NBA Playoff Schedule 2016: Remaining Dates and Breakdown for Conference Finals

As last year’s conference champions crumble, the 2016 NBA postseason is gaining an added spice of uncertainty.

A common complaint heading into the playoffs: Nobody needed greensight to envision the Golden State Warriors or San Antonio Spurs defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. The journey loses its zest with a telegraphed conclusion.

Midway through the conference finals, chaos has taken over. After eliminating the Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder decimated the Warriors on Sunday night to earn a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals. The West’s clear third wheel is suddenly a fierce threat to win its first championship.

Meanwhile, Cleveland started to make its case as more than an Eastern Conference champion destined to drown in the Finals. Then, a few days after everyone declared the series over, the Toronto Raptors evened the score at 2-2 on Monday night.

Let’s examine the remaining schedule before breaking down Tuesday night’s pivotal Game 4 showdown between the Warriors and Thunder:

Can Thunder End Warriors’ Repeat Run?

When mapping out a blueprint for the Thunder to top the Warriors, Game 1 probably serves as the most accurate model. They used their size to pound the Warriors on the glass and held them to 14 points during the fourth quarter of a six-point victory.

On Sunday night, they ran the Warriors off the court.

Oklahoma City still won the battle down low, grabbing 14 more rebounds and registering 62 points in the paint. It also generated 29 fast-break points, all through three quarters, while limiting the uptempo Warriors to 13.

Thunder head coach Billy Donovan also successfully killed the Warriors’ small-ball “death lineup” by concocting his own. NBA.com/Stats noted a seldom-used unit that caught fire:

.@okcthunder lineup of …

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