While in its infancy stages, the 2016 NBA playoffs have given broad examples of reasons to catch as many games as possible.For instance, Indiana and Toronto remain locked in an even duel in the Eastern Conference. Or out in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City laid a gigantic egg and sits tied with Dallas a few months before Kevin Durant goes to free agency.It's an overwhelming time with so many seven-game series floating about, so reel it in a tad with a complete look at the current bracket info. After, key on a few series to circle in red as must-see events.Full list of playoff dates available at NBA.com. Guide to Contested SeriesIndiana vs. Toronto (1-1)The Indiana Pacers entered this one as the seventh seed and didn't seem to stand much of a chance, unless Toronto's downright silly track record in the first round reared its ugly head.Which it did in Game 1 as the Pacers ran out to a 100-90 road upset behind a 33-point outburst from Paul George. Toronto couldn't even do the little things right, going 26 of 38 from the line.It seems like the upset served as a wake-up call, though, as the Raptors bounced back Monday, securing a 98-87 decision. George still scored 28 points, but Jonas Valanciunas dominated the game with 23 points and 15 boards, helping the team win the battle on the glass 53-40.The thing is this series is still being hotly contested. In the second game, George and Monta Ellis combined for 43 of the team's 87 points, meaning the rest of the lineup didn't sniff its normal production rates.It's still hard to shake the feeling Toronto will blow this. The team hasn't escaped the first round since the 2000-01 season and now hits the road for two straight games in Indiana. Not only have the Raptors proved incapable of slowing George, they've already shown vulnerabilities at home.Toronto actually advancing would make a great story, but so would George doing so after the horrific leg injury. Look for the Pacers to overwhelm as the series progresses on their home turf.Prediction: Pacers in sixDetroit vs. Cleveland (CLE 1-0)Few gave the Detroit Pistons a chance against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but Stan Van Gundy's scrappy group came up just short in the first game of the series.There, the Cavaliers escaped with a 106-101 win after letting Kevin Love run wild. He posted a notable 28 points with LeBron James not far behind at 22 and Kyrie Irving leading the way with 31.On one hand, it almost seems like the Cavaliers finally figured it out and somehow got all three guys to mesh well on the court. On the other, it only produced a five-point win as the Pistons shot better than 50 percent from the floor and deep despite 10 turnovers and losing the rebounding battle.This series could swing either way over the next few games. Cleveland has to avoid imploding and Detroit has to grow on the fly, something Pistons guard Reggie Jackson doesn't seem to doubt."We don't care who you put in front of us," Jackson said, according to ESPN.com. "We fear nobody, and experience is going to be our best teacher. We're going to learn on the fly. We think we have a chance."Jackson might have a bit of a loophole, too, because as good as Cleveland'sthree star players looked, it all still hinged on James' presence on the court, as ESPN Stats & Info illustrated:Look, if there was a certain teamCleveland didn't want to see in the first round, it was Detroit. James and Co. dropped two games to the Pistons in the regular season, and their lone win wasn't by an impressive margin.This isn't to say Cleveland won't pull this one out. It will, but only because James will have to carry the burden no matter what the first game showed, playing superhuman minutes and once again performing like the best first-round player of (probably) all time.But there's a toll here, and the Cavaliers escaping with a gassed James isn't such a major triumph.Prediction: Cavaliers in sevenDallas vs. Oklahoma City (1-1)This looked like one of the most yawn-worthy series around, something seemingly confirmed by Oklahoma City's 108-70 shellacking of Dallas in the opener.It went as expected, with the Thunder getting 23 points from Kevin Durant and 24 from Russell Westbrook while only Dirk Nowitzki scored double digits out of the Dallas starting lineup.Then the wheels fell off.Durant went a ridiculous 7-of-33 from the floor in the second game, an 85-84 loss in which the Thunder thought they escaped with a win at the buzzer:Now it's a series.Well, hopefully. The Mavericks are on the board and actually stole one on the road, but one has to wonder how much it actually matters. A silly line from Durant still had the Thunder in a position to win at the end of the game, which is bad news for the Mavericks if he gets back to form, whether the next two games road contests for the Thunder or not.Look for Durant to get back under control and put this one away.Prediction: Thunder in fiveAll stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
Click here to read full news..
