NBA Playoff Bracket 2018: TV Schedule, Predictions for East, West Finals
The NBA is in the midst of a jam-packed week between the draft lottery, NBA Draft Combine and the conference finals.
The lottery is now over, while the combine is underway in Chicago. The NBA playoffs are in the midst of a two-day hiatus, but that will end Saturday when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference final. The Golden State Warriors will be home for a Game 3 tilt with the Houston Rockets on Sunday in the Western Conference final.
Here's a look at the NBA playoff bracket, the television schedule and predictions for the remainder of the conference finals, with a focus on important statistics.
NBA Playoff Bracket: Eastern Conference
1st Round
No. 1 Toronto Raptors 4, No. 8 Washington Wizards 2
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers 4, No. 5 Indiana Pacers 3
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers 4, No. 6 Miami Heat 1
No. 2 Boston Celtics 4, No. 7 Milwaukee Bucks 3
2nd Round
Cleveland 4, Toronto 0
Boston 4, Philadelphia 1
Conference Finals
Boston 2, Cleveland 0
NBA Playoff Bracket: Western Conference
1st Round
No. 1 Houston Rockets 4, No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves 1
No. 5 Utah Jazz 4, No. 4 Oklahoma City Thunder 2
No. 6 New Orleans Pelicans 4, No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers 0
No. 2 Golden State Warriors 4, No. 7 San Antonio Spurs 1
2nd Round
Golden State 4, New Orleans 1
Houston 4, Utah 1
Conference Finals
Golden State 1, Houston 1
Eastern Conference Finals TV Schedule (All Times ET)
Boston at Cleveland (Game 3): Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
Boston at Cleveland (Game 4): Monday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
Cleveland at Boston (Game 5, if necessary): Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
Boston at Cleveland (Game 6, if necessary): Friday, May 25 at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
Cleveland at Boston (Game 7, if necessary): Sunday, May 27 at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
Western Conference Finals TV Schedule (All Times ET)
Houston at Golden State (Game 3): Sunday at 8 p.m. on TNT
Houston at Golden State (Game 4): Tuesday at 9 p.m. on TNT
Golden State at Houston (Game 5): Thursday, May 24 at 9 p.m. on TNT
Houston at Golden State (Game 6, if necessary): Saturday, May 26 at 9 p.m. on TNT
Golden State at Houston (Game 7, if necessary): Monday, May 28 at 9 p.m. on TNT
NBA Finals Schedule (All Times ET)
The winner of the Western Conference Finals will have home-court advantage in the NBA Finals, as the Rockets and Warriors have the best two regular-season records of the teams remaining.
East winner at West winner (Game 1): Thursday, May 31 at 9 p.m. on ABC
East winner at West winner (Game 2): Sunday, June 3 at 8 p.m. on ABC
West winner at East winner (Game 3): Wednesday, June 6 at 9 p.m. on ABC
West winner at East winner (Game 4): Friday, June 8 at 9 p.m. on ABC
East winner at West winner (Game 5, if necessary): Monday, June 11 at 9 p.m. on ABC
West winner at East winner (Game 6, if necessary): Thursday, June 14 at 9 p.m. on ABC
East winner at West winner (Game 7, if necessary): Sunday, June 17 at 8 p.m. on ABC
East Final Stats and Predictions
5: Number of Turnovers Boston Committed in Game 2
The Celtics committed 14 turnovers per game during the regular season, which put them around the middle of the league pack. However, they are taking better care of the ball in the postseason (11.9 turnovers per game), and they had just five turnovers in a 107-94 Game 2 win over the Cavaliers.
Barring any sloppy unforced errors, expect this low-turnover trend to continue for Boston. Cleveland's 6.0 steals per game in the playoffs ranks third-lowest among the 16 postseason participants. That puts the Cavs in a tough spot on defense, especially considering their offensive struggles in this series (they have averaged 88.5 points per game thus far).
6: Number of Celtics Who Have Averaged 10 or More Points in Playoffs
The Celtics' rotation isn't particularly deep right now, as they are running with seven or eight players per night due to a rash of injuries suffered during the regular season and postseason.
While the team doesn't have much depth in terms of the amount of personnel, the team's scoring depth is impressive, as six or more players average 10.5 points or more per game. Jayson Tatum leads the way with 18.1 points per contest.
The Cavs only have three players who are averaging double digits in the playoffs (LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyle Korver), in part due to a few cold streaks running through the team. Unless the Cavs can get more production outside that trio, this may end up being a quick series.
Pick: Celtics 4, Cavaliers 1
It's hard seeing James and the Cavs lose the next two games at Quicken Loans Arena, in part because the team is far better there (34-13) than it is away from Cleveland (24-24). Look for the Cavs to come alive and feed off the home crowd's energy in either Game 3 or 4.
However, the Celtics' depth, defense and excellent work taking care of the ball will be too much for Cleveland the rest of the way. Look for Boston to steal one of the next two in Cleveland before ending the series in five at home.
West Final Stats and Predictions
35-5: Warriors' Home Postseason Record Since 2014-15 Campaign
Dating back to the 2014-15 season, which marked the Golden State Warriors' first championship in the Steph Curry era, the defending NBA champions have gone 35-5 in the postseason at Oracle Arena.
If you count just the two years in which Kevin Durant has been with the team, then that number is perfect at 15-0. Furthermore, 13 of those 15 victories have come by nine or more points.
Simply put, Oracle Arena is a madhouse in the playoffs and provides the best homecourt advantage in the league. The Rockets did win in Oakland in the season opener, defeating the Dubs 122-121, but the playoffs are a different story.
84: Number of Points Scored By Rockets Not Named James Harden or Chris Paul in Game 2
Losing homecourt advantage following a Game 1 loss will be a difficult obstacle for the Rockets to overcome, but their Game 2 performance was quite encouraging.
Although James Harden and Chris Paul had off nights shooting (they combined to go 4-of-20 from three-point range), the rest of the Rockets picked up the scoring slack, going 12-of-22 from deep. P.J. Tucker made five of his six threes, and Eric Gordon led all Rockets with 27 points.
The Rockets need this production to continue if they are to win this series. In Game 1, Rockets not named Harden or Paul scored just 42 points. With that total doubled in Game 2, it's no surprise why they were able to come away with a 22-point win.
Pick: Golden State 4, Houston 2
As good as the Rockets were in Game 2, the pick here is Golden State simply because of its excellent postseason track record at home. The Warriors are difficult to bet against, and they are sizable seven-point favorites, per OddsShark. Golden State is also the big favorite to win the NBA Finals, as evidenced by its minus-210 mark.
In addition, the Rockets just don't have an answer for Durant, who is averaging 37.5 points per game in this series. No Rocket who could conceivably defend him can match his height and length, leading to KD doing work in the mid-range.
Look for Durant to continue his success against Houston and for both teams to protect home court the rest of the way, which would give the Warriors the series in six.
