NBA Playoffs 2018: Updated Conference Brackets, Postseason Records and Odds

A fourth straight NBA Finals matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers is not a foregone conclusion through one game in each of the conference finals.

While Golden State prevailed in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets and stole home-court advantage, the Boston Celtics steamrolled Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference battle.

With those two early results as the backdrop, here is a look at the latest postseason records and odds before a Tuesday prediction.

NBA Playoff Bracket and Records

The NBA shared a look at the postseason bracket, while the updated postseason records for every team that qualified for the playoffs are below:

*Golden State Warriors, 9-2

*Boston Celtics, 9-4

*Houston Rockets, 8-3

*Cleveland Cavaliers, 8-4

New Orleans Pelicans, 5-4

Philadelphia 76ers, 5-5

Utah Jazz, 5-6

Toronto Raptors, 4-6

Indiana Pacers, 3-4

Milwaukee Bucks, 3-4

Oklahoma City Thunder, 2-4

Washington Wizards, 2-4

Minnesota Timberwolves, 1-4

San Antonio Spurs, 1-4

Miami Heat, 1-4

Portland Trail Blazers, 0-4

*Still alive

Odds to Win the Championship

These odds were courtesy of OddsShark at 11:30 p.m. ET Monday:

Golden State Warriors, -140 (bet $140 to win $100)

Houston Rockets, +220

Cleveland Cavaliers, +800

Boston Celtics, +1,200

Tuesday Preview

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

There is only one contest on the NBA playoffs schedule for Tuesday, and it is Game 2 between the Cavaliers and Celtics.

Boston handled Cleveland with relative ease in a 108-83 blowout in the first showdown at TD Garden, and the primary story was its strong defensive effort. In particular, the Celtics prevented LeBron James from taking over at any point, and the four-time MVP finished with 15 points on an ugly 5-of-16 shooting from the field and 0-of-5 from three-point range.

The Celtics swarmed his driving lanes and cut off his passing windows, forcing seven turnovers from James in the process.

As NBA TV shared, Marcus Morris pointed to the team effort it took to contain James even if he was one of the main defenders to guard him at times:

It was another stellar defensive performance for a Boston team that was tops in the league in defensive rating during the regular season, per NBA.com. However, it needed some offense as well, and Jaylen Brown (23 points), Morris (21 points) and Al Horford (20 points) provided just that.

Horford was in complete control operating the offense from the high elbow and stretching his game to the perimeter to create matchup problems with Cleveland's frontcourt and dished out six assists when he wasn't scoring.

Despite Boston's showing, this is not the first time Cleveland has been in a similar scenario this postseason. It lost Game 1 to the Indiana Pacers at home and dropped Game 3 to fall behind 2-1, but having James against an opponent that did not proved to be an effective measure over the course of the seven-game battle.

All the Cavaliers need is a win Tuesday to emerge with a split in the first two road contests even if Game 1 was an eyesore from their perspective.

The showing from Boston wasn't a fluke, though, considering it is yet to lose a game at home in these playoffs.

The thought here is the defense sets the tone early, and the TD Garden crowd will feed off the opportunity to go up 2-0 on the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions and be electric throughout.

The series will still be far from over, and it wouldn't be a surprise if James leads the Cavaliers to home wins in Games 3 and 4, but look for Boston to take care of business at home yet again.

Game 2 Prediction: Boston 102, Cleveland 93