PREVIEW: The top-seeded Detroit Pistons host the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Pistons arriving after a 60-22 regular season and the Cavaliers finishing 52-30. Both teams survived Game 7s to reach this matchup, with Detroit completing a historic 3-1 comeback against Orlando while Cleveland battled past Toronto. The Pistons bring a suffocating defensive identity to Little Caesars Arena, allowing just 97.7 points per game during the regular season compared to Cleveland's 110.1. Unfortunately, detailed shot quality data remains unavailable for both squads heading into this contest, making it difficult to assess their...

PREVIEW: The fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers travel to face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal on Tuesday, May 5, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. The Lakers enter this matchup after defying the odds to defeat the Houston Rockets in six games despite missing Luka Doncic for the entire series and Austin Reaves for four contests. Oklahoma City dismantled the Phoenix Suns in a sweep with a dominant plus-17.3 point differential. The Thunder went undefeated against the Lakers during the regular season, winning all four matchups by an average of 29.3 points,...