The Cavs will wait to see who their Eastern Conference Finals opponent will be. (Getty)
The Cleveland Cavaliers have punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals. They will play the winner of the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards series. TNT will broadcast the Eastern Conference Finals beginning Wednesday, May 17 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
According to the NBA, here are the potential Eastern Conference start dates depending on the Cavs’ opponent:
Boston vs. Cleveland OR Cleveland vs. Washington
Game 1 – Wed May 17 8:30 PM Eastern TNT
Game 2 – Fri May 19 8:30 PM Eastern TNT
Game 3 – Sun May 21 8:30 PM Eastern TNT
Game 4 – Tue May 23 8:30 PM Eastern TNT
Game 5 * Thu May 25 8:30 PM Eastern TNT
Game 6 * Sat May 27 8:30 PM Eastern TNT
Game 7 * Mon May 29 8:30 PM Eastern TNT
*If Necessary
As of now, the soonest the Celtics-Wizards series could end would be Wednesday, May 10. If there is a Game 6, it will be Friday, May 12.
If the Celtics win the series, Boston will host the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics are the top seed in the East. Cleveland would host the first two games if the Wizards win the series.
Cleveland limped to the finish during the regular season losing out on the top seed in the East. They have hit their stride in the playoffs winning eight straight games and sweeping both opponents (Pacers and Raptors) to begin the postseason.
The Cavs took three of the four regular season matchups against the Celtics. Cleveland won two of their three matchups against Washington this season.
Neither team matches up great against the Cavs. One could argue the Wizards have more offensive firepower to match Cleveland but would face a tall task in preventing the Cavs from making a repeat NBA Finals appearance. If the start of the NBA playoffs are any indication, the league could be headed for a Warriors-Cavaliers rematch.
LeBron James has been the best player of the NBA postseason. Through his first seven games, James is averaging 34.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists.
