NBA Playoff Schedule 2016: Latest Conference Semis Bracket, Odds and Picks
These have been some strange playoffs.
Blowouts? Injuries? Officiating crises?
They’ve truly had it all.
But as we get into the heart of Round 2, there has also been an overwhelming amount of excitement and intrigue.
Things have been OK thus far. With the top-tier teams from both conferences set to dig in against one another, though, the postseason is about to hit its stride.
Odds
| Warriors | +110 |
| Spurs | +175 |
| Cavaliers | +333 |
| Thunder | +2500 |
| Raptors | +5000 |
| Hawks | +5000 |
| Heat | +6600 |
| Blazers | +10000 |
Odds were last updated Monday, per Odds Shark.
Bracket
| Cavaliers (1) vs. Hawks (4) | CLE 2, ATL 0 |
| Raptors (2) vs. Heat (3) | MIA 1, TOR 0 |
| Warriors (1) vs. Blazers (5) | GSW 2, POR 0 |
| Spurs (2) vs. Thunder (3) | SAS 1, OKC 1 |
For more information on the complete playoff schedule, check out NBA.com.
East Picks
Cavaliers vs. Hawks
Get the brooms out.
On Wednesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers decimated the Atlanta Hawks with an aerial attack of historic proportions. The team knocked down an NBA playoff-record 25 three-pointers in a 123-98 blowout.
Game 1 was more respectable, but Cleveland still rode LeBron James to a 104-93 victory.
Kyrie Irving’s triple late in the third quarter on Wednesday put the Cavaliers into the record books. At the time, Cleveland had more threes than Atlanta had field goals.
Look, J.R. Smith isn’t going to hit seven threes every night, but with James and Irving constantly finding their way into the paint, shooters will be left open.
The Hawks will likely show some life at home, but they look overmatched.
Raptors vs. Heat
This is a tricky one.
For much of Game 1 on Tuesday, the Toronto Raptors appeared destined to lose. Despite getting over that first-round hump, they didn’t quite feel in the clear yet.
And then Kyle Lowry did this:
In overtime, though, it was all Miami. After ending regulation tied at 90, a flurry of shots from Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng and Joe Johnson propelled Miami to a 98-90 lead with under 90 seconds to go. The Heat won, 102-96.
The Raptors appeared dead at times against the Indiana Pacers in Round 1 but still found a way to escape to the semifinals.
Even without Chris Bosh, though, the Heat will likely prove too experienced.
West Picks
Warriors vs. Blazers
No MVP, no problem.
The Golden State Warriors have taken a 2-0 lead over the Portland Trail Blazers without Stephen Curry. There’s no reason for the Dubs to rush the All-Star point guard back from a knee injury until they lose once.
That’s how deep Golden State is. In Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, the roster—even without its superhero—still features a set of stars capable of carrying a championship-caliber team.
As relayed by Rosalyn Gold-Onwude of Comcast SportsNet, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has kept his team focused on the other end of the floor:
Even in a suit, Curry remains as engaged as ever:
On Thursday, Diamond Leung of the Mercury News reported that Curry said he received “platelet-rich plasma treatment” on his sprained knee, which is “said to promote healing.”
It’s only a matter of time before he comes back. And when he does—assuming his health bar is green and not yellow—the Warriors will cruise to the conference finals.
Expect Portland to take a game before Curry returns, but none afterward.
Spurs vs. Thunder
After putting a 124-92 hurting on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1, the San Antonio Spurs let Game 2 slip away.
Surely you’ve heard about the officiating in that one.
But that doesn’t matter now. The Spurs played as poorly (by their standards) as they’re likely going to on Monday, and they only lost 98-97. They have no reason to panic.
LaMarcus Aldridge has been nothing short of dominant and will continue to light it up for the Spurs. Josh Eberley of Today’s Fastbreak broke down the numbers:
Listen to how the team and head coach Gregg Popovich talk about the All-Star big man, too, per the Spurs' official Twitter account:
It doesn’t get much better than that from Pop.
Perhaps OKC is fine with letting Aldridge get his, so to speak. However, San Antonio is a two-star team as well, thanks to Kawhi Leonard.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are too elite not to win two games. But the Spurs are likely to prevail in the series and move on to face the Warriors.
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