Here are the details regarding schedule, where to watch and timings (in IST) for the conference finals of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
MIAMI HEAT VS BOSTON CELTICS
Storyline: After getting past Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum now goes against Jimmy Butler to headline the series between the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the Eastern Conference. It's the first 1 vs. 2 matchup in the conference finals since 2019, when Toronto knocked off top-seeded Milwaukee to win the East. The Heat and Celtics then met in the Eastern Conference finals the next season, with Miami winning in six games at Walt Disney World.
Key matchup: Butler vs. Tatum. Butler (28.7 points per game) and Tatum (28.3) are the Nos. 4 and 5 scorers in the postseason, with only Luka Doncic ahead of them among those who are still playing. Butler doesn't have the diversity of Tatum's offensive skills but is as good as anyone in the game at the things he does well. He has a pair of 40-point games already this postseason, one more than Tatum. Tatum, who scored 46 points with the Celtics facing elimination in Game 6 at Milwaukee, will be the focus of a Heat defense that has already slowed down high scorers Trae Young and James Harden thus far.
Injury watch: Miami starting point guard Kyle Lowry is expected to be out at least for the opener with the hamstring injury that sidelined him for the final two games against Philadelphia. Boston center Robert Williams didn't play in the last four games against Milwaukee. He sat out three with knee soreness and then didn't appear in Game 7, even though he was available in what coach Ime Udoka said would be only for certain situations.
Numbers of note: This the fifth playoff meeting between the teams. Miami has won the last three, two in the conference finals, after the Celtics took the first one in the opening round of the 2010 playoffs. ... Boston is in the conference finals for the fourth time in the last six years, but the Celtics haven't advanced further since falling in the 2010 NBA Finals. ... Butler is also leading all players in the postseason with 2.1 steals per game. ... Boston's Al Horford is the career leader in postseason games without ever reaching the NBA Finals. He has played in 135. ... The Heat are 6-0 at home in the playoffs. The Celtics are 4-1 on the road.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS DALLAS MAVERICKS
Storyline: Back in the Western Conference finals for the sixth time in eight years, the Golden State Warriors face an unexpected opponent. Luka Doncic and the Mavericks ousted Phoenix, which had the NBA's best record, with a Game 7 rout in the second round. The Mavericks haven't made it this far since winning their lone NBA title in 2011. The conference finals were once just a stopping point for the Warriors, who played in five straight NBA Finals from 2015-19. They missed the playoffs the last two seasons when some serious injuries set in, but Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are all healthy now and the Warriors might just be the championship favorites again.
Key matchup: Curry, Thompson and Jordan Poole vs. Doncic, Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie. This is a small-ball series — there's plenty of those around the league these days — and will likely be decided by which three-guard lineup performs better. Doncic is one of the best postseason scorers in NBA history and the Mavs' guards blew away the Suns' All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker on Sunday, with Doncic and Dinwiddie becoming the first teammates since Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in 2002 to score 30 points in a Game 7. While Dallas will use plenty of pick-and-rolls to set up its guards for opportunities to drive to the basket, the Warriors still rely heavily on their formula of moving the ball around to get Curry and Thompson open looks behind the 3-point line.
Injury watch: The Warriors aren't ruling out a possible return of Gary Payton II sometime in this series after he broke his left elbow early in the West semifinals in Memphis. They are also hopeful Otto Porter Jr. can play in Game 1 after he missed the last two games with soreness in his right foot.
Numbers of note: It's just the second playoff meeting between the teams. The first was a historic victory for the Warriors, who became the first No. 8 seed to beat the No. 1 in a seven-game series when they stunned the 67-win Mavericks in 2007. ... Doncic is averaging 31.5 points, just behind Giannis Antetokoumpo (31.7) for most in these playoffs. Golden State already had to face the player who is third, two-time MVP Nikola Jokic (31.0) of Denver. ... The Warriors are 20-2 in Game 1s since 2015 and have won the last 12 that were played at home. ... Golden State has won 17 straight series against Western Conference teams, one shy of the record against a conference or division opponent, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Boston Celtics won 18 straight between 1959-67. ... Dallas held Curry to 10-for-34 shooting (29.4%) from 3-point range during the four meetings in the regular season. Thompson appeared in only two of them and Green one. Doncic averaged 31.5 points, playing all four.
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