NBA Playoff Schedule 2017: Updated Bracket…

Big names like Giannis Antetokounmpo continue to dominate the playoffs.Vaughn Ridley/Getty ImagesChris RolingFeatured ColumnistApril 18, 2017Little has caught fans off guard to start the 2017 NBA playoffs. Even the surprises aren’t really registering as such for those who pay close attention. The Chicago Bulls beating the Boston Celtics seems routine given the way the latter inherited a top seed. The Milwaukee Bucks taking down the Toronto Raptors makes sense given how Toronto collapses when it matters. Even the Utah Jazz beating the Los Angeles Clippers is right on cue, given the upward trajectory of the former and the usual disappointment of the latter.That isn’t to suggest the proceedings can’t get interesting in a hurry. Those series have legs as entertainment value…
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Chicago Bulls vs. Boston Celtics Odds,…

Michael Dwyer/Associated PressOddsShark.comFeatured ColumnistApril 18, 2017The top-seeded Boston Celtics will try to bounce back Tuesday from a tough loss in their first-round series opener against the eighth-seeded Chicago Bulls as solid home favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark for Game 2.The Celtics fell 106-102 in Game 1 despite a game-high 33 points from point guard Isaiah Thomas, who will play again here despite his younger sister getting killed in a car accident Saturday. Point spread: The Celtics opened as seven-point favorites; the total is at 205.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 107.2-102.9, Bulls (NBA picks on every game) Why the Bulls can cover the spreadWhile Thomas scored 33 points in Game 1,…
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It only took two playoff games…

FOXSports.comIt only took two playoff games to see that no one in the East can beat the CavaliersFOXSports.comThe Cavaliers didn’t finish the regular season with the best record in the East, and their late-season slide (combined with a defensive rating that’s the lowest of any team that’s won a title since the 2001 Lakers) had plenty of pundits ready to …Close call: Irving scores 37, Cavs hold on to beat PacersYahoo SportsCavaliers hold off late Pacers rally to win Game 2, take 2-0 series leadESPN (blog)Doyel: Close isn’t good enough for these PacersIndianapolis StarUSA TODAY -cleveland.com -SB Nation -Bleacher Reportall 999 news articles »
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Is Cleveland Cavaliers’ Secret Playoff Defense…

Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesGreg SwartzCleveland Cavaliers Lead WriterApril 17, 2017CLEVELAND — For weeks, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue teased a secret playoff defense that the team was working on in practice but wouldn’t reveal until the completion of the regular season.After surrendering 108 points on nearly 50 percent shooting in a Game 1 win over the Indiana Pacers, many were left wondering if any changes had actually been made.”We executed our defensive plan,” LeBron James said. “They hit some big shots.”For fans expecting a proverbial switch to be flipped, there appeared to be no such thing.The Pacers shot 49.4 percent from the floor and 45.8 percent from deep, pounding Cleveland for 46 points in the paint and doubling them up in fast-break scoring…
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NBA playoff scores 2017: Recap from…

The first weekend of the NBA Playoffs is over. We got an upset from the Bulls on Sunday, while the Wizards, Warriors, and Rockets took care of business at home. We’ll recap Sunday’s games right here: John Wall wrecked Atlanta nearly all by himself In another season, if there weren’t historic MVP candidates who demanded our focus, we could have talked a lot more about Wall. He’s averaging career highs in points, assists, and field goal percentage, and his constant pushing of the ball and full-court blurring when he takes off makes Washington’s offense into a deadly transition attack all by himself. Here’s one. Great point guards generally accomplish the same set of goals on the floor, each choosing their…
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John Wall sets frenetic pace for…

Wall’s one-man takeover began midway through the third, when he raced past two Hawks defenders for a layup to put Washington up 61-55.On Washington’s next possession, Wall crossed over Kent Bazemore and got to the rim where he finished with a reserve layup. After a Hawks turnover, Wall weaved the length of the court between defenders and dished to Markieff Morris, who finished his playoff debut with 21 points and seven rebounds, for a big dunk.One play later, Wall doubled-down with an alley-oop to Morris. Moments later, Wall drained a three from the top of the key. Wall followed that up by getting a bucket and drawing a foul on Hawks guard Dennis Schröder, leading to a thunderous “M-V-P” chant…
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Sunday Best: Harden, Westbrook, And The…

FOXSports.comSunday Best: Harden, Westbrook, And The Playoff Value Of The Best Player On The FloorFOXSports.comA playoff series between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder cannot help but work as symbolic ground. The debate for this year’s MVP award is all-consuming; considering that any discussion involving James Harden or Russell Westbrook …Rockets roll OKC as Harden, ironically, illuminates Westbrook’s MVP caseCBSSports.comThunder Speak Following Game 1 LossNBA.comJames Harden outdoes Russell Westbrook in Rockets’ Game 1 victoryESPN (blog)Sacramento Bee -Yahoo Sports -Sporting News -NewsOK.comall 198 news articles »
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NHL Playoff Capsules

AP Published 10:10 p.m. ET April 16, 2017 | Updated 18 minutes agoCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jake Guentzel had a hat trick, including a goal at 13:10 of overtime, to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night and give them a 3-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin scored for Pittsburgh, and Marc-Andre Fleury overcame a shaky first period to make 33 saves. Guentzel is the first Pittsburgh to rookie to get a playoff hat trick.The defending champion Penguins will go for the sweep in Columbus on Tuesday night.Cam Atkinson had two goals for Columbus, and Zach Werenski and Brandon Dubinsky also scored. Sergei Bobrovsky had 42…
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Amid L.A.’s civil strife in 1992,…

National Guard troops patrolled the streets on the day the game was supposed to be played.A dense, dark haze drifted overhead as hundreds of fires burned and thousands of looters rampaged across the city. Basketball did not seem so important.It was the spring of 1992 and the NBA playoff series between the Clippers and the Utah Jazz was abruptly interrupted — like the rest of normal life in Los Angeles — by widespread rioting. With the Sports Arena perched at the edge of a violence-racked neighborhood, Game 4 was postponed and, back in New York, league officials wanted to shift the series out of town, perhaps to Las Vegas.Twenty-five years later — as the teams meet again in the postseason…
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Durant shines in Warriors playoff debut…

FOXSports.comDurant shines in Warriors playoff debut in Game 1 win (Apr 16, 2017)FOXSports.comOAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Kevin Durant had 32 points and 10 rebounds in his Golden State playoff debut, Stephen Curry scored 29 points, and the Warriors withstood a sensational day by Portland duo CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard to beat the Trail Blazers …Forgot about Dray? Green does it all in Warriors’ Game 1 triumphESPN (blog)NBA playoffs: John Wall leads Wizards past Hawks; Warriors pull away from Trail BlazersLos Angeles Timesall 365 news articles »
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