Today! NBA Duel: Harden Leads Clippers in Do-or-Die Battle, Cavs vs. Magic, No Live Broadcast on CCTV5
On the morning of Saturday, May 4th, 2024, two showdowns of the 2023-2024 NBA (National Basketball Association) playoffs first round (quarterfinals in the East and West) G6 (Game 6) took place. China Central Television Sports Channel (CCTV5) aired the semifinals of the Uber Cup on television nationwide, causing a scheduling conflict, thus NBA had to make way and was not broadcasted by CCTV. Local stations like Shanghai 5 Star Sports also had no broadcast plans, with the three major platforms opting for online and mobile streaming instead.
At 9:30 AM, Western Quarterfinals G6, the Los Angeles Clippers played away against the Dallas Mavericks. The game was broadcasted on two major platforms, Shanghai SITV Explosive Sports and ESPN and other American television stations for nationwide broadcast in the U.S. In the Western Conference regular season, the Clippers ranked fourth, while the Mavericks ranked fifth, making it a closely contested match. In the seven-game series, the Clippers won the first game but then faced two consecutive losses. They won the fourth game, tying the total score. In the fifth game, Leonard, one of the Clippers’ Big Four, was injured, and the Clippers led by Harden, George, and Leonard lost at home to the Mavericks led by the Slovenian star Doncic and Irving.
Trailing 2-3 in the series, the Clippers must win this game on the road. If they fail, the Mavericks will reach the next round.
At 7 AM, Eastern Quarterfinals G6, led by Mitchell, the Cleveland Cavaliers played away against the young Orlando Magic. The two major platforms for broadcasting were Tencent Video and nationwide live broadcast. In this series, both teams won at home. The Cavaliers, ranked fifth in the regular season in the East, won the first two games at home, and then the Magic won two consecutive games at home. In the fifth game, the Cavaliers won at home, taking the lead again and also gaining the match point to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
The other six matchups have already concluded. Led by Alexander, the Western Conference regular-season champions Oklahoma City Thunder swept the New Orleans Pelicans led by McCollum 4-0, awaiting the winner between the Clippers and the Mavericks. Li Kai’er, a Chinese naturalized player in the Chinese national basketball team, played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and swept the Phoenix Suns led by Durant 4-0, setting up a clash with the defending champions Denver Nuggets led by Serbian center Jokic, who defeated the Los Angeles Lakers led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis 4-1.
Led by Tatum, the Eastern Conference champions Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat, last season’s NBA Finals runner-up led by Jimmy Butler and Adebayo, 4-1, and will face the winner between the Cavaliers and the Magic in the semifinals. Led by Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks led by Giannis and the injured Lillard 4-2, and will face the New York Knicks, who eliminated the Philadelphia 76ers led by Embiid 4-2.
What will be the outcome of today’s two NBA playoff games? Let’s wait and see!