NBA Playoffs 2016: Wednesday's Game Times, TV, Live Stream Coverage and Picks
It seems the unexpected lives in the 2016 NBA playoffs, where the conference semifinals have offered surprise after surprise.
Tuesday continued the trend as Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder took down the San Antonio Spurs to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Other surprises? How about the Toronto Raptors still alive against the Miami Heat? Or Stephen Curry's jaw-dropping return?
Wednesday offers up two more games. One team has a chance to break a tie and take a commanding lead, while another has an opportunity to end a series.
Below, let's take a look at the entire conference semifinals slate before previewing each of Wednesday's games, which are available for live stream online through WatchESPN.
2016 NBA Conference Semifinals Schedule and Results
| Game | Date | ||
| 1. Atlanta vs. Cleveland | CLE 104-93 | ||
| 2. Atlanta vs. Cleveland | CLE 123-98 | ||
| 3. Cleveland vs. Atlanta | CLE 121-108 | ||
| 4. Cleveland vs. Atlanta | CLE 100-99 | ||
| Game | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
| 1. Toronto vs. Miami | MIA 102-96 | ||
| 2. Toronto vs. Miami | TOR 96-92 | ||
| 3. Miami vs. Toronto | TOR 95-91 | ||
| 4. Miami vs. Toronto | MIA 94-87 | ||
| 5. Toronto vs. Miami | Wednesday, May 11 | 8 p.m. | TNT |
| 6. Miami vs. Toronto | Friday, May 13 | TBA | ESPN |
| 7. Toronto vs. Miami | Sunday, May 15 | TBA | TBA |
| Game | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
| 1. Golden State vs. Portland | GS 118-106 | ||
| 2. Golden State vs. Portland | GS 110-99 | ||
| 3. Portland vs. Golden State | POR 120-108 | ||
| 4. Portland vs. Golden State | GS 132-125 | ||
| 5. Golden State vs. Portland | Wednesday, May 11 | 10:30 p.m. | TNT |
| 6. Portland vs. Golden State | Friday, May 13 | TBA | ESPN |
| 7. Golden State vs. Portland | Monday, May 16 | 9 p.m. | TNT |
| Game | Date | Time (ET) | TV |
| 1. San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City | SA 124-92 | ||
| 2. San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City | OKC 98-97 | ||
| 3. Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio | SA 100-96 | ||
| 4. Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio | OKC 111-97 | ||
| 5. San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City | OKC 95-91 | ||
| 6. Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio | Thursday, May 12 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| 7. San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City | Sunday, May 15 | 8 p.m. | TNT |
Toronto vs. Miami
It's surprising that both the Raptors and Heat are still alive in the postseason.
Injuries have plagued both rosters, with Chris Bosh out of the picture for the Heat and Hassan Whiteside hobbled. The latter won't play in Game 5, according to the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds. The Raptors have to charge forward without Jonas Valanciunas.
These two still managed to put on a show in Game 4, the third overtime affair out of four games. Miami emerged from the test with a 94-87 win by using a small-ball lineup and getting a game-high 30 points from Dwyane Wade.
Nobody has put his team on his back more than Wade this postseason, as this nugget by ESPN Stats & Info illustrated:
Toronto, on the other hand, got a double-double from backup center Bismack Biyombo, who posted 13 points and 13 rebounds.
While it's good the Raptors kept clicking down low, one would think Toronto winning the battle on the glass 55-48 and Miami going 1-of-15 from deep (6.7 percent) would have led to a win.
Apparently not.
Even without having to deal with Bosh, the less experienced Raptors have a hard time shutting down Miami's quick attack led by Goran Dragic—especially when it matters most. This will show through again Wednesday, as the smaller lineup might have lost the battle on the glass but otherwise controlled the game.
Prediction: Heat 98, Raptors 93
Golden State vs. Portland
Curry provided a jolt to the NBA landscape with his return Monday.
Good luck describing what he did, though. It didn't seem like Curry missed any time whatsoever, no by posting 40 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and registering 17 of those points in overtime ahead of a 132-125 decision.
Call it a performance worthy of a unanimous MVP, which USA Today put into visual form:
It was fun while it lasted, Portland.
In all seriousness, the Trail Blazers stole Game 3, and huge props go to Damian Lillard, who has scored 25 or more points in every game. He posted 25 in Game 2 and 40 in the upset, but his 36 weren't enough Monday to stop the overtime disappointment.
Lillard shared his thoughts about the series going into Wednesday's game, according to ESPN.com:
"We played really well in Game 3 and got the win, Game 2 we played really well and we let that one slip away and then (Monday) we played really well again. They're a championship team. We competed with them. We're right there, we were one or two stops from winning the game. We let another one get away.
"
For shame, too, because Lillard seemingly has to do even more than Wade to keep his team alive—which is a death knell with Curry back in the fold and rounding out the best team in the Association.
This series now makes its return to Golden State, where the Warriors won the first two games in 118-106 and 110-99 fashion fueled by strong performances from Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
With Curry back and playing like, well, a unanimous MVP, it's hard to imagine Lillard has enough in the tank to propel his team to a road upset. Look for Curry and Co. to close out the series and kick back while the two teams left alive in the conference continue to beat up on each other.
Prediction: Warriors 118, Trail Blazers 108
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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