The NBA Playoffs continue with conference finals set to tip off. The NBA Finals will begin June 5.

The Knicks are favored by 4.5 points at Madison Square Garden and are -150 to win the series. In the Western Conference, the championship-favorite Oklahoma City Thunder came alive in the second half Tuesday and rolled to a 114-88 win in Game 1 of their series with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Pacers are the hottest team remaining in the playoff field and could surge to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000, when they beat New York to reach the championship round. It is going to be absolute NBA cinema to watch Tyrese Haliburton battle Brunson late in big spots.

The sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves and the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder meet in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals Tuesday.

If teams want to compete in the modern-day NBA, they need to have a robust system of scouting and analytics ready to capitalize on every tactic and trend. Still, a team's triumphs and struggles can't be explained by data alone. Sometimes, reading the vibes and energy of the cosmos can help fill the gaps.

Thunder in six: Minnesota’s biggest strengths these playoffs have been its size in the frontcourt, its defensive intensity and its depth. OKC arguably has it beat in all of those departments. It also has this series’ best player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who’ll lead the Thunder to victory in six games. — Justin Martinez, Staff writer

Will one of LeBron James or Michael Jordan's conference finals records go down this postseason? See the odds, as well as which guys have the best chance to eclipse two icons.

After the Oklahoma City Thunder punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals with Sunday's Game 7 win over the Denver Nuggets, prognosticators expect them to go all the way.