NBA Playoff Schedule 2016: Dates, TV Coverage for Remaining Round 1 Games

The 2016 NBA playoffs have stormed out of the gate with riveting Round 1 action hooking hoops fans to their screens. 

OK, fine. Let’s be honest. The opening round has mostly laid an egg.

A couple of underdogs stole one on the road, and the Detroit Pistons at least made the Cleveland Cavaliers sweat in a captivating Game 1. Other than that, not much excitement is boiling yet.

A measly four games have ended with a single-digit margin, and that includes the Golden State Warriors’ nine-point Game 2 victory without Stephen Curry. Their potential Western Conference Finals opponent, the San Antonio Spurs, would need to sit their entire starting lineup to make their series with the Memphis Grizzlies a fair fight.

Alas, the postseason remains in its infancy. Each series will shift venues before Game 3, creating fresh opportunities for the underdogs to spice things up at home. Let’s look at the remaining first-round schedule before highlighting two of the more intriguing matchups.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks

One game in, this series looked over. Then the Dallas Mavericks followed a 38-point loss by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road.

Put a fraction of a second more on the clock, and Steven Adams’ overturned tip-in gives Oklahoma City a commanding 2-0 lead. Now the Thunder must bounce back from an evening in which Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook went a combined 15-of-55 in an 85-84 defeat, precisely the low-scoring grind Dallas prefers.

Durant especially endured an off night, making seven of 33 shot attempts. ESPN Stats & Info noted his historically bad combination of volume and inefficiency:

Worst FG Pct In Playoff Game – Minimum 30 FGA Shot Clock Era 2016 Kevin Durant 21.2% 1997 Michael Jordan 25.7 %via @eliassports

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 19, 2016

While the former MVP accepted blame, he also won’t put his head down and shy away from shooting, per ESPN.com’s Royce Young. 

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