NBA Playoff Schedule 2016: Remaining Dates and Breakdown for Conference Finals
As last year's conference champions crumble, the 2016 NBA postseason is gaining an added spice of uncertainty.
A common complaint heading into the playoffs: Nobody needed greensight to envision the Golden State Warriors or San Antonio Spurs defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. The journey loses its zest with a telegraphed conclusion.
Midway through the conference finals, chaos has taken over. After eliminating the Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder decimated the Warriors on Sunday night to earn a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals. The West's clear third wheel is suddenly a fierce threat to win its first championship.
Meanwhile, Cleveland started to make its case as more than an Eastern Conference champion destined to drown in the Finals. Then, a few days after everyone declared the series over, the Toronto Raptors evened the score at 2-2 on Monday night.
Let's examine the remaining schedule before breaking down Tuesday night's pivotal Game 4 showdown between the Warriors and Thunder:
| Raptors at Cavaliers | 5 | May 25 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Cavaliers at Raptors | 6 | May 27 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Raptors at Cavaliers | 7* | May 29 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Warriors at Thunder | 4 | May 24 | 9 p.m. | TNT |
| Thunder at Warriors | 5 | May 26 | 9 p.m. | TNT |
| Warriors at Thunder | 6* | May 28 | 9 p.m. | TNT |
| Thunder at Warriors | 7* | May 30 | 9 p.m. | TNT |
Can Thunder End Warriors' Repeat Run?
When mapping out a blueprint for the Thunder to top the Warriors, Game 1 probably serves as the most accurate model. They used their size to pound the Warriors on the glass and held them to 14 points during the fourth quarter of a six-point victory.
On Sunday night, they ran the Warriors off the court.
Oklahoma City still won the battle down low, grabbing 14 more rebounds and registering 62 points in the paint. It also generated 29 fast-break points, all through three quarters, while limiting the uptempo Warriors to 13.
Thunder head coach Billy Donovan also successfully killed the Warriors' small-ball "death lineup" by concocting his own. NBA.com/Stats noted a seldom-used unit that caught fire:
OKC edged out Golden State in Game 1 despite Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook draining one-third of their field-goal attempts. Both enjoyed more efficient Game 3 outings, producing 63 combined points on a 58.8 field-goal percentage.
"We're not going to win that way," Klay Thompson said after the loss, per the Associated Press' Cliff Brunt. "One of those guys got to have an off night."
| Kevin Durant | 33 | 10-15 | 1-3 | 12-12 | 8 | 2 | +36 |
| Russell Westbrook | 30 | 10-19 | 1-5 | 9-11 | 8 | 12 | +41 |
Complementing the superstars in resounding fashion, Serge Ibaka, Dion Waiters and Andre Roberson combined for 40 points and made six of 13 three-point attempts. This is a one-off deal. It's safe to say the trio won't convert more deep balls than Stephen Curry and Thompson again in this series.
The Splash Brothers couldn't hit water, going a combined 5-of-19 from behind the arc. Compounding Golden State's troubles, Draymond Green offered as many low blows as successful shot attempts. Usually the glue to a juggernaut offense, he went 1-of-9 for six points and four turnovers.
ESPN Stats & Info highlighted Green's historically bad performance over his 32 minutes on the court:
According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, Green will have an opportunity to redeem his poor showing despite his painful flagrant foul on Steven Adams:
It's surprising to see the most successful regular-season team in NBA history down 2-1, but it's nothing new for the Warriors. Last year, they faced a 2-1 deficit against the Memphis Grizzlies before LeBron James willed the Cavaliers to a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
Of course, the Grizzlies didn't wield two of the game's top stars at the prime of their prowess. The Thunder are also healthier than the Cleveland squad that limped to the finish line without Kyrie Irving (knee) and Kevin Love (shoulder).
Per the Press Democrat's Phil Barber, Andrew Bogut couldn't draw a parallel to Sunday night's struggles:
Let's not get lost in an abyss of momentum narratives, though. Golden State seemingly had it after Game 2's 27-point triumph. The Thunder were so deflated from the morale-crushing defeat that they scored only 117 points in the next game's opening three quarters.
A Warriors win Tuesday night would change the framing from "The Warriors are in trouble" to "It's anyone's series." Let's not forget about their 73-9 record and the fact that they haven't lost consecutive games all year.
But the Thunder have already conquered the best Spurs squad ever, which slightly trailed the Warriors with the seventh-best point differential (plus-10.6) in league history.
The series is a long way from over. After trading blowout wins, the Thunder and Warriors should converge in the middle for some tightly contested thrillers.
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