NBA sets Knicks-Cavs, Thunder-Spurs

The NBA’s final four is set, and the conference finals open this week with two series that pair established contenders against teams taking different routes through the bracket. The league’s updated playoff schedule on May 17 lists the Eastern Conference finals as No. 3 New York against No. 4 Cleveland and the Western Conference finals as No. 1 Oklahoma City against No. 2 San Antonio. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Cleveland reached the East finals by beating top-seeded Detroit in seven games, while New York arrived there with a four-game sweep of Philadelphia. In the West, Oklahoma City swept the Lakers in the semifinals and San Antonio closed out Minnesota in six games. (nba.com) The schedule gives Oklahoma City and New York home court in their respective series. The West finals begin Monday, May 18, in Oklahoma City, and the East finals begin Tuesday, May 19, in New York. ### How did Cleveland get here after drawing the No. 1 seed? (nba.com) Cleveland beat Detroit 125-94 in Game 7 to win the semifinal series 4-3, according to the NBA’s playoff results page. The Cavaliers had dropped the first two games of the series before winning four of the next five. Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points and had eight assists in the clincher, the NBA said in its game recap listing on the playoffs page. (nba.com) The result sent Cleveland to New York for Game 1 of the East finals. ### Why is New York opening at home? (nba.com) New York is the No. 3 seed and Cleveland is the No. 4 seed, so the Knicks hold home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference finals. The NBA bracket lists New York as the higher remaining seed in the East after the Knicks beat the No. 7 76ers 4-0. The Knicks’ path was shorter than Cleveland’s. (nba.com) New York finished its semifinal on May 10 with a 144-114 win over Philadelphia in Game 4, while Cleveland needed the full seven games and did not clinch until May 17. (nba.com) ### What makes Thunder-Spurs the other matchup to watch? Oklahoma City arrives unbeaten in the postseason at 8-0 after a first-round sweep of Phoenix and a semifinal sweep of the Lakers, the bracket shows. San Antonio advanced by beating Portland 4-1 in the first round and Minnesota 4-2 in the semifinals. (nba.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gives the Thunder another headline entering the series. The NBA announced on May 17 that Gilgeous-Alexander became the 14th player to win back-to-back Kia MVP awards. (nba.com) Victor Wembanyama leads a Spurs team that returned to the conference finals after closing out Minnesota with a 139-109 win in Game 6 on May 16, according to the NBA playoffs site. NBA.com said Stephon Castle had 32 points and 11 rebounds in that game. ### When are the games? The NBA schedule lists Game 1 of Spurs-Thunder for Monday, May 18, at 8:30 p.m. (nba.com) Eastern on NBC and Peacock, with Game 2 on May 20 in Oklahoma City. Games 3 and 4 are set for May 22 and May 24 in San Antonio. The East finals begin Tuesday, May 19, at 8 p.m. (nba.com) Eastern on ESPN, with Game 2 on May 21 at Madison Square Garden. Games 3 and 4 shift to Cleveland on May 23 and May 25. ### What comes after the conference finals? The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin June 3 on ABC, according to the league’s postseason calendar. (nba.com) If either conference final goes seven games, the last possible dates are May 30 in the West and May 31 in the East. June 3 is the next fixed date on the league calendar after the conference finals open this week. (nba.com) The winners of Knicks-Cavaliers and Thunder-Spurs will meet there for Game 1 of the Finals.