BASKETBALL NBA ARTICLES

The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking unstoppable. They dominated the Boston Celtics in each of the first two games on the road in the Eastern Conference Finals and will be heavy favorites in Game 3. Cleveland gets to return home for this game and the Celtics may be without star point guard Isaiah Thomas.... 

Cleveland dominated from start to finish against Boston in Game 1, cruising to the road victory. The Cavaliers have been dominant throughout the postseason and will aim to pick up a win in Game 2 as well. If that happens, they could make quick work of the Celtics since the following two games will be back in Cleveland.Boston’s back is against the wall and it will need to play much better in this series or risk getting run over on the Cavaliers’ march to the NBA Finals.... 

The Warriors went up 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals with an easy win last time out. The Spurs will return home hoping the crowd can help re-energize them, although Golden State figures to be the road favorite based on its dominance last time out.The Warriors are 10-0 in the postseason and look to cruise into the NBA Finals. This game will determine whether San Antonio will be able to put up a fight.... 

The Cavaliers have won all eight of their postseason games and will aim to keep that streak alive. Boston was expected to get here, but the Celtics needed everything they had to get past the Bulls in the opening round and the Wizards in the second round.The Celtics knocked out Washington in Game 7 at home last time out and would love to treat their fans to another critical win to open this series. However, it is going to be tough with as well as Cleveland is playing right now.... 

The San Antonio Spurs had a huge lead and a healthy Kawhi Leonard in the first game of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday afternoon. By the end of it, they had neither. The Golden State Warriors rallied from a huge deficit to claim Game 1, and Leonard re-injured his ankle in the third quarter.... 

John Wall saved the season. Now he’s hoping to extend it some more. The Washington Wizards’ star point guard hit a game-winning three-pointer in Game 6 to set up a win-or-go-home Game 7 against the Boston Celtics which will decide who will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.... 

The Golden State Warriors haven’t faced a challenge through two rounds of the postseason, but that’s about to change. Golden State will be tested in the Western Conference Finals by the San Antonio Spurs.... 

This has been a close series throughout even though only Game 2 was super competitive. The Celtics will aim to stick in this one early in order to ramp up the pressure on the Wizards. Washington, though, seems like it should be a solid favorite based on its performances in Games 3 and 4.The Cavaliers are waiting in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Wizards hope to keep them in limbo for another couple days by defending their home court in Game 6.... 

It took overtime to get it, but now San Antonio leads 3-2 in the series, one victory away from advancing to face the Golden State Warriors in the conference finals. Houston has no plans to go quietly, and should be favored at home in Game 6.The spread could certainly be greatly affected by the availability of Spurs star Kawhi Leonard, who tweaked his ankle last time out. Keep a close eye on his status as this game draws close.... 

Washington won a pair of blowouts at home to even this series as two games apiece heading into the critical showdown in Boston. The Celtics will likely be favored since they are the higher seed and the home team, but the Wizards have looked like the better team in this series and will be aiming for the upset.This game is going to have a huge effect on the outcome of this series, as each side would love to advance and face off with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.... 

Game 5 is such a critical game for both sides, and it’s hard to know what’s going to happen. The Spurs have controlled a pair of games in this series while Houston rolled in the other two.While the first four games have been decided by double digits, these teams are pretty even in talent level and this might be the game that finally comes down to the wire. The Rockets could really set themselves up well with a win in this one but the Spurs should be favored as they are the home team and have the superior record.... 

The Jazz need this win to stay alive, although clearly their season will be ending in this series, whether it be next time out or within the next few games.Utah would much prefer playing the same type of style as Game 3, slowing the game down to avoid the type of runs that the Warriors can put together when they are regularly getting out in transition. The Jazz have found the formula to set themselves up with a chance at beating Golden State and need to follow it once again in Game 4.... 

Home or on the road, the Cleveland Cavaliers are proving the Toronto Raptors are no match for them. Cleveland has dominated this Eastern Conference semifinal series and will aim for the sweep in Game 4 after cruising once again last time out.... 

Not many teams can slow down the Houston Rockets, but the San Antonio Spurs’ defense was terrific in Game 3, and now they have the lead in their Western Conference semifinals showdown. Houston looked terrific in the opening game between these teams but has lost two in a row and now badly need a victory in Game 4 to knot up the series.... 

The home team has won every game and the Wizards hope for that to continue. They played very well last time out and are good at home, which will likely make them the slight favorites. The Celtics were never in it on Thursday but still have the 2-1 series lead and could deliver a huge blow to Washington’s chances with a road win in this one.Washington is expected to win but the margin for error is small, so it must play well in Game 4.... 

The Warriors are the prohibitive NBA championship favorites and have rolled to six consecutive wins in the playoffs. They will be road favorites in this one and if they keep playing like the first two games, the location won’t make much of a difference.The Jazz must shoot really well from the field and play good defense to have any shot of pulling off this upset against the best team in the NBA.... 

The teams finished with identical records in the regular season so it wouldn’t be a shock for Toronto to bounce back here in Game 3 to try to make this a series, but there isn’t much that can be taken from the games in Cleveland to make the Raptors confident.Cleveland struggled during the regular season but has come alive in the postseason and will look to deliver a critical blow to the Raptors in Game 3.... 

Both teams have looked great in one game and awful in the other. This one figures to be more competitive since San Antonio is the slightly superior team but Houston gets this one in front of its home crowd. This series seems destined to go six or seven games, and the Rockets can really begin to feel upset-minded if they are able to claim this Game 3 victory in Houston.This war on the floor will go down Friday, May 5, 2017, at 9:30 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The game will be televised live on ESPN.... 

Golden State’s defense stuck out in this one, as it was able to lock down in the half court to force the Jazz into a lot of contested shots. The Warriors got stellar performances from Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and the outcome was never really in doubt.Golden State will be a double-digit favorite once again in Game 2, and the only real drama will be whether or not Utah can come up with another backdoor cover.... 

The Wizards had two shots to win the game in the final seconds of regulation, but both John Wall and Bradley Beal missed their jumpers. Now Washington is on its heels, as a loss in Game 3 would basically make it nearly impossible to get past the second round.The Wizards looked like the better team for much of Game 2 and needs that to roll over to this one. The home court advantage is huge, as Washington could very well be favored in this one despite losing each of the first two matchups.... 

While the Spurs won the regular season series the Rockets dominated from start to finish on Monday and it’s going to be interesting to see how San Antonio responds. The Spurs have been looked at as the main challenger to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference but Houston is making a charge as a legitimate contender.San Antonio needs to even this series at 1 or it could be in real trouble. Despite the lopsided loss in the first game the Spurs are the favorites again in Game 2.... 

The Raptors are a solid team but had no answer for the hyped-up Cavaliers, who surged to an early lead and were never threatened. Not only is James playing well, but he’s getting plenty of help.Toronto needs an outstanding game from its backcourt and some better defense from everyone to have a shot at keeping the second game in Cleveland more competitive. The Cavs will be sizable favorites since they are at home once again and won so easily in the first playoff matchup.... 

The Golden State Warriors’ journey toward a title is ready to welcome its next challenger. After rolling past the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, top-seeded Golden State will face off with the No. 5 seed Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals.... 

It took the Boston Celtics a quarter to wake up in their Eastern Conference semifinal opener against the Washington Wizards, but then they turned it on. Boston was excellent offensively to take a 1-0 lead on Sunday and will now aim to defend its home court once again in Game 2.... 

One of the stingiest defenses in the NBA will face off against a high-powered offense in an intriguing Western Conference semifinals showdown. The No. 3 seed Houston Rockets will aim to keep up the pace when they travel to face the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs....