NBA Playoffs 2019: Updated Conference Finals Schedule and Picks Entering Weekend
The nail-biters that defined the conference semis haven't carried over to the penultimate round of the 2019 NBA playoffs.
The top-seeded Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks each own 2-0 series advantages over the Portland Trail Blazers and Toronto Raptors, respectively. Both No. 1 seeds already have a double-digit victory, most recently Milwaukee's 22-point drubbing of Toronto on Friday night.
Can either lower seed recover on their home floor? Or are these series headed to swift conclusions?
We'll predict what lies ahead after laying out the updated schedule below.
2019 Conference Finals Schedule
Eastern Conference
Game 1: Wed, May 15, Bucks 108, Raptors 100
Game 2: Fri, May 17, Bucks 125, Raptors 103
Game 3: Sun, May 19, Bucks at Raptors, 7 p.m. ET on TNT
Game 4: Tue, May 21, Bucks at Raptors, 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT
*Game 5: Thu, May 23, Raptors at Bucks, 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT
*Game 6: Sat, May 25, Bucks at Raptors, 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT
*Game 7: Mon, May 27, Raptors at Bucks, 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Western Conference
Game 1: Tue, May 14, Warriors 116, Blazers 94
Game 2: Thu, May 16, Warriors 114, Blazers 111
Game 3: Sat, May 18, Warriors at Blazers, 9 p.m. ET on ESPN
Game 4: Mon, May 20, Warriors at Blazers, 9 p.m. ET on ESPN
*Game 5: Wed, May 22, Blazers at Warriors, 9 p.m. ET on ESPN
*Game 6: Fri, May 24, Warriors at Blazers, 9 p.m. ET on ESPN
*Game 7: Sun, May 26, Blazers at Warriors, 9 p.m. ET on ESPN
*if necessary
Bucks vs. Raptors
The head-to-head battle between superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard has been as good as anticipated and then some.
Leonard has the edge in scoring (31.0-27.0). Antetokounmpo has the upper hand in rebounds (15.5-8.5), assists (5.5-2.0) and blocks (2.5-0.5). But the biggest split between them resides in the plus/minus column. While Milwaukee has won Antetokounmpo's minutes by an average of 12.5 points per game, Toronto has been outscored during Leonard's floor time by 11.5 points per game.
The difference comes from the supporting cast. In short, Antetokounmpo's has delivered, while Leonard's has fallen short.
In Game 2, Leonard appeared at times to be playing by himself. He had 31 points on a tidy 10-of-18 shooting (55.6 percent). Toronto's other four starters managed just 33 points while shooting 11-of-37 (29.7).
The Raptors called their first timeout before scoring their first points. They went down 14-3 just four minutes into the proceedings and never really recovered.
"If we want to do anything, if we want to be a championship team, we have to play through adversity," Leonard told reporters.
This might not be about mental fortitude and fighting the good fight, though.
Milwaukee is a deep team that's found a collective rhythm. Toronto is a top-heavy club struggling to get any traction behind Leonard. After shooting 50-plus percent in the Raptors' first six playoff contests, Pascal Siakam's conversion rate has plummeted to 37.6 since. Kyle Lowry has been more cold than hot, while Marc Gasol and Danny Green both slumping at the worst possible time.
It's possible getting back north of the border helps the Raptors find themselves, but our crystal ball doesn't see that happening.
Prediction: Bucks in five.
Warriors vs. Blazers
Injuries have robbed Golden State of its safety nets.
There's no Kevin Durant (calf strain) to bail this club out of any stalled offensive sets, and no DeMarcus Cousins to bring versatile scoring to the frontcourt.
But there is a tried-and-true system that raised a championship banner inside Oracle Arena before the Dubs built the NBA's version of the Avengers. They're playing the beautiful game again, a system formed around the foundation of the devastating pick-and-roll partnership forged between Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Portland tried not to send extra help at Curry at Game 1. He blitzed them for 36 points and seven assists. The Blazers trapped him more in Game 2, which gave Green enough room to operate to the tune of 16 points and seven assists.
"Just trying to take what the defense gives me," Green said. "They're really committing two to Steph, which means there's a four-on-three on the backside. They're putting a guy on Klay [Thompson's] body, so at that point, there's a three-on-two on the backside. Just try to take whatever's there and make the right read."
Green was tremendous in Game 2, and Curry wasn't too shabby in his own right. This time, he went for 37 points and eight dimes, although the extra attention impacted his three-point shooting (9-of-15 in the opener, 4-of-14 in Game 2).
Without the mobile bigs to disrupt the Dubs' perimeter activity, the Blazers are leaning more heavily into trying to outscore them. It almost worked in Game 2, which should be extra encouraging when neither Damian Lillard (6-of-16 shooting) nor CJ McCollum (9-of-23) were particularly sharp.
Matching Golden State's offense sounds difficult, but Portland has the edge in quantity of scoring threats as long as Durant and Cousins are down. The Curry-Thompson-Green trio still gives the Warriors the quality advantage, but they probably can't count too many more double-digit efforts from Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell.
With Portland heading home to what should be a raucous crowd, the Blazers could get the boost needed to at least split their home games, if not even things up before the series leaves the Northwest. That won't be enough to deny the Warriors a fifth consecutive Finals appearance, but the defending champs might sweat more than people think.
Prediction: Warriors in six.
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