Four months later than usual, the NBA playoffs are about to begin. There is a definitive timetable that must be resolved before this year’s diversity is final.
On Saturday, Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies will play a Western Conference game. If Portland, seeded No. 8, wins, it qualifies for the first round. If Memphis, seeded number 9, wins, either will play in a win-win contest on Sunday.
The Trail Blazers or Grizzlies will face the No. 1 Seed Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
The rest of the diversity ended after Friday’s final qualifying games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World. The Lakers are the only team to know their first-round opponent, as the other seven first-round sets are set.
Here’s a look at the dates you should know in the run-up to the NBA playoffs, followed by the upcoming first-round schedule and a list of some intriguing games to watch.
NBA playoff schedule
August 15: Western Conference Entry (Portland Trail Blazers vs Memphis Grizzlies), 2:30 pm ET on ABC
August 16: Second Western Conference entry game, 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (if Memphis wins Saturday)
August 17: Start of the first of the playoffs
August 31: Deadline for convention semi-finals
September 15: Deadline for convention finals
September 30: Target date of the NBA Finals
October 13: Last Date Imaginable for Last NBA Finals Game
Next first-round program
Monday, August 17
Game 1: No. 6 Utah Jazz vs. No. Denver Nuggets, 1:0 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 1: No. 7 Brooklyn Nets vs. Toronto Raptors No. 2, p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 1: No. 6 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. Boston Celtics, 6:0 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 1: No. 7 Dallas Mavericks vs. No. 2 Los Angeles Clippers, nine p.m. ET, ESPN
Tuesday, August 18
Game 1: No. Orlando Magic at No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks, 1:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 1: Five Miami Heat at No. Four Indiana Pacers, Four p.m. ET, TNT
Game 1: Five Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets No. 4, 6:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 1: No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers / Memphis Grizzlies at No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers, nine p.m. ET, TNT
The full programme of the first circular will be available in NBA.com. Games broadcast by ESPN and ABC can be broadcast on ESPN. Games streamed on TNT can be streamed on Watch TNT.
Intriguing in the first round
Four Houston Rockets vs. No. Five Oklahoma City Thunder
Last low season, the Rockets and Thunder made a massive exchange, swapping bases. Russell Westbrook changed groups for the first time in his career and headed to Houston, while veteran Chris Paul moved to Oklahoma City.
The move worked for both teams as they made it to the Western Conference playoffs. However, only one will go from the first circular with the Rockets and Thunder competing in a best-of-seven series.
Houston faces a big problem, however: Westbrook will miss the start of the series due to a quadriceps détente, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, and it is unclear when he will return. With Westbrook in the lineup, the Rockets probably would have been the favorite against the Thunder. Now you will have to find a way to get to the playoffs without your star base.
Obviously, that means James Harden will have to lead the way. The former 30-year-old NBA Most Valuable Player is betting as well as ever, leading the league by scoring the normal season with 34.3 consistent gambling issues. He led Houston at least in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last 3 seasons and will look to do so with his back to a strong Oklahoma City team.
No. 2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks
It will be the Clippers’ first playoff appearance since they beat Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the last off season, and will be one of the most productive contenders for the NBA title. But first they’ll have to overtake the Mavericks, which probably wouldn’t be an easy task.
Dallas had not made it to the playoffs since 2016, before winning Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. And in the first two seasons of the NBA, Doncic is a star who still threatens to double-double and lead the Mav to victory.
While acknowledging that Dallas is a smart team, Los Angeles is also confident of its own playoff opportunities.
“Luka is going to be a handful,” said Clippers goalkeeper Lou Williams, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “Dallas is betting incredibly hard. I just saw those guys last week. A well-trained team. Everyone will agree. They’re going to play hardball. For us, we’ll have to agree on the same. feel smart in this confrontation.”
But if Doncic warms up and leads the Mavericks to a win or two earlier, it may be temporarily a competitive series and the Clippers can finish gambling to win early.
No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. No. 7 Brooklyn Nets
Can reigning NBA champions win back-to-back titles? Or will a team that has defied expectations in their qualifying matches gain a massive wonder in the first round? Anyway, this may just be a series of laughs to watch.
Even after wasting Leonard, the Raptors followed the first franchise championship with a season forged in 2019-20, while remaining among the most sensitive eastern conference groups and securing a place for the time being. In fact, their 53-19 record gave them their most productive regular-season winning percentage in franchise history.
But the Nets may be offering them a competitive streak. Although he did not have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving (injuries), as well as Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan and Wilson Chandler (choosing not to play), Brooklyn went 5-3 in their qualifying games, which included victories over the Bucks and Clippers. .
This series deserves to give an indication of whether the Raptors may pose a risk of winning any other NBA name this year. But the Nets have already been a wonderful team when the season resumes, so maybe they’ll continue to play better than many expected. Toronto is expected to win the series, but there may only be competitive games that make it an intriguing series.
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