No. 1 Golden State vs. No. 8 New Orleans
Schedule: Game 1 is Saturday at Golden State at 2:30 p.m.; Game 2 is Monday at 9:30 at Golden State, Game 3 is Thursday, April 23 at 8:30 p.m. at the Smoothie King Center, Game 4 is Saturday, April 25 at 7 p.m. at the Smoothie King Center, Game 5* is at Golden State on Tuesday, April 28, time TBA, Game 6* is Friday, May 1 at the Smoothie King Center time TBA, Game 7* is Sunday, May 3 at Golden State time TBA.
*If necessary
Season series: Warriors won 3-1. Golden State dominated the two games at Oracle Arena in Oakland, but it was a much different story at the Smoothie King Center. New Orleans won an early-April thriller over Golden State, after taking the Warriors to overtime in December despite playing without Anthony Davis.
Playoff history: These teams have never met in the NBA playoffs. In fact, they've rarely both qualified for the postseason in the same year since New Orleans joined the Western Conference in 2004-05. This is the Pelicans' sixth trip to the playoffs in franchise history, including twice qualifying for the Eastern Conference field, in 2002-03 and 2003-04. It's the Warriors third straight playoff appearance.
Overview: It's a battle of teams who both enjoyed their finest regular season in years. The Warriors posted the NBA's top record, en route to setting a franchise mark for most wins in a season. Meanwhile, the Pelicans enjoyed their first winning season since 2010-11, which was also the last time they reached the playoffs.
Stars: Two of the NBA's elite young players headline the Warriors and Pelicans. Stephen Curry may be the front-runner to win the league's MVP trophy, while Anthony Davis took another leap to superstardom in Year 3 of his career at age 22.
Coaches: The Pelicans' Monty Williams is making his second playoff appearance; NOLA lost 4-2 to the Lakers in the first round in '11. Steve Kerr led the Warriors to an NBA-best record in his debut as a head coach.