PREVIEW: The seventh-seeded Golden State Warriors visit the second-seeded Houston Rockets on Sunday in a first-round Western Conference playoff matchup that features a stark contrast of experience versus youth. While the Warriors boast a championship core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and recent acquisition Jimmy Butler, who helped transform Golden State with a 23-8 record after joining the team, the Rockets rely on young talents like Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green who have never experienced playoff intensity. Houston's remarkable turnaround under coach Ime Udoka has been powered by their league-leading offensive rebounding prowess, ranking first with 14.6 offensive boards per game...

PREVIEW: The Western Conference's top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14) will face the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies (48-34) in Game 1 of their playoff series on Sunday at Paycom Center. The Thunder, who won an impressive 68 games this season, enter as heavy favorites after sweeping the regular season series against Memphis 4-0. Despite the Grizzlies being significant underdogs at +13, many believe they can put up a stronger showing than odds suggest. The ShotQuality data reveals contrasting team profiles with Memphis ranking 1st in quick tempo and 4th in post-up shot frequency, while Oklahoma City boasts the league's most efficient free throw...

PREVIEW: The Cleveland Cavaliers, boasting the NBA's second most efficient offense in history at 121.0 points per 100 possessions, welcome the Miami Heat to Rocket Arena for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. The top-seeded Cavs dominated the Eastern Conference from the start of the season, winning their first 15 games and finishing with 64 victories while ranking first in offensive rating and ninth in defense. Cleveland's exceptional offense is powered by their high spacing (3rd in the league) and efficient rim attacking (5th), along with their league-leading pick-and-roll frequency. Their defensive strengths are equally impressive, as they allow...

PREVIEW: The Boston Celtics begin their championship defense on Sunday as they host the Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA playoffs at TD Garden. The Celtics, who finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 61-21 record, have been dominant at home with their last six playoff victories coming at TD Garden. Boston's offense relies heavily on their league-leading three-point shooting (53.6% frequency, ranked 1st) and exceptional spacing (ranked 2nd), setting an NBA record with 1,457 made threes this season. Despite their slow tempo (ranked 30th), the Celtics maintained the third-highest point differential in the league at +9.1...