The 2019 NBA Playoffs will begin on Saturday, as all eight first round series are set and the TV schedule has been released.
There are some intriguing matchups in the first round, headlined by a Portland-Oklahoma City series that should be highly competitive and also has plenty of animosity between the star point guard matchup of Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard. While NBA fans are thrilled to have playoff basketball back in their lives, there are many who have a few concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
During the first round of the NBA’s postseason, two major cultural phenomenons will be premiering at the same time as some games. Game of Thrones begins its eighth and final season at 9:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 14, while Avengers: Endgame premieres on Thursday, April 25. Both of those dates run opposite NBA playoff games and for fans of both (or all three) there will possibly be decisions needed to be made.
We’re here to help with that, starting with April 14 when two games run into the GOT premiere. The end of Pistons-Bucks Game 1 (7:00 p.m. ET tip) and the start of Jazz-Rockets Game 1 (9:30 p.m. ET tip) will land firmly in the episode’s run time.
The next week, Game 4 of Raptors-Magic (7:00 p.m. ET tip) and Game 4 of Blazers-Thunder (9:30 p.m. ET tip) will run into the same issue. Potentially, Game 7s of series between Boston-Indiana, Detroit-Milwaukee, Utah-Houston, or LAC-Golden State could run into episode 3.
For Avengers: Endgame, it will be determined by how many series go to six games. Philadelphia-Brooklyn, Toronto-Orlando, Portland-OKC, and Denver-San Antonio all have that Thursday as their scheduled night for a potential Game 6, while Friday would include the other four series.
So, if you are a fan of those teams looking for presale tickets, it might be best to book opposite those days, in case your team finds themselves going deep into the series.
