BOSTON, MA - MARCH 29: Greg Monroe #15 of the Milwaukee Bucks defends Amir Johnson #90 of the Boston Celtics during the third quarter at TD Garden on March 29, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts.
The 2016-2017 NBA regular season is now officially over following Wednesday night’s games, which included the Boston Celtics’ (53-29) 112-94 home victory over the sixth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens, however, thinks the Cleveland Cavaliers, and not his own team, are the favorites to win the NBA title this year.
“Cleveland is the team to beat. There’s no question about that,” Stevens, who is in his fourth season as Celtics coach, told reporters on Wednesday. “They deserve that. They’ve been to back-to-back Finals, and so until somebody knocks them off, as a defending champion, I think that’s a fair way to view things.”
The Cavs (51-31) finished second in the East after their 98-83 home loss to the third-seeded Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
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The playoffs begin Saturday, so here is the full first-round schedule for the 2017 postseason:
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 Chicago Bulls
Game 1 – at Celtics, Sunday, April 16, 6:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2 – at Celtics, Tuesday, April 18, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 – at Bulls, Friday, April 21, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4 – at Bulls, Sunday, April 23, 6:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 (if necessary) – at Celtics, Wednesday, April 26 (TBD)
Game 6 (if necessary) – at Bulls, Friday, April 28 (TBD)
Game 7 (if necessary) – at Celtics, Sunday, April 30 (TBD)
Season series – Tied 2-2.
Boston will probably win if Isaiah Thomas plays for most of each game and continues delivering stellar performances. With Thomas on the court, the Celtics’ offensive rating is 113.7 points per 100 possessions. Without him, that figure sinks to 98.6.
The Bulls, however, could win if Dwyane Wade plays well following his return from an 11-game absence due to an elbow fracture. Last year, Wade carried the Miami Heat to a Game 7 in the second round before they lost to the Raptors. Wade has averaged 22.8 points per game in the playoffs.
Chicago could also greatly benefit from Jimmy Butler, who is the first Bull to win three Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors in a single season since Michael Jordan in 1997-98.
No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 7 Indiana Pacers
Game 1 – at Cavs, Saturday, April 15, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 2 – at Cavs, Monday, April 17, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 – at Pacers, Thursday, April 20, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4 – at Pacers, Sunday, April 23, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5 (if necessary) – at Cavs, Tuesday, April 25 (TBD)
Game 6 (if necessary) – at Pacers, Thursday, April 27 (TBD)
Game 7 (if necessary) – at Cavs, Saturday, April 29, TNT
Season series – Cavs won 3-1.
The Cavs can win if LeBron James continues to perform well for them. James is 11-0 in first round series in his career, and he hasn’t lost a first-round game since 2012, his second season with the Heat. His teams are 44-7 in first-round games. Cleveland also set a franchise record for 3-pointers this season with 1,057.
The Pacers could win if they keep up their momentum. Indiana finished the regular season on a five-game winning streak, and owns the fourth-best 3-point percentage in the NBA at 37 percent. The Pacers are also second in the league in free throws.
No. 3 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks
Game 1 – at Raptors, Saturday, April 15, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2 – at Raptors, Tuesday, April 18, 7 p.m. ET, NBATV
Game 3 – at Bucks, Thursday, April 20, 8 p.m. ET, NBATV
Game 4 – at Bucks, Saturday, April 22, 3 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 (if necessary) – at Raptors, Monday, April 24, 7 p.m. ET, NBATV
Game 6 (if necessary) – at Bucks, Thursday, April 27 (TBD)
Game 7 (if necessary) – at Raptors, Saturday, April 29, TNT
Season series – Raptors won 3-1.
No. 4 Washington Wizards vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks
Game 1 – at Wizards, Sunday, April 16, 1 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2 – at Wizards, Wednesday, April 19, 7 p.m ET, NBATV
Game 3 – at Hawks, Saturday, April 22, 5:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4 – at Hawks, Monday, April 24, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 (if necessary) – at Wizards, Wednesday, April 26 (TBD)
Game 6 (if necessary) – at Hawks, Friday, April 28 (TBD)
Game 7 (if necessary) – at Wizards, Sunday, April 30 (TBD)
Season series – Wizards won 3-1.
Here are the matchups for the Western Conference:
No.1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers
Game 1 – at Warriors, Sunday, April 16, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 2 – at Warriors, Wednesday, April 19, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 – at Blazers, Saturday, April 22, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4 – at Blazers, Monday, April 24, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 (if necessary) – at Warriors, Wednesday, April 26 (TBD)
Game 6 (if necessary) – at Blazers, Friday, April 28, (TBD)
Game 7 (if necessary) – at Warriors, Sunday, April 30 (TBD)
Season series – Warriors won 4-0.
The Warriors beat the Blazers in five games in the second round of last year’s playoffs, despite Stephen Curry missing the first three with a sprained knee. Golden State is the first team in NBA history to record three straight 67-win seasons.
The Blazers, meanwhile, hold the second-best record in the league (17-6) since March 1.
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies
Game 1 – at Spurs, Saturday, April 15, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2 – at Spurs, Monday, April 17, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 – at Grizzlies, Thursday, April 20, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4 – at Grizzlies, Saturday, April 22, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 5 (if necessary) – at Spurs, Tuesday, April 25 (TBD)
Game 6 (if necessary) – at Grizzlies, Thursday, April 27 (TBD)
Game 7 (if necessary) – at Spurs, Saturday, April 29 (TBD)
Season series – Tied 2-2.
No. 3 Houston Rockets vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder
Game 1 – at Rockets, Sunday, April 16, 9 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2 – at Rockets, Wednesday, April 19th, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 – at Thunder, Friday, April 21, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 4 – at Thunder, Sunday, April 23, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5 (if necessary) – at Rockets, Tuesday, April 25 (TBD)
Game 6 (if necessary) – at Thunder, Thursday, April 27 (TBD)
Game 7 (if necessary) – at Rockets, Saturday, April 29 (TBD)
Season series – Rockets won 3-1.
This is sure to be an exciting matchup, as it will feature the NBA’s top two MVP candidates, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, facing off. The Rockets also set the league record for single-season three-pointers made.
Final matchup: No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz
Game 1 – at Clippers, Saturday, April 15, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2 – at Clippers, Tuesday, April 18, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 3 – at Jazz, Friday, April 21, 10:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Game 4 – at Jazz, Sunday, April 23, 9 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 (if necessary) – at Clippers, Tuesday, April 25 (TBD)
Game 6 (if necessary) – at Jazz, Friday, April 28 (TBD)
Game 7 (if necessary) – at Clippers, Sunday, April 30 (TBD)
Season series – Clippers won 3-1.
The Clippers have never made it past the Western Conference semifinals, while the Jazz are seeking their first playoff series victory since 2010. Utah hold the fifth-best net rating (plus-4.8) in the NBA.
BOSTON, MA – MARCH 29: Greg Monroe #15 of the Milwaukee Bucks defends Amir Johnson #90 of the Boston Celtics during the third quarter at TD Garden on March 29, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts.
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