OKC, Spurs, Knicks, Cavs advance

Oklahoma City, San Antonio, New York and Cleveland are the four teams left in the 2026 NBA playoffs, setting the conference finals that begin on May 18 and May 19. The Thunder reached the Western Conference finals without a loss, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in four games after a first-round sweep of the Phoenix Suns. The Spurs closed out the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games, while the Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons in seven games. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The bracket on NBA.com lists Oklahoma City against San Antonio in the West and Cleveland against New York in the East. NBA.com’s playoff schedule says Western Conference finals Game 1 is set for May 18, with Eastern Conference finals Game 1 on May 19. ### How did Oklahoma City get here without a loss? Oklahoma City opened the playoffs with a 4-0 first-round win over the Suns and followed it with a 4-0 semifinal win over the Lakers, according to the official NBA playoff bracket. (nba.com) That left the Thunder at 8-0 entering the West finals. The May 9 and May 11 semifinal results against Los Angeles included 131-108 and 115-110 Thunder wins, according to Land of Basketball’s game log. NBA.com’s playoff coverage also described the coming series as a meeting between the defending champion Thunder and the Spurs. (nba.com) ### What was San Antonio’s path to the West finals? San Antonio beat Portland 4-1 in the first round and then eliminated Minnesota 4-2 in the conference semifinals, the NBA bracket shows. (nba.com) The Spurs’ semifinal closeout came after a May 15 win over the Timberwolves. NBA.com said on May 16 that the Spurs had moved on to Oklahoma City after closing out Minnesota, and highlighted Stephon Castle’s 32 points and 11 rebounds in the Game 6 win. That result completed the West finals matchup. (landofbasketball.com) ### Why is the East matchup less straightforward? New York reached the East finals more quickly than Cleveland, sweeping Philadelphia 4-0 in the semifinals after beating Atlanta 4-2 in the first round, according to the NBA bracket. The Knicks’ four-game series against the 76ers ended with a 144-114 win on May 10, Land of Basketball’s results page shows. (nba.com) Cleveland took the longer route. The Cavaliers beat Toronto 4-3 in the first round and then beat Detroit 4-3 in the semifinals, according to NBA.com’s bracket. (nba.com) NBA.com’s playoff page on May 18 featured Cleveland’s Game 7 advance and ESPN’s bracket also showed the Cavaliers winning the series in seven games. ### What exactly happened in Cleveland’s Game 7? Cleveland won Game 7 on May 17 by beating Detroit 125-94 on the road, according to Land of Basketball’s playoff results. (nba.com) That score ended the only second-round series among the four remaining teams that went the distance. NBA.com’s playoff page on May 18 highlighted Donovan Mitchell as Cleveland advanced to the East finals. The league site described the result as Cleveland moving on after a do-or-die game. (nba.com) ### When do the conference finals start? The NBA’s official playoff schedule says Thunder-Spurs Game 1 is on May 18. Land of Basketball lists that game in Oklahoma City at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, with Game 2 on May 20 and Games 3 and 4 shifting to San Antonio on May 22 and May 24. (landofbasketball.com) The Eastern Conference finals begin May 19. Land of Basketball lists Cavaliers-Knicks Game 1 in New York at 8 p.m. Eastern, followed by Game 2 on May 21 before the series shifts to Cleveland on May 23 and May 25. (nba.com) The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin June 3, according to ESPN’s playoff schedule page. (landofbasketball.com) (nba.com)