NBA Playoff Schedule 2016: Updated Dates, Game Times, Livestream and Picks
The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to punch their ticket to the 2016 NBA conference finals, but three series remain unresolved heading into the latter half of the semifinals.
The Cavaliers will likely be waiting a while for their opponent. The series between the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors has been competitive thus far. Toronto has played well enough to take a 2-1 lead but lost Jonas Valanciunas for the series to a sprained ankle, per Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com.
Then, there's the Western Conference, where an ankle injury has been one of the biggest storylines throughout the series. The Golden State Warriors have managed to take a 2-1 lead without Stephen Curry but will need to get back on track after dropping Game 3 in Portland against the Trail Blazers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are putting on the most interesting series of the bunch. After four games, the series is knotted at two with some incredible performances from Russell Westbrook, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant.
Here's a look at the upcoming start times for the remainder of this round. Livestreams can be found at WatchESPN and TNT Overtime.
| May 9 | 8 p.m. | Toronto Raptors | Miami Heat | TNT |
| May 9 | 10:30 p.m. | Golden State Warriors | Portland Trail Blazers | TNT |
| May 10 | 10 p.m. | Oklahoma City Thunder | San Antonio Spurs | TNT |
| May 11 | 8 p.m. | Miami Heat | Toronto Raptors | TNT |
| May 11 | 10:30 p.m. | Portland Trail Blazers | Golden State Warriors | TNT |
| May 12 | 8:30 p.m. | San Antonio Spurs | Oklahoma City Thunder | ESPN |
| May 13* | TBD | Toronto Raptors | Miami Heat | ESPN |
| May 13* | TBD | Golden State Warriors | Portland Trail Blazers | ESPN |
| May 15* | TBD | Miami Heat | Toronto Raptors | N/A |
| May 15* | TBD | Oklahoma City Thunder | San Antonio Spurs | N/A |
| May 16* | TBD | Portland Trail Blazers | Golden State Warriors | N/A |
Series Picks
Raptors vs. Heat
Of the seven teams remaining in the playoff field, most are the usual suspects, but Toronto is the only team really looking to put together a breakthrough performance. After being bounced in the first round in each of their last five playoff appearances, the Raptors now have a 2-1 lead in a second-round series.
Unfortunately, that might be the only step this young Raptors team takes this year, as the loss of Valanciunas is a big one going forward.
ESPN Stats & Info illustrated just how much the big man meant to his team in the first three games of the series:
Kyle Lowry finally got out of his postseason funk with 33 points in Game 3, but replacing Valanciunas' production on the offensive side of the floor in the post will be difficult. Bismack Biyombo can reasonably cover on the defensive end, but he is averaging only 1.6 points in 15.4 minutes per game in the postseason.
Luis Scola would be the next logical man up, but as Tom Haberstroh of ESPN notes, the veteran has been a negative offensively thus far:
With Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside dealing with injuries of their own, Valanciunas was the biggest advantage Toronto had. The Raptors should still be competitive, but this could be the lost advantage that swings the series in favor of Miami.
Prediction: Heat in seven.
Warriors vs. Trail Blazers
An ankle injury has impacted the Warriors-Blazers series as well. The Blazers cut the series lead to 2-1 in a game in which Golden State was without Curry.
The truth is that the Blazers' 120-108 win over the Warriors had much more to do with Damian Lillard than it did Curry's absence. He took over the game to the tune of 40 points, 10 assists and five rebounds.
Lillard's success against Golden State is not new. The guard has averaged 43.6 points per game in three home games against the Warriors this season, including one of the Warriors' nine regular-season losses—that game came with a healthy Curry putting up 31 points and five assists.
A big game from Lillard was bound to happen. The question going forward is whether the Blazers can keep up the momentum.
With Curry ailing from his ankle injury, the leadership role falls on Draymond Green's shoulders. The outspoken forward felt the defense was lax in the fourth quarter, and it's something the team will work on.
"If we make them work on the defensive end, Dame [Lillard] ain't hitting those shots in the fourth quarter," Green said, per Ananth Pandian of CBSSports.com. "You saw that in Game 2. But he had to work. Tonight was kind of easy on him. We've got to make him work on the defensive end so all those shots he's hitting aren't going."
Even without Curry, the Warriors are capable of putting up big numbers offensively. According to Synergy Sports Tech, Klay Thompson has been one of the most efficient scorers in the playoffs:
One loss doesn't make a series. Lillard's performance is to be lauded, but it likely won't make this series much more competitive in the long haul.
Prediction: Warriors in five.
Thunder vs. Spurs
No series has been more fun than Spurs-Thunder. When San Antonio routed Oklahoma City in Game 1, it appeared the Spurs would continue their march to a fated matchup with the Warriors unabated.
Westbrook and Durant have since proved that's not the case.
Each time it has looked like the Spurs are going to seize control of the series, the Thunder have come back with a gutsy performance that breathes new life into the series.
Case in point: Durant's fourth quarter in Game 4 to tie the series at two games apiece, per ESPN:
With Leonard making life difficult for Durant in Games 1-3, KD went off for 41 points in the fourth game of the series.
Actually winning the series is going to take even more heroics from Durant. The Spurs' strategy thus far has been to stick Leonard on the forward and allow Westbrook to carry the offense by being a volume scorer. The result has been some inefficient offense from the point guard.
He's shooting just 34 percent against the Spurs this season and just 5-of-22 from three-point range.
The series now comes down to a three-game series, with two games being played in San Antonio. This is a team that went 40-1 at home in the regular season. Asking the Thunder to go on the road twice and win two out of three is a tall order.
Prediction: Spurs in seven.
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