NBA second-round matchups set, including Pistons–Cavaliers and Knicks–76ers
- Detroit, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Los Angeles, Minnesota, and San Antonio are the final eight, with the NBA’s second round opening May 4-5. (nba.com) - The bracket flipped late — Detroit beat Orlando 4-3, Cleveland beat Toronto 4-3, and Philadelphia stunned Boston 4-3 to set the East. (espn.com) - That matters because both conferences now have fresh paths — especially in the East, where no defending finalist is standing in the way. (nba.com)
The NBA’s second round is finally locked in, and the bracket looks weirder — and more open — than people expected a week ago. The final eight are set: Pistons-Cavaliers and Kni(nba.com)wolves in the West. Game 1s start Monday, May 4, and Tuesday, May 5, so there is basically no pause between a chaotic first round and the conference semifinals. (nba.com) ### How did the bracket end up here? Detroit finished off Orlando 4-3, Cleveland survived Toronto 4-3, New York ha(nba.com) 4-3. Out West, Oklahoma City swept Phoenix 4-0, the Lakers beat Houston 4-2, Minnesota took down Denver 4-2, and San Antonio beat Portland 4-1. That mix matters because several higher seeds advanced, but not cleanly — and the East in particular got shaken up by Boston going out. (espn.com) ### What are the actual second-round matchups? In the East, it’s (nba.com)s. No. 7 Philadelphia. In the West, it’s No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 4 Los Angeles and No. 2 San Antonio vs. No. 6 Minnesota. That gives you two classic top-seed tests, one huge big-market series in Knicks-76ers, and one Spurs-Wolves matchup that feels like the sneaky best basketball series of the round. (nba.com) ### When do the games start? Knicks-76ers and Spurs-Timberwolves open Monday, May 4. Pist(espn.com)NBA.com’s playoff bracket and schedule pages show the conference semifinals beginning across those two dates, with national TV windows on NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports platforms. (nba.com) ### Why does Pistons-Cavaliers stand out? Because Detroit is the No. 1 seed, but Cleveland arrives after a seven-game escape and still has enough size to make this ugly. Jarrett Allen was centr(nba.com)e Cavs get a Pistons team that already survived its own seven-game fight with Orlando. So this one could turn into a rock fight fast — less highlight reel, more half-court pain. (espn.com) ### Why is Knicks-76ers such a big deal? Because Philadelphia is the bracket-buster here. (nba.com)liminated the Celtics in seven, which completely changed the shape of the conference. Now New York gets a team that already proved seed lines do not mean much if Joel Embiid is healthy enough and the series gets physical. (espn.com) ### What about the West? Oklahoma City gets the Lakers after the Thunder swept Phoenix and the Lakers handled Houston in six. San Antonio gets Minnes(espn.com)es knocked out Denver in six. The West looks more top-heavy than the East, but not safe — Minnesota has recent deep-playoff experience, and the Lakers are still the kind of opponent that can turn one bad shooting week into a real problem for a favorite. (espn.com) ### So what changed most this weekend? Philadelphia beati(espn.com)d the East’s No. 2 seed and opened a path where Detroit, Cleveland, New York, or Philadelphia can make the conference finals without having to deal with the Celtics at all. In other words, the second round is set — but the bigger story is that the usual order already broke. (espn.com) ### Bottom line? The second round starts now, and the matchups are better than the seed numbers make them look. The bracket has (espn.com)oth sides — especially in an East that just lost its biggest bully. (nba.com)
