NBA Playoff Schedule 2016: Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors Play On Day 1 Of Playoffs


NBA playoff schedules are out for the 2016 postseason. Matchups are set, and the 2016 NBA playoff schedule begins on Saturday, April 16. The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors play on day one of the NBA Playoffs, opening against the No. 8 Houston Rockets in the Western Conference. Game 1 of that series will take place at 12:30 p.m. PT on ABC. It isn’t the first game of the day, though, as the NBA playoff schedule begins with the Indiana Pacers vs. Toronto Raptors.

The Indiana vs. Toronto series tips off at 12:30 p.m. ET on April 16, with the No. 2 seeded Raptors hosting. The 56-26 Raptors won the Atlantic Division, while the 45-37 Pacers finished second in the Central Division. Game 1 of that series will take place on ESPN.

There are two late games for April 16 on the NBA playoff schedule, beginning with the Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. ET and ending with the Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder at 9:30 p.m. ET. Atlanta and Boston finished with identical 48-34 records, with the Hawks winning the tie-breaker and the right to host this No. 4 vs. No. 5 series. Both night games will be on ESPN.

The late game has the 55-27 Thunder hosting the 42-40 Mavericks in a matchup of the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds in the West. Dallas moved past the Memphis Grizzlies to secure this series, escaping what looked like a first-round series with the San Antonio Spurs. OKC finished with the third-best record in the West, securing that spot early and allowing some time to rest the starters down the stretch.

Warriors Win 73
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

The 2016 NBA playoff schedule continues on Sunday, April 17, as the other eight playoff teams tip off their matchups. The day begins with the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons at 3 p.m. ET. The Cavs are the top seed in the Eastern Conference at 57-25 and would like another crack at the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. The Cavs are also much healthier than in the 2014-15 NBA season.

April 17 continues with the Charlotte Hornets vs. Miami Heat at 5:30 p.m. ET, the Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs at 8 p.m. ET, and finally the Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET. Miami and Charlotte finished with identical 48-34 records, with the Heat owning the tie-breaker and the right to host the first two games. The Spurs finished 67-15 and had the second-best record in the entire NBA. The late game between the Clippers and Blazers is a matchup of the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds in the West.

There are three games on the 2016 NBA playoff schedule for Monday, April 18. Those games are Indiana vs. Toronto at 7 p.m. ET, Dallas vs. OKC at 8 p.m. ET, and Houston vs. Golden State at 10:30 p.m. ET. There are then only two games on Tuesday, April 19, and they are Boston vs. Atlanta at 7 p.m. ET and Memphis vs. San Antonio at 9:30 p.m. ET. On Wednesday, April 20, the games are Charlotte vs. Miami at 7 p.m. ET, Detroit vs. Cleveland at 8 p.m. ET, and then Portland vs. Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Breaking down how some of the matchups went in the regular season, there were some very one-sided results. In the Western Conference, the Warriors swept the Rockets in three games, the Spurs swept the Grizzlies in four games, OKC swept the Mavs in four games, and the Clippers won 3-of-4 games against the Blazers. In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons beat the Cavs in 3-of-4 games, the Raptors beat the Pacers in 3-of-4 games, the Hornets and Heat split their series, and the Hawks beat the Celtics three times.

Spurs Players
(Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

There 2016 NBA playoff schedule holds a lot of excitement, but there are many fans looking forward to a possible Western Conference Championship series between the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. Can the Warriors win a second-straight NBA title?

[Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images]

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