NBA Playoff Schedule: Chris Paul and Stars Whose Health Will Turn First Round
You've probably heard the statistics before, the ones about how the team that wins Game 1 of an NBA playoff series goes on to advance far more often than not.
Which makes the opening weekend of the 2012 postseason that much more crucial.
The grind of the compressed schedule, though, has left a hefty helping of players with injuries and illnesses that could keep them out of series openers and swing their respective teams' fortunes as a result.
These three, in particular, will need to be healthy and available if their squads are going to come out ahead in the first round.
Whether Chris Paul wins the Maurice Podoloff Trophy or not (he won't, even though he probably should), it's clear that he's the player most crucial to the Los Angeles Clippers' hopes for success in the postseason.
The Clips' big-ticket offseason acquisition suffered a strain in his left groin on Tuesday in Atlanta, but is expected to be back in the starting lineup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
Simply put, CP3 is the difference between LA being a playoff team and winding up in the lottery. He's done a fantastic job of getting his teammates involved and taking over in crunch time when Blake Griffin becomes a real liability.
The Clips will need Paul to be at or near his best if they're to sneak past the talented Grizz and into the second round, though keeping him healthy will require special care given the fickle nature of groin injuries.
The New York Knicks are fully capable of winning games without Tyson Chandler...so long as those games don't involve the Miami Heat.
You know, the same Heat against whom the Knicks will open the playoffs on Saturday.
Chandler has come down with the flu and may have to miss Game 1 as a result. His absence would likely force head coach Mike Woodson to consider slotting Jared Jeffries into the starting lineup or sliding Amar'e Stoudemire from the 4 to the 5.
Either way, the Knicks will miss their shot-swatting center if he's too weak to play. He's the unquestioned anchor of their defense, so much so that he's being talked about as the frontrunner to end Dwight Howard's reign as the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Chandler's ability to block and alter shots is made all the more crucial by the typically poor play of Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony on the defensive end, especially against the likes of Chris Bosh and LeBron James in this series.
In other words, expect a parade to the basket by the Heat if Chandler can't patrol the paint.
Ray Allen
The Boston Celtics have figured out how to win without Ray Allen, and his name is Avery Bradley.
But as well as the defensive-minded sophomore has been in Allen's stead, the fact that he's starting means that Boston's depth has shifted from slim to practically non-existent, with Keyon Dooling as the only semi-reliable player off the bench at guard.
More importantly, the C's will miss the dead-eye shooting that Allen, the most prolific three-point sniper in NBA history, brings to the table. Allen's battled through a sore right ankle this month, missing the last two weeks of the regular season in an attempt to nurse it back to health.
Even if Ray is ready in time for Sunday's series opener against the Atlanta Hawks, he'll need time (and reps) to regain his rhythm from the beyond the arc.
His mere presence will help to create space for the rest of his teammates, but if the C's are going to make one last run at the title, they'll need Allen to be an effective scorer in his own right.
Weekend Playoff Schedule
Game 1 - Sun. April 29, Utah at San Antonio, 1:00 p.m., ESPN
Game 1 - Sat. April 28, Dallas at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 1 - Sun. April 29, Denver at L.A. Lakers, 3:30 p.m., ABC/R
Game 1 - Sun. April 29, L.A. Clippers at Memphis, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Game 1 - Sat. April 28, Philadelphia at Chicago, 1:00 p.m., TNT
Game 1 - Sat. April 28, New York at Miami, 3:30 p.m., ABC/R
Game 1 - Sat. April 28, Orlando at Indiana, 7:00 p.m., ESPN
Game 1 - Sun. April 29, Boston at Atlanta, 7:00 p.m., TNT
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