NBA Playoffs 2016: Schedule and Key Factors for Championship Matchup

As compelling as the NBA Conference Finals have been thus far, they are only the appetizer to the delicious entree that is the NBA Finals. 

In the West, we are either going to see the greatest regular-season team of all time emerge to defend its title or the dynamic duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant get a second crack at the NBA’s biggest stage. That’s a win-win situation for the neutral observer. 

On the other side of the bracket, we’re either going to see LeBron James make another bid to capture a title for a city that desperately needs one or the ultimate underdog in the Toronto Raptors. 

Here’s a look at the full schedule for the series when the matchup is finalized:

Although all four teams are still alive, it’s never too early to start looking ahead. Here are some of the key matchups that could determine who wins the title based on the teams that could make the finals, starting with the most likely matchup and moving to the least probable.

Key Potential Matchups

Russell Westbrook vs. Kyrie Irving

Make no mistake about it: Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook is terrorizing the Golden State Warriors. His explosiveness and dynamic playmaking with the ball in his hands has been the biggest difference in the Western Conference Finals, as the Warriors haven’t had a consistent answer for him on the defensive side of the floor. 

To understand Westbrook’s important role in the series, one only has to look at Games 4 and 5. In Game 4—the Thunder’s most impressive win in the series—Westbrook put up a triple-double with 36 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds.

In the Game 5 loss, the point guard turned the ball over seven times and was held to 39 percent shooting from the floor.

If the Cleveland Cavaliers and Thunder meet in the playoffs, the Cavs will have to find a way to slow Westbrook. That won’t be an easy task. His regular-season stats against Cleveland resemble the numbers he’s put up against Golden State in this series:

Kyrie Irving isn’t exactly a defensive maven. The Cavaliers might opt to rotate some of their longer, athletic wings to guard Westbrook at times, but that means Irving would still have to match up with a larger opponent on the defensive side of the ball.

With LeBron presumably canceling …

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