NBA playoffs schedule and results: Cavs, Clippers, Hawks and Grizzlies go up 1-0

Griffin turned him into the conversation topic of balding, divorced men in the barbershop. This Vine is going to be replayed endlessly by guys whose hairlines can only be seen through microscopes. And they’re going to ooh and ahh before doing the laugh where you don’t even make a sound. Then, they’re going to slap their knees. Aron Baynes is a knee-slapper joke now.

At least it’s a one-time thing and Baynes can learn his lesson. Trials and tribulations are important in a young man’s life. The lesson is to never try to block Blake Griffin when he’s trying to win the dunk contest in-game.

It was the kind of performance we’ve seen from Irving countless times over the past few years, but never in this kind of situation. The first three seasons of the former No. 1 overall pick’s career were spent languishing near the bottom of the standings, so this is his first time playing meaningful games deep into the spring.

It was a classic Irving performance, which is just what the Cavaliers wanted to see out of their gifted young point guard. The 23-year-old never look rattled by the circumstances, and at times he was the one driving the Cavaliers along. Nobody watching the game would ever guess this was a guy taking the postseason stage for the first time.

There was the 16-point lead in the second quarter that dwindled to single digits before the half. There was the third quarter that was played at Brooklyn’s pace and saw the Nets close to within three. And finally, there was the fourth quarter that became uncomfortably close once Brooklyn stopped turning the ball over and the Hawks stopped running their offense with crispness and precision.

In short, we didn’t learn all that much about the Hawks that we didn’t already know. They always seem to walk this line between wide-eyed optimism and excessive caution, and Game 1 was no different. When they’re getting stops and the jumpers are falling, they’re as dominant as anyone. When they’re not, they appear more vulnerable than the other contenders.

Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers showed the rest of the league their top gear Sunday in a 107-92 Game 1 beatdown of the San Antonio Spurs. The defending champions looked totally overwhelmed throughout the second half and now trail L.A. in the first-round series, 1-0.

Considered the best opening matchup of the playoffs this year, Game 1 between the Clippers and Spurs wasn’t the close battle we expected. Both teams entered the game piping hot, but now San Antonio will go searching for some answers after getting dunked out of the building Sunday.

This fan just lost control of his faculties.

SB Nation presents: Blake Griffin dunks all over the Spurs

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DeAndre Jordan doesn’t have time for any foolishness. He doesn’t care if you want to score the basketball. He doesn’t lift an eyebrow to your inferior drives to the rim. He’s here for one reason.

The struggle is real.

h/t @bencelestino

In eight minutes of first-quarter action, Parker recorded one assist and shot 0-of-2 from the field.

This is what happens when you’re up by a bunch at the end of a playoff game at home. Fans don’t need to watch the game anymore, they just need to polish their moves.

The Spurs have never gotten huge numbers from Splitter, but their long-term commitment to the Brazilian big men showed what he means to the team. A solid two-play post player who’s strong at finishing around the basket, he’s a perfect fit for the system that Popovich runs.

Splitter has averaged eight points and nearly five rebounds in 52 games with San Antonio this season. He’s averaged fewer than 20 minutes per game -- his lowest number in three years -- but has largely kept up his production despite the decline in playing time. He’s only played more than 60 games in one of five NBA seasons, so durability continues to be a challenge for the 30-year-old.

The Hawks flew out of the gates, quickly building a double-digit lead with their rapid ball movement and chaotic defensive rotations. The Nets went an entire quarter without picking up an assist and committed six turnovers. But Brooklyn calmed down in the second, moving the ball more effectively, exploiting the Hawks’ weak defensive rebounding and isolating the right mismatches. The Nets shot 11-of-17 in the quarter and cut the lead to 10 by halftime.

Ultimately, Atlanta couldn’t feel comfortable until the Nets failed to get a three off down five with under 30 seconds left. This was far more difficult than Hawks fans could have expected, but at least their team is up 1-0 in the series.

Horford has been one of Atlanta’s best players all season and recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds before getting hurt. He’s been a huge part of the team’s emergence as a heavy hitter in the Eastern Conference and would’ve been a major loss to the No. 1 seed.

The injury occurred when Horford was battling on the boards with Brooklyn’s Brook Lopez. He looked to be in discomfort afterwards but fought through it to return to action.

In the opening minutes of Game 1 between the Hawks and the Nets, Markel Brown let a little flash out of the bag.

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Nothing the Cleveland Cavaliers could do in the regular season would silence the questions some had about Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love come playoff time. Irving and Love both had a long history of gaudy regular season numbers and had each been to the All-Star Game three times, but Sunday afternoon offered their first taste of postseason action.

It only took one half to put any concerns about playoff experience to rest.

Kyrie Irving is good at basketball. Most people who might try to guard Kyrie Irving are not as good at basketball.

This is his first career playoff game, for the record. Evan Turner is still trying to stop himself.

LeBron is doing a little bit of everything early in the Cavs’ first game of the playoffs.

First the steal. Then the pass reminiscent of Boston’s own Tom Brady. Then this:

Tom Brady, Patriots quarterback and Boston hero, wanted to wish the Boston Celtics good luck as they started their playoff journey today. This is what he did:

This picture is pretty clearly photoshopped, but do I think Tom Brady would have been the type of kid to wear a shooting sleeve at that age? Yes, I do.

The Grizzlies swept the regular season series while boasting a net rating of over 10, a massive number for supposedly evenly matched teams. That’s why Game 1 is so important for the Blazers -- they need to prove to themselves they can beat Memphis and bring the game back to their home court.

Place: FedEx Forum

4 questions that’ll decide this series

1. What is your team’s biggest advantage in this series?