game 1 will be a great indication of just how big an edge the big man will give the Hawks.
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