Playoff schedule live

The National Basketball Association’s full first-round playoff schedule is now locked in, with all eight series set and games running through at least April 27. (nba.com) The first round began on Saturday, April 18, after the SoFi Play-In Tournament ended on Friday, April 17, and the league’s official schedule page lists potential Game 7s on May 2 and May 3. (nba.com) The Eastern Conference bracket is Detroit Pistons-Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks-Atlanta Hawks, and Cleveland Cavaliers-Toronto Raptors. The Western Conference bracket is Oklahoma City Thunder-Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs-Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets. (espn.com) The playoff field was finalized through the play-in, with the 76ers, Magic, Trail Blazers and Suns advancing and the Heat, Clippers, Hornets and Warriors eliminated before the bracket was set. (cbssports.com) The schedule matters because the National Basketball Association uses a fixed best-of-seven format with no reseeding, so teams can map out a full first-round path as soon as the bracket is complete. The higher seed hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 in a 2-2-1-1-1 format. (espn.com) The television map is also set across several outlets. National Basketball Association listings for the first round show games on NBC, Peacock, ESPN, ABC and Prime Video, with the NBA Finals scheduled to begin June 3 on ABC. (nba.com) (espn.com) Round 1 is already underway, and every Game 1 had been completed by Sunday, April 19. CBS Sports reported that all eight openers were decided by at least nine points, and Orlando’s 112-101 win over top-seeded Detroit was the only Game 1 loss by a higher seed. (cbssports.com) The immediate calendar is packed: Cavaliers-Raptors and Knicks-Hawks play Game 2 on Monday, April 20, while Celtics-76ers, Spurs-Trail Blazers and Lakers-Rockets continue on Tuesday, April 21. Pistons-Magic and Thunder-Suns resume Wednesday, April 22. (nba.com) (cbssports.com) With the bracket fixed and the windows assigned, the postseason has shifted from seeding math to daily logistics: arenas, flights, practice days and broadcast crews now have exact dates to work from through the first weekend of May. (nba.com)