2018 NBA Playoff Conference Semifinals: Catch-up and all you need to know

This has been a crazy season so far, and the first round of the NBA Playoffs did not disappoint one bit. The teams played to the best of their abilities and brought to the court emotion and exciting moments to our screens. They kept us at the edge of our seats for the whole first round and the second round promises to be even better!
In this article, we’ll give you all the information you need to know about the second round, also known as the conference semifinals. We’ll also fill you in on the details of what went on in the first round for each conference and highlight some moments that truly stuck out. Buckle up because this article will take you on a ride!

Who will play the 2018 NBA conference semifinals?

The Western conference winners were announced first. Fans can expect to see a showdown between the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz, and another between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warriors.
In the Eastern conference, results took a lot longer to come out, with the conference semifinals starting at the same time as the Eastern conference was finishing up. However, you’ll be watching the Toronto Raptors measuring forces against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Philadelphia 76ers go up against the Boston Celtics.
These four matches promise to be very interesting and full of action. No team will want to be left out of the run for the title of NBA champion.

What happened in the first round?

Western Conference
In the first bracket we had the Houston Rockets going up against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The former won the series 4-1 and moved on to the conference semifinals.
– 1st game: Rockets 104, Timberwolves 101
– 2nd game: Rockets 102, Timberwolves 82
– 3rd game: Timberwolves 121, Rockets 105
– 4th game: Rockets 119, Timberwolves 100
– 5th game: Rockets 122, Timberwolves 104

Then we had the Golden State Warriors win their series against the San Antonio Spurs 4-1, playing 5 games — 3 in Oakland and 2 in San Antonio.
– 1st game: Warriors 113, Spurs 92
– 2nd game: Warriors 116, Spurs 101
– 3rd game: Warriors 110, Spurs 97
– 4th game: Spurs 103, Warriors 90
– 5th game: Warriors 99, Spurs 91

The third bracket had the Portland Trail Blazers going up against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Portland team won every single match, ending the series 4-0.
– 1st game: Pelicans 97, Trail Blazers 95
– 2nd game: Pelicans 111, Trail Blazers 102
– 3rd game: Pelicans 119, Trail Blazers 102
– 4th game: Pelicans 131, Trail Blazers 123

Finally, for the last Western Conference bracket, Oklahoma City Thunder went up against Utah Jazz. The Oklahoma City team won the series 4-2 after playing six matches.
– 1st game: Thunder 116, Jazz 108
– 2nd game: Jazz 102, Thunder 95
– 3rd game: Jazz 115, Thunder 102
– 4th game: Jazz 116, Thunder 96
– 5th game: Thunder 107, Jazz 99
– 6th game: Jazz 96, Thunder 91

Eastern Conference
The Toronto Raptors measured forces against the Washington Wizards, in the first bracket of this conference. The Canadian team passed to the next round of the playoffs by winning the series 4-2.
– 1st game: Raptors 114, Wizards 106
– 2nd game: Raptors 130, Wizards 119
– 3rd game: Wizards 122, Raptors 103
– 4th game: Wizards 106, Raptors 98
– 5th game: Raptors 108, Wizards 98
– 6th game: Raptors 102, Wizards 92

The Boston Celtics went up against the Milwaukee Bucks and played 7 games in total. The team from Boston ended up making it to the next round after winning the series 4-3.
– 1st game: Celtics 113, Bucks 107
– 2nd game: Celtics 120, Bucks 106
– 3rd game: Bucks 116, Celtics 92
– 4th game: Bucks 104, Celtics 102
– 5th game: Celtics 92, Bucks 87
– 6th game: Bucks 97, Celtics 86
– 7th game: Celtics 112, Bucks 96

The third Eastern Conference bracket was filled by the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat. After 5 games, the former won the series 4-1.
– 1st game: 76ers 130, Heat 103
– 2nd game: Heat 113, 76ers 103
– 3rd game: 76ers 128, Heat 108
– 4th game: 76ers 106, Heat 102
– 5th game: 76ers 104, Heat 91

Lastly, we had the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers fighting during 7 games to get to the conference semifinals. The Ohio team ended up going to the next round after winning the series 4-3 on the same day as the conference semifinals started.
– 1st game: Pacers 98, Cavaliers 80
– 2nd game: Cavaliers 100, Pacers 97
– 3rd game: Pacers 92, Cavaliers 90
– 4th game: Cavaliers 98, Pacers 95
– 5th game: Pacers 121, Cavaliers 87
– 6th game: Cavaliers 105, Pacers 101

This was a heck of a round, with the Eastern Conference dragging out much more than the Western. Some of the series were won by landslides while others cut it pretty close. It seems like a sign for an excellent second round of matches.

When will the next games take place?

For the most eager fans out there, we’ve come up with a schedule for the conference semifinals so you don’t miss a single game. Note that all times are Eastern (EST).

Western Conference

Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz
– 1st game: Sun. 4/29, 3:30 p.m.
– 2nd game: Wed. 5/2, 8 p.m.
– 3rd game: Fri. 5/4, 10:30 p.m.
– 4th game: Sun. 5/6, 8 p.m.

Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans
– 1st game: Sat. 4/28, 10:30 p.m.
– 2nd game: Tue. 5/1, 10:30 p.m.
– 3rd game: Fri. 5/4, 8 p.m.
– 4th game: Sun. 5/6, 3:30 p.m.

There might be up to seven matches for each of the teams if there isn’t a clear winner by the end of the four matches.

Eastern Conference

Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
– 1st game: Tue. 5/1, 8 p.m.
– 2nd game: Thu. 5/3, 6 p.m.
– 3rd game: Sat. 5/5, TBD*
– 4th game: Mon. 5/7, TBD*

Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers
– 1st game: Mon. 4/30, 8 p.m.
– 2nd game: Thu. 5/3, 8:30 p.m.
– 3rd game: Sat. 5/5, TBD*
– 4th game: Mon. 5/7, TBD*

Once again, there might be up to seven matcher per team if there isn’t a winner by the end of the predicted four games.

* The games marked with an asterisk that have TBD instead of a fixed time don’t have a fixed schedule just yet. More information should be coming out very soon so keep an eye out for the NBA website.