No need to wait until the series start. Sporting News’ Sean Deveney is here to give his ironclad NBA playoff predictions — but don’t blame him if he’s wrong. (West picks are below, and East picks can be found here.) NBA PLAYOFFS: Team-by-team game, TV schedule | Vegas championship odds NBA playoff bracket NBA playoffs 2017: Western Conference predictions (1) Warriors vs. (8) Trail Blazers The backstory Including last year’s playoffs, the Warriors have beaten Portland in 10 of their last 11 games, and this series doesn’t figure to be much different — depending on the health of center Jusuf Nurkic....

When the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies play Monday night at 10 p.m., the eighth seed in the Western Conference and final spot in the NBA playoffs will be on the line. Here's a look at each scenario: what happens in the event of a Memphis wins and how both teams proceed after a Phoenix win. MORE: Carmelo Anthony to miss playoffs for first time | Playoffs: Teams who are eliminated | Teams who clinched...

On Easter Sunday, April 16, the remaining four series will begin, highlighted by the defending Western Conference champs, the Golden State Warriors, hosting the Portland Trail Blazers. MORE: Odds to win NBA championship The final Game 1 of the weekend will feature a matchup of NBA MVP candidates Russell Westbrook and James Harden as the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder play the Houston Rockets. Round 1 of the NBA playoffs could last a full 15 days; potential Game 7s are scheduled for April 30....

For the first time in NBA history, two teams will play for the Larry O’Brien trophy in three consecutive seasons. The championship series will feature 11 players who have been named NBA All-Stars as well as three players who have won seven of the past eight MVP awards (four-time MVP LeBron James, two-time MVP Stephen Curry, 2013-14 MVP Kevin Durant). NBA FINALS PREDICTION: Who wins Cavs vs. Warriors III? It’s not hard to see why there is so much anticipation for Cavs-Warriors III heading into Game 1 on Thursday night....

But don’t forget it also happened because of a perfectly executed final play drawn up by coach Brad Stevens. Without a wide-open look for Avery Bradley (and the accompanying bounce the ball took to leave virtually no time for the Cavs to respond), Game 3 would have gone to overtime, and Cleveland’s talent may have won out given a second chance to close the door. MORE: Five stats to know about Cavs’ Game 3 collapse...

The Warriors recently revealed a similar slogan ahead of the NBA playoffs. MORE: CJ McCollum, Draymond Green exchange trash talk over calves The internet quickly took notice of the similarities.

Unfortunately for San Antonio, the shot was clearly too late; the ball was still in Mills’ hands as time expired. MORE: Manu Ginobili unleashes furious dunk against Rockets The shot was clearly late, but Spurs coach Greg Popovich was still furious afterward, seemingly at big man Pau Gasol. Mills’ late shot obviously wasn’t ideal for the Spurs, but it did give us the second overtime game in the second round of this year’s NBA playoffs....

AccuScore has simulated every game remaining this season and provided probabilities for each team to reach the postseason. The table below shows probabilities to get into the playoffs and week-to-week changes. NBA PLAYOFFS: Projecting wild Western Conference race AccuScore’s odds to make NBA playoffs Probability vs. weekly % change NOTE: The Bulls, Knicks, Nets, Magic, Hawks, Mavericks, Kings, Suns and Grizzlies have already been officially eliminated from playoffs. In addition to those teams, the Lakers are out of the playoffs based on simulations....

Simmons had just 10 points, five rebounds and four assists as the 76ers lost 101-96 to the Raptors in Game 4 of the second-round playoff series. It was another quiet outing for All-Star Simmons — who only managed 10 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in Game 3 — as the Raptors leveled the matchup at 2-2. And Sixers star Butler had some advice for teammate Simmons following the defeat in Philadelphia....

The 76ers star appeared to be crying after the team’s last-second Game 7 loss to the Raptors on Sunday, but 9-year-old Olivia Djamoos wrote a letter to her favorite player assuring him that “it’s O.k. to lose sometimes.” She even included a nice little drawing. Take a look: “You are my favorite basketball player,” the letter read. “I am sorry that you lost. I saw you crying on T.V. It’s O....

In 2018-19, Pascal Siakam more than doubled his scoring output from the previous season and ran away with Most Improved Player honors. Siakam’s emergence came as a surprise to many, and his career trajectory certainly will be difficult to replicate. But there are still plenty of candidates forging their paths to stardom in their own ways. Five NBA players primed for breakout seasons in 2019-20: De’Aaron Fox, guard, Sacramento Kings...

Some hot starts have cooled off, some surprising starts have come back down to Earth and other first-year players are still establishing their roles on their team. And then there’s No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, who missed the first four games of his rookie season with an ankle injury before needing a few games to shake off the rust and get adjusted, now looking like the player he was projected to be....

In one case, the NBA announced that it’s significantly raising salaries for G-League players. Starting with the 2018-19 season, every player in the NBA’s official development league, formerly known as the D-League, will earn a minimum of $7,000 per month — up from a minimum of $3,600 — for the five-month schedule, a salary that’s in addition to housing and insurance benefits paid for by the league. MORE: Time for Orioles to shop Manny Machado...

Here, you can find projected win totals, predictions on the best player and best rookie, under the radar storylines to follow and a bold prediction among the five teams. Today, the focus shifts to the Pacific Division. 2021-22 NBA season preview: Pacific Division Projected win totals It’s been a busy offseason in the Pacific, with no team undergoing more changes than the Los Angeles Lakers, who brought in a former MVP in Russell Westbrook as well as a number of accomplished veterans including Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan and Rajon Rondo....

During the highly anticipated Pelicans-Knicks matchup, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in Ridgecrest, California — about 140 miles from Las Vegas. A 6.4 magnitude quake struck California on July 4. The impact was visibly felt during the game. The Pelicans were leading 80-74 when play was stopped. Precautionary measures were also taken during the Spurs-Magic game, which was suspended after the third quarter, and the Suns-Nuggets contest was postponed.

The Celtics, Pacers and Jazz could make a deal for Conley, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said Tuesday during ESPN’s mock draft special. One caveat though, is the interest from Boston could be dependent on whether Kyrie Irving leaves the team in free agency. Conley was at the center of trade talks before February’s deadline, but a deal failed to come together and he remained with Memphis. He is expected to be a trade candidate again this summer as the Grizzlies look to rebuild around their young talent....

Cleveland is now willing to listen to trade offers for Love, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The team is preparing for the market to expand on Dec. 15, the day when players who signed contracts during the offseason are eligible to be traded. TRADE RUMORS: Raptors interested in Cavs’ Tristan Thompson Love has found himself at the center of trade rumors nearly every season since he was traded from the Timberwolves to the Cavs in 2014, yet he somehow outlasted Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, the other members of Cleveland’s championship “Big Three....

Anthony Davis wants out of New Orleans, and it just happens that his agent, Rich Paul, also represents newly added Los Angeles star LeBron James. All that’s required is a package of youth and draft considerations — some combination of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, salary filler and picks — and Davis will join James at Staples Center. TRADE MACHINE: The most ridiculous Anthony Davis deals...

The Rockets tossed out four — yes, four — first-round picks in their most recent offer for Butler, but the Timberwolves didn’t appear to be swayed by Houston’s proposal. Minnesota wants Eric Gordon included in any deal, which doesn’t come as a surprise considering Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau has a playoffs-or-bust mentality. MORE: Timberwolves have one real solution to stop Butler trade drama While a Butler trade is not imminent, the circumstances for the Rockets could help accelerate a move....

On Friday, word came out from Leonard’s camp: Kawhi no longer wants to be a Spur. It’s open season for trade talk on the San Antonio star. Leonard is a Southern California native. He would like to return to his home in LA to play. He has some leverage in deciding where the Spurs trade him — with one year remaining on his contract, he will be a free agent next summer and can signal to a potential trade destination whether he’d be willing to sign long-term....