NBA Playoff Schedule 2020: Dates, Game Times and TV Info for Conference Finals

Just four teams remain in the chase for the 2020 NBA title.

The Los Angeles Lakers are the on-paper favorites with arguably the two best players in the postseason, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Miami Heat are the mathematical choice given they've already built a 2-0 lead in the conference finals. But the Boston Celtics have flashed a ceiling as high as anyone this season, and the Denver Nuggets keep proving they can't be counted out.

The bubble-based thrill ride will continue for two more rounds, so let's lay out the upcoming schedule for the conference finals, then break down the latest buzz coming out of Orlando.

2020 NBA Conference Finals Schedule and Broadcast Info

Eastern Conference: No. 3 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Miami Heat

Game 1: Heat 117, Celtics 114 (OT)

Game 2: Heat 106, Celtics 101

Game 3: Sept. 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Game 4: Sept. 23 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Game 5: Sept. 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN*

Game 6: Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN*

Game 7: TBD on ESPN*

 *if necessary

Western Conference: No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 3 Denver Nuggets

Game 1: Sept. 18 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT

Game 2: Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT

Game 3: Sept. 22 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT

Game 4: Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT

Game 5: Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT*

Game 6: Sept. 28 at TBD on TNT*

Game 7: Sept. 30 at TBD on TNT*

 *if necessary

Latest Playoff Buzz

Frustration Boiling Over for Boston?

The Celtics are stuck in an 0-2 hole that could just as easily be a 2-0 advantage.

After blowing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 1, Boston couldn't make a 15-point third-quarter advantage stick in Game 2. The Celtics have played well enough to win—their two losses have been decided by a total of eight points—but that doesn't change where they sit in this series.

It does, however, create a frustrating situation that spilled over into the club's locker room after Game 2, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps:

"After the Boston Celtics blew a second straight second-half lead and lost 106-101 to the Miami Heat on Thursday night, Celtics guard Marcus Smart was yelling at his teammates in the locker room before leaving the room swearing, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews.

"Smart left the locker room yelling, "Y'all on some bulls---," according to Andrews, and there were several loud clanks—like someone throwing things—coming from inside it, while several players, beyond just Smart, were yelling."

Boston has time to get back into this series and could be getting a big lift with Gordon Hayward nearing his return, but the late collapses have stripped away the squad's margin for error.

Lakers' Respect for Nuggets 'Out of this World'

LeBron James is uniquely positioned to appreciate the difficulty of Denver having successfully recovered from 3-1 deficits twice this postseason.

After all, James was at the center of the Cleveland Cavaliers' rise from the ashes in the 2016 Finals, when the club became the first team ever to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the championship round. He understands how challenging that is, and he's blown away by the Nuggets doing it in consecutive rounds.

"It takes a lot of energy, effort, a lot of desperation to be able to come back from a 3-1 deficit. They did it twice," James told reporters Thursday. "So the respect level is out of this world for what we have for this ballclub."

The Lakers sound ready for a challenging series, although oddsmakers aren't convinced that's what they'll get. L.A. is actually a stronger favorite (-590) than Miami (-355), per FanDuel, even though the latter already has two notches in the win column.

Lakers Will 'Return to Form' Up Front

L.A. won big by going small in the conference semis. Traditional centers JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard were largely cast aside as the Lakers adjusted to the Houston Rockets' small-ball style.

It worked phenomenally for that round, as the Lakers recovered from a Game 1 loss to win four straight, the last three of which were decided by double digits. But this round will be different, as the Nuggets run their offense through their 7'0", 284-pound center Nikola Jokic, who might already be the best passing big man the Association has ever seen.

There are different ways L.A. can approach the Jokic assignment, but an obvious one will be getting McGee and Howard back in the rotation.

"Obviously we're going to be the L.A. Lakers, who we've been all year," coach Frank Vogel told reporters Wednesday. "We adjusted to a small-ball team last series, but I would expect us to return to form."

Throwing McGee and Howard at Jokic will allow the Lakers to have Davis and James wreaking havoc as off-ball disruptors. Saying that, containing a talent like Jokic may require a number of different looks, so even if L.A. backs off its small-ball usage, it probably won't abandon those lineups entirely.