Conference semifinals are set in the NBA. Four series winners will advance closer to the championship round. Predictions favor top seeds in three of the four match-ups.
The Eastern Conference features two series. The top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers series pits division rivals against each other. The other East match-up is the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks match-up between the second and third seeds.
In the Western Conference, the top seed Oklahoma City Thunder against the Denver Nuggets face off. The fourth Western series features the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves playing the seventh-seeded Golden State Warriors. The Warriors advancing past Houston in seven games solidified the Western side of the bracket.
Multiple analysts and experts have offered predictions for these upcoming series. For the Cavaliers-Pacers contest, all surveyed experts predicted Cleveland would win the series. Predictions ranged from five to six games.
Similarly, experts unanimously picked the Celtics to defeat the Knicks. Forecasts for this series outcome spanned from five to six games.
The Western Conference also saw agreement among experts on one series result. All predicted the Oklahoma City Thunder would defeat the Denver Nuggets, with series length projections varying between five and six games.
The Minnesota and Golden State series presented the most varied predictions. While all experts picked the Timberwolves to win, the projected series length included both six and seven games.
Discussion surrounding the NBA playoffs schedule and the overall picture on the the playoff bracket highlights the anticipation for the next round. Some analysts view the Warriors' experience as a factor in their match-up.
"Steph and Draymond, that's the all-time duo... you're the offensive genius, I'm the defensive genius, and we work together and we've got a telepathy to us... This is the all-time duo," said NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor.
