NBA Playoff Bracket 2018: TV Start Times, Live-Stream Schedule Guide
The latest twists in the 2018 NBA Playoffs came Friday, as Houston delivered a statement to Utah and New Orleans powered past Golden State.
Saturday's two-game slate features the two Eastern Conference semifinals currently led by the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
In order for the four series to go the distance, the teams trying to make up ground need more out of their stars and have to find a way to climb a mental wall created by opponents.
The second round could last as long as nine more days, but given the trajectory of the four series at the moment, there's a slim chance we see multiple Game 7s.
NBA Playoffs Schedule
Saturday, May 5
Game 3: Boston at Philadelphia (5 p.m., ESPN)
Game 3: Toronto at Cleveland (8:30 p.m., ABC)
Sunday, May 6
Game 4: Golden State at New Orleans (3:30 p.m., ABC)
Game 4: Houston at Utah (8 p.m., TNT)
Monday, May 7
Game 4: Boston at Philadelphia (6 p.m., TNT)
Game 4: Toronto at Cleveland (8:30 p.m., TNT)
Tuesday, May 8
Game 5: Utah at Houston (8 p.m., TNT)
Game 5: New Orleans at Golden State (10:30 p.m., TNT)
Wednesday, May 9
Game 5: Cleveland at Toronto (Time TBD, TNT)*
Game 5: Philadelphia at Boston (Time TBD, TNT)*
Thursday, May 10
Game 6: Houston at Utah (Time TBD, ESPN)*
Game 6: Golden State at New Orleans (Time TBD, ESPN)*
Friday, May 11
Game 6: Toronto at Cleveland (Time TBD, ESPN)*
Game 6: Boston at Philadelphia (Time TBD, ESPN)*
Monday, May 13
Game 7: Cleveland at Toronto (Time and TV TBD)*
Game 7: Philadelphia at Boston (Time and TV TBD)*
Tuesday, May 14
Game 7: Utah at Houston (Time TBD, TNT)*
Game 7: New Orleans at Golden State (Time TBD, TNT)*
*-if necessary
Games can be live-streamed on ESPN App, TNTdrama.com and TNT App. All Times ET.
Simmons, Mitchell Looking to Get Back on Track
The feuding candidates for Rookie of the Year hit a wall over the last two days, as both Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell struggled.
Simmons scored a single point for the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 against the Boston Celtics. It was the first game of his career in which he failed to make a field goal, per SportsCenter's official Twitter account:
What's more striking about Simmons' stat line is the Celtics held him to just four field-goal attempts in 30 minutes.
Without Simmons contributing offensively, the Sixers have a hole in their game plan, even if Joel Embiid and Dario Saric produce strong numbers.
Simmons is vital to the success of Brett Brown's team because he serves as a facilitator and works well in transition.
Although some members of the Sixers will claim they weren't paying attention to Mitchell's lackluster Game 3, you have to think something will come from Philadelphia given the recent back-and-forth about the legitimacy of Simmons' claim to Rookie of the Year since he was drafted two years ago, but didn't play last season.
Mitchell and the Utah Jazz stumbled into halftime of Game 3 against the Houston Rockets, as the rookie out of Louisville scored two points in the first two quarters.
The first-year guard struggled to hit double digits, as he recorded 10 points while making four of his 16 field-goal attempts.
Unlike the Sixers, who were competitive despite the shortcomings of Simmons, the Jazz were out of Game 3 before the first quarter ended.
With Houston looking to finish off the Jazz in the next two games, Mitchell must respond with a difference-making performance in Game 4.
The same can be said for Simmons, who has to electrify the home crowd in Saturday's Game 3 in order to prevent the Celtics from moving one step closer to the Eastern Conference final.
Does Toronto Have Anything Left In The Tank To Challenge Cleveland?
The Toronto Raptors suffered a pair of demoralizing losses at home in Games 1 and 2 to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Game 1 overtime defeat was more backbreaking than Game 2 since the Raptors had plenty of opportunities to finish off the game in regulation.
Now that the series shifts to Cleveland, the Raptors are in real danger of getting swept and crashing out of the playoffs before the East final once again.
Even though their backs are against the wall, the Raptors are preaching the "first team to four wins" mentality, per Bruce Arthur of the Star.
"We thrive off adversity," Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan said. "We've been in tough situations, and sometimes tough situations bring the best out of you. First team to win four. We understand where we're at, and we're gonna fight."
While the message coming from the Toronto players is the right one, they still have to put it into action on the hardwood.
DeRozan and Kyle Lowry need help from their supporting cast if Toronto wants to steal a game in Cleveland and bring the series back to Ontario.
The pair of stars combined for 45 points in Game 2, but starters OG Anunoby and Serge Ibaka only added seven points between them.
In addition to silencing LeBron James, or at least containing him for stretches of the game, Toronto needs all of its starters to step up and outplay the supporting cast around Cleveland's superstar.
If the Raptors are unable to correct their mistakes from Game 2, they could be in trouble of falling out of relevance in the East with the Celtics and Sixers poised to make championship runs in years to come.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from NBA.com.
