2026 NBA playoffs: Conference semifinals takeaways - ESPN

The second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs is here, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game of the Eastern and Western conference semifinals.

The No. 2-seeded New York Knicks opened their East series Monday by beating the 7-seed Philadelphia 76ers to take a 1-0 series lead. Meanwhile, the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons pulled away for a Game 1 win Tuesday over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the other East series.

In the West, the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, who had Anthony Edwards (left knee injury) back for Game 1, stole a win over the 2-seed San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama on Monday. The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round, picked up where they left off with a win over the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

As teams chase the Larry O'Brien Trophy, here's what matters most in both conferences and what to watch for in all four series.

Jump to a series:
Knicks-76ers | Pistons-Cavaliers
Spurs-Timberwolves | Lakers-Thunder

More coverage:
Schedules and results | Offseason guides

Game 1: Pistons 111, Cavaliers 101

Biggest takeaway from Game 1: This series is personal for Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff. He kept his comments intentionally short before the game when talking about his former squad, acknowledging only that he «spent a lot of time» with many of the Cavaliers core and responding «yes» when asked if that will help him in this series.

His Pistons squad raced out to a 37-21 advantage in the first quarter and put together one of their best offensive performances of the playoffs. All five Detroit starters finished in double figures. Tobias Harris scored 20 points. Duncan Robinson hit five 3-pointers. But the Pistons were again led by Cade