NBA Playoff Schedule 2016: TV Info, Predictions for Conference Finals Matchups
The NBA conference finals are producing plenty of storylines leading up to the 2016 NBA Finals.
In the East, the Raptors finally showed some life in a series that appeared to be headed toward one-sided domination. Toronto put on a great performance in Game 3, closing the Cavaliers' lead to 2-1 on the heels of a 99-84 win.
The Western Conference matchup was never difficult to sell. The star power of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant taking on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors built expectations and has lived up to those thus far with both teams split at one apiece heading to Oklahoma City.
With both series getting interesting for different reasons, you won't want to miss the action. Here's a look at the complete schedule for both series and a prediction as to who will emerge.
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors | |||
| Game 4 (at Toronto) | 5/23 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Game 5 (at Cleveland) | 5/25 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Game 6 (at Toronto, if necessary) | 5/27 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Game 7 (at Cleveland, if necessary) | 5/29 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | |||
| 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) | 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 |
Eastern Conference
Through the first two games, it appeared that the Toronto Raptors were dead on arrival in the Eastern Conference Finals. After their grueling seven-game series with the Miami Heat, they were run out of the gym by the Cavaliers in Games 1 and 2.
But a return to Toronto was exactly what the Raptors needed. They made the series interesting with a 99-84 win in Game 3. Now Game 4 will determine what the rest of the series looks like.
Historically speaking, the Raptors winning Game 3 shouldn't actually be surprising. According to ESPN Stats & Info, most teams in Toronto's situation find success in the third game.
Unfortunately, that success doesn't last. Looking at how the Raptors won Game 3, they're likely to add to that trend.
The win was fueled by performances that aren't sustainable. Bismack Biyombo is a good rebounder, but the odds that he can continue to track down 26 boards like he did in Game 3 on a nightly basis are roughly the same as Drake actually picking a team and sticking with it.
Biyombo had nine rebounds in two games in Cleveland. Tristan Thompson had 19. That kind of single-game disparity between two players is bound to level out.
Taking a grand view of the series, the Cavs were bound to drop one. Starting off 10-0 in the playoffs gave them a sense of invincibility. However, that sense of invincibility can lead to complacency and give way to a lack of intensity.
Kevin Love expounded on his own shortcomings in Game 3, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
"I think [their defense] was just being aggressive, but I need to match and be just as aggressive, and tonight I wasn’t. I felt like I was a little bit passive, and I have to come out Monday night and just have that type of mentality and do better on that end. I feel like it, from a mentality standpoint, it’s an easy fix.
"
Game 4 will tell that tale in this series. If the Cavaliers can bounce back with a renewed sense of focus and energy, they can book their spot in the Finals rather early. If Toronto finds a way to even the series at home, things could get interesting.
With all the experience the Cavaliers have, the former is a safer bet.
Prediction: Cavs in 5
Western Conference
Just two games into the series between the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Western Conference Finals is already fascinating.
Recency bias would say that the Warriors have figured things out. When they find a rhythm they show how they amassed a 73-9 record in the regular season—and they certainly found that rhythm in Game 2.
However, the Thunder just needed to split the first two games and they did just that. They now hold home-court advantage in the series with the next two games in Oklahoma City.
There are enough statistical oddities in Game 2 to believe the Thunder will bounce back upon the series return to Oklahoma City. In Game 2, Serge Ibaka shot just 1-of-6 from the field, including 1-of-4 from three; however, he's been one of the most underrated shooters in the playoffs, per Synergy Sports Tech:
Then there are the eight turnovers from Kevin Durant. KD is averaging 4.1 turnovers per game in the postseason, but the Warriors' increased pressure on the superstar forced him to double that number in Game 2. With everything that's riding on this series for him, that's a number that can't happen again.
The biggest key in this series will be Durant and Russell Westbrook's supporting cast, though. The Warriors' defensive strategy has been to throw pressure at the two stars and let the other Thunder players try to win the series.
“I think it’s been a little more exaggerated, obviously (this time). Not just regular help, it’s more exaggerated help. But that’s been the game plan," Draymond Green said of the defensive strategy, per Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News.
“Try to stop KD and Westbrook. And if [Andre] Roberson makes a play, then he made a play.”
Westbrook has been a great distributor throughout the playoffs, averaging 11 assists per game.
However, the Warriors have already shown they can win when he's forced into a pure distributing role. He chalked up 12 assists in Game 2 but only scored 16. When Westbrook and Durant are forced to rely on others in the offense, the Thunder don't have the kind of depth to keep up like the Warriors do.
That could ultimately be the difference in a series that feels destined to go back and forth in dramatic fashion.
Prediction: Warriors in 7
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
