NBA Playoff Schedule 2016: TV Guide and Predictions for Wednesday

On Wednesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder will look to make the Golden State Warriors do something they haven't done all season: lose back-to-back games. 

The Warriors machine has hummed along throughout the regular season and two rounds of the playoffs with one of the most impressive seasons in NBA history. With just nine losses in the regular season and three in the playoffs, it isn't altogether surprising they haven't lost two games in a row. 

OKC did a great job containing Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in Game 1.

A win in Game 2 would give the Thunder a shocking 2-0 lead as the series heads to Oklahoma for Game 3. Here's a look at the TV guide for the series along with predictions for Wednesday's Game 2 at the Oracle Arena. 

Matchup	Date	Time	TV
Game 2 (at Golden State)	5/18	9 p.m.	TNT
Game 3 (at Oklahoma City)	5/22	8 p.m.	TNT
Game 4 (at Oklahoma City)	5/24	9 p.m.	TNT
Game 5 (at Golden State, if necessary)	5/26	9 p.m.	TNT
Game 6 (at Oklahoma City, if necessary)	5/28	9 p.m.	TNT
Game 7 (at Golden State, if necessary)	5/30	9 p.m.	TNT

Durant Goes Over 26 Points

Kevin Durant's Game 1 performance is an interesting case study in how everything is magnified on the playoff stage. If not for one shot, the narrative on KD would be different heading into Game 2.

Looking at the box score, Durant's 26-point, 10-rebound performance looks good. But had he not knocked down the following clutch jumper to put the Thunder up 105-100, there'd be much more talk about the fact that he had missed his previous nine shots in the fourth quarter before putting the game on ice:

The truth is Durant was an inefficient volume scorer in Game 1. He got to 26 points, but it took him 30 shots to get there. Both he and Russell Westbrook struggled from the field, but the Thunder found a way to win. ESPN Stats & Info provided some context about how rare it is for both Westbrook and Durant to shoot that poorly on the same night. 

Ultimately, it's hard to envision Durant struggling to the same degree in the fourth quarter again. He has shown that he's willing to take over late in the game and continue to look for his shot. 

Expect him to continue to be aggressive and put up big numbers as he's more efficient with his high-volume approach on the offensive end. 

Warriors Score More Than 110 Points

Holding a team to 102 points is rarely a success. But against the Warriors, that's practically shutting them down. Golden State had scored more than 102 points in every postseason game since their Game 3 loss to the Houston Rockets in Round 1. 

It's worth noting that they followed up that loss by winning Game 4 121-94. 

The Warriors will be hard-pressed to hold the Thunder to 94, but it isn't out of the question to believe they could approach 120 on the offensive end. The Warriors are a team built on ball movement and shooting; they didn't do either well at the end of Game 1. 

Head coach Steve Kerr talked a little bit about his team's offensive woes in the second half, per Jovan Buha of FoxSports.com:

"

Lot of quick shots, way too many quick shots. Five minutes left in the game and we're down four or whatever, and we were acting like we had 20 seconds left. Five minutes is an eternity.

We know how we have to play. We have to pass and move and create rhythm for ourselves with our screening and cutting. And I just felt like we took way too many quick ones that took us out of our rhythm.

"

Rhythm is extremely important for the Warriors. The Thunder were able to slow the pace of the game in the fourth quarter, and that was the difference, even if they weren't necessarily playing great offense.

As Synergy Sports Tech noted, the Warriors have a collection of four spot-up shooters who are in the league's upper echelon:

"

The Warriors had 4 of the top-35 most efficient NBA jump shooters in the half court this season: 1 Curry, 8 Green, 10 Thompson, 33 Barnes

— Synergy Sports Tech (@SynergySST) May 17, 2016"

When the Warriors are sharing the ball and giving their teammates the opportunity to shoot in rhythm, they're hard to stop.

They lost that in Game 1; getting it back will be key for them evening the series.  

Golden State Wins

As great as Game 1 was, it was just a harbinger of what's to come in a great series. Both teams showed flashes of why they're great, but neither team played up to its potential. 

The Warriors are in a surprisingly pressurized situation facing an 0-1 deficit, but this is a team that played with the pressure of chasing its historic 73-win regular season. Every time the Warriors have had to elevate their game, they've done it. 

On the other hand, Durant and Westbrook should have even better games statistically. The law of averages dictates that both should shoot better, so Golden State likely won't pull away.

Durant and Westbrook will put on a show, but the Warriors supporting cast should shoot better as a whole and send this series to Oklahoma tied up at one apiece. 

Prediction: Warriors 115, Thunder 107