Saturday gave us several thrilling playoff games. On Sunday, however, the No. 1 seeds in both conferences kick off their postseason, while the MVP duel that everyone wants to watch also begins.
NBA playoff schedule 2017: Sunday’s times, TV channels, and streaming info
Both No. 1 seeds begin play on Sunday.
The slate of games starts with Washington vs. Atlanta before moving onto the 67-win Warriors. With 140 (!) regular season wins the previous two seasons, Golden State has completed the most ever wins during a three season stretch, topping Michael Jordan’s late 90s Bulls. You would imagine they will have little trouble up against Portland, a team that finished the season strong but didn’t even finish the season over .500. (They ended the year at 41-41.)
Next comes Boston and Chicago, which is unexpectedly our No. 1 vs. 8 seed clash. Some pundits say this is a sneaky possible upset round, but I don’t see it. The Celtics have some flaws that may be exploited in the postseason, and Chicago ended the year strong, but it’s a stretch to say the Bulls — who were dysfunctional and massively underperforming this year — will be able to take advantage of those flaws for more than a couple games. Yes, Isaiah Thomas may struggle against a defense loading up to stop him, but Chicago has no individual defender who you could really expect to take on that assignment and consistently win.
The day concludes with a series that should be pure, unadulterated fun, even if it’s not as close as we think. Russell Westbrook, presumably the favorite to win MVP, heads up against James Harden, who is probably the runner-up right now. The two have played absurd series and are the beating heart of their teams’ entire offensive systems. They may not guard each other, except for moments where there’s scrambling or switches, but it should be a joy to watch the two face off against each other.
Here’s the complete schedule, with times and where you can watch.
Sunday’s schedule
All times Eastern
Warriors vs. Trail Blazers: 3:30 p.m., Oracle Arena, ABC
Celtics vs. Bulls: 6:30 p.m., TD Garden, TNT
How to watch
Sling TV (has TNT, not ABC)
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