NBA Playoff Bracket 2018: Schedule of Dates, Game Times, Live Stream and Picks
At this point in the 2018 NBA playoffs, the magic number is three.
Eight teams remain, but as of Sunday night, four of them—the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets—hold a three-game lead in their respective semifinal matchup.
That means that the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz are all fighting for their playoff lives.
Will any of them be able to stave off elimination?
Here's a quick look at the game dates and times, as well as television and live-stream information.
The second round is coming to a close, so we'll throw in a few picks and odds, according to OddsShark.com.
TV and Live Stream for Monday's Semifinal Matchups
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers | BOS 3-0 | 6 p.m. ET | TNT | TNTDrama.com
Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers | CLE 3-0 | 8:30 p.m. ET | TNT | TNTDrama.com
TV and Live Stream for Tuesday's Semifinal Matchups
Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets | HOU 3-1 | 8 p.m. ET | TNT | TNTDrama.com
New Orleans Pelicans at Golden State Warriors | GS 3-1 | 10:30 p.m. ET | TNT | TNTDrama.com
Playoff Predictions
Conference Finals
Cavaliers over Celtics 4-3
Warriors over Rockets 4-3
Finals
Warriors over Cavaliers 4-2
Championship Odds
Golden State Warriors -150
Houston Rockets +225
Cleveland Cavaliers +550
Boston Celtics +1600
Philadelphia 76ers +10000
Utah Jazz +10000
Toronto Raptors +10000
New Orleans Pelicans +10000
Latest Buzz
Walk Off LeBron
Whenever LeBron James reaches another milestone or does something else incredible, the comparisons come out of the woodwork.
Has James surpassed Michael Jordan as the GOAT?
That argument has many layers, but the latest wrinkle occurred Saturday night.
With the score tied at 103 and fewer than six seconds left in the game, James dribbled from baseline to baseline and rose off one foot to deliver a game-winning floater from the left block.
It was such a shocker that most people on the court, including J.R. Smith, couldn't react.
After that amazing buzzer-beater, James now has five career postseason buzzer-beaters.
For comparison's sake, according to ESPN Stats & Info, his two buzzer-beaters in this year's playoffs are one shy of Jordan's career playoff total.
With the way he's playing, James will keep breaking records and wowing audiences whenever he steps on the court.
Hamptons Five Back?
Much was made about the "Hamptons Five" when Kevin Durant signed in the offseason of 2016.
With Durant in tow, the Golden State Warriors now had five players (Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala) that could effectively blow the lid off the Association with its firepower.
In Game 4 against the New Orleans Pelicans, Durant came alive, going off for 38 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
It was vintage Durant with an amazing array of deadly, contested mid-range shots.
Durant hit those difficult shots on a shorter Jrue Holiday, but that's not the important part to focus on.
As the games and competition get harder, the Warriors need this Durant, the one that breaks hearts with seemingly unmakeable shots.
If all of the Hamptons Five are firing on all cylinders, the rest of the league should be nervous.
According to USA Today's Sam Amick, the Hamptons Five lineup was on the floor for 18 minutes and registered a net rating of 63.6. Additionally, the lineup averaged 130.1 points per 100 possessions and had a defensive rating of 66.5.
Curry and Durant are playing like their old selves and that spells trouble for anyone looking to dethrone the defending champs.
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