Yahoo Sports NBA playoff bracket: Conference finals matchups, dates, times, TV info, predictions
The 2023 NBA Eastern and Western conference finals are a return of the 2020 Orlando bubble conference finals.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver.
The Lakers defeated the Heat in three seasons ago, but those two teams are the underdog in this year’s series against the Nuggets and Celtics, who are playing the Heat in the conference finals for the third time in four seasons.
All four teams have gone through changes, but the mainstays remains: The Lakers still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the Nuggets are back with two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart have significant playoff experience, including for the Celtics in the bubble, and the Heat’s Jimmy Butler enhanced his status as a playoff star in 2020, did the same last season and is doing it again this season.
Here are the schedules, TV info and predictions for both series:
Eastern Conference finals
* If necessary
No. 8 Miami Heat vs. No. 2 Boston Celtics
Heat win series 4-3
Game 1: Heat 123, Celtics 116
Game 2: Heat 111, Celtics 105
Game 3: Heat 128, Celtics 102
Game 4: Celtics 118, Heat 99
Game 5: Celtics 110, Heat 97
Game 6: Celtics 104, Heat 103
Game 7: Heat 103, Celtics 84
Seasons series tied 2-2
Prediction: Celtics in six
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Western Conference finals
* If necessary
No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 1 Denver Nuggets
Nuggets win series 4-0
Game 1: Nuggets 132, Lakers 126
Game 2: Nuggets 108, Lakers 103
Game 3: Nuggets 119, Lakers 108
Game 4: Nuggets 113, Lakers 111
Season series tied 2-2.
Prediction: Nuggets in seven
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA conference finals matchups: dates, times, TV info, predictions
