NBA Playoff Schedule 2017: Latest Conference Semis Bracket, Odds and Picks
The first round of the 2016-17 NBA playoffs was full of excitement, suspense, attitude and, unfortunately, injury. As we weave our way through the semifinal round of the postseason, we can expect more of the same.
Eight teams remain in play for the NBA championship. Four of those teams—the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs—were in action on Wednesday.
The Cavaliers and Spurs picked up wins.
The current round of the playoffs is young, but that doesn't mean it's too early to start making predictions.
That's what we're going to do here. We'll examine what the playoff bracket looks like and dig into some of the latest storylines of the semifinal round.
We'll also examine the latest championship odds, courtesy of our friends at OddsShark.com.
NBA Playoffs: Semifinal Round Standings and Predictions
| Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors | CLE 2-0 | CLE 4-1 |
| Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards | BOS 2-0 | BOS 4-1 |
| Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz | GS 1-0 | GS 4-0 |
| Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs | Tied 1-1 | SA 4-3 |
Championship Odds
| Golden State Warriors | 4-9 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 13-4 |
| Houston Rockets | 10-1 |
| Boston Celtics | 12-1 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 14-1 |
| Toronto Raptors | 100-1 |
| Utah Jazz | 100-1 |
| Washington Wizards | 150-1 |
Latest Buzz
Isaiah Thomas is Remarkable
Honestly, it's hard to understand what Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas is doing in these NBA playoffs. He recently lost his sister Chyna in an automobile accident, yet despite the personal adversity, Thomas has remained the rock at the center of Boston's playoff run.
Two nights ago, on what would have been Chyna Thomas' 23rd birthday, Thomas dropped 53 points on the Washington Wizards in a dominant 129-119 victory.
"It's my sister," Thomas said after the game, per Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports. "It's her birthday today. Happy birthday. She would have been 23 today. Everything I do is for her. And she's watching over me. So that's all her."
Even those that can empathize with Thomas have to be amazed by his performances in the postseason. He helped the Celtics climb out of a 0-2 hole against the Chicago Bulls, and now he has the team looking like the No. 1 seed it is supposed to be.
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com recently explained how Thomas is driving the Celtics: "What if this really is Boston's year? You need a special player to make that happen, and a special team.
"The Celtics weren't supposed to be the 1-seed, but they are. They weren't supposed to come back vs. the Bulls, but they did. Isaiah Thomas is supposed to be too small to be a superstar, but he's a superstar. 'Supposed to be' means nothing to these Celtics, and no one embodies that more than Thomas."
It certainly feels like we're headed toward a Boston-Cleveland matchup in the conference finals. The run the Celtics are currently on behind Thomas suggests that it's going to be one heck of a matchup.
Are the Warriors Boring, or Worse Yet, Bored?
The Celtics had to battle back in their opening series of the postseason. The Golden State Warriors haven't had to battle much at all in the playoffs. They swept the Portland Trail Blazers in Round 1 and blew out the Utah Jazz 106-94 in Game 1 of the Round 2 matchup.
Thanks to a plethora of scoring options and a smothering defense, Golden State hasn't seen much of a challenge in the postseason so far. There haven't been any thrilling moments and there hasn't been much tension for the team to thrive on.
Ben Golliver of SI.com recently explained: "Simply put, Golden State has been a victim of its own defensive success. The most memorable postseason moments demand late-game tension, of course, and the Warriors are consistently humbling their opponents well before crunch time."
This has made the Warriors something of an afterthought in the postseason. They haven't been especially fun to watch because of the lack of drama. That's fine, the Warriors shouldn't care about that.
What the Warriors should worry about, however, is the complacency that the lack of tension might be building. Will the team be able to deliver in a tight conference finals game or in the Finals? Past history suggests yes, but recent history leaves a gigantic question mark for the answer.
Common sense would say that this is a good problem for Golden State to have and nothing to really worry about. However, we've seen battle-tested teams shock the superior plenty of times in the past, so the dialogue is more than fair.
Cavaliers in Playoff Mode
The Cavaliers have yet to lose a game in the playoffs as well, but they haven't dominated quite like the Warriors have. In fact, every game in the opening series against the Indiana Pacers was hotly contested. Cleveland even had to overcome a record 25-point second-half deficit in one of those games.
Some might believe this makes the Cavaliers a battle-tested team. Others might see the opening series as a sign that Cleveland just wasn't ready for postseason basketball.
One thing is clear now. The Cavaliers are in playoff mode.
Cleveland handled the Toronto Raptors pretty easily in the first game of the series, coasting to a 116-105 victory. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, however, didn't think his team was truly outclassed.
"It wasn't as bad as it felt going through it [on film]," Casey said, per Joe Noga of Cleveland.com. "There's things we can do better to take away that feeling. We have another gear to get to that I don't think we got to last night."
Cleveland was even more dominant on Tuesday night, posting a 125-103 win. At times, it felt like Cleveland was doing whatever it wanted to do on the court. If Toronto wasn't outclassed in Game 1, it certainly was in Game 2.
Through two games, the Raptors have the look and feel of a demoralized team. They'll have a chance to rebound at home in the next two games, of course, but they just don't appear to be on the Cavaliers' level.
For Cleveland, the dominance could lead to another short series and another long break for some much-needed playoff rest.
