Only four teams remain in pursuit of the Larry O’Brien trophy and the 2022-23 NBA playoffs are an ode to the 2020 bubble. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the top four teams were the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers. , and the latter finished as champions.
Now, all four teams repeat in the Conference Finals after three years in which the world has changed, but the stars of these franchises remain and you can see them on the court through Star+.
western conference
The Western Conference Final will face the Denver Nuggets of Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray against the Los Angeles Lakers of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell. The Nuggets clinched home-field advantage by finishing the season as the number 1 seed in the Western Conference and beating both the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Phoenix Suns to advance to the Conference Finals.
Jokic averaged a triple double against Phoenix of 34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 10.3 assists. In the first round series against Minnesota he came close with 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 rebounds.
LeBron James’ Lakers started the season in a fatal way, with a 2-10 mark, and it seemed impossible to reach the postseason. However, they played the play-in and beat the Timberwolves to qualify for seventh place in the Western Conference. Subsequently, they eliminated the Memphis Grizzlies from an injured and misplaced Ja Morant. The Los Angeles franchise had an epic duel in the West semifinals against the Warriors. Steph Curry was the only player from Golden State to have a consistent performance against LBJ and company.
Match schedules
Game Date Time
1 May 16 20:30 ET
2 May 18 20:30 ET
3 May 20 20:30 ET
4 May 22 20:30 ET
5* May 24 20:30 ET
6* May 26 20:30 ET
7* May 28 20:30 ET
Eastern Conference
The Miami Heat became the first team in NBA history to reach the Conference Finals from the play-in tournament. First, p.lost to Atlanta, but defeated Chicago to advance to eighth seed in the East. Miami upset the first round by eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s men were the first classified in the conference, but Jimmy Butler and company eliminated them in five games.
During the semifinals, those from Miami managed to minimize the impact of Jalen Brunson and eliminate the New York Knicks in six games. The New York point guard averaged 31 points per game, but six Heat players scored in double figures throughout the series. The Celtics were the team that suffered the most to access the Conference Finals. Boston had to play six games in the first round to get past a weak Atlanta Hawks who relied on point guard Trae Young.
In the semifinals, Joe Mazzulla’s pupils faced Joel Embiid, brand new NBA MVP, and his squire James Harden. Everything pointed to the Sixers ending the series in Game 6, but the last five quarters of the series they went to Jayson Tatum and the Celtics are in the prelude to the NBA Finals. The first game that you can enjoy through Star+ It will be Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and the 76ers that will take place on May 17 at TD Garden.
Game Date Time
1 May 17 20:30 ET
2 May 19 20:30 ET
3 May 21 20:30 ET
4 May 23 20:30 ET
5* May 25 20:30 ET
6* May 27 20:30 ET
7* May 29 20:30 ET