NBA Playoff Schedule 2012: Important Game 2s You Don't Want to Miss

Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls - Tuesday May, 1st at 8 p.m. ET on TNT

Game 2 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls will be the most important second game in NBA playoffs first-round history.

How will the Bulls respond to the devastating loss of their superstar Derrick Rose?

While Chicago is a deep team, make no mistake that they could only go as far in the NBA playoffs as Rose allowed them to. He's the reason for their success and he's the centerpiece of their franchise.

Now, he's gone for the rest of the playoffs with a torn ACL, according to Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com:

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Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season, the team announced Saturday.

Rose suffered the injury while trying to leap off his left foot in the lane with 1:22 left in Saturday's playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

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This second game is going to be extremely important for the Bulls, as the natural tendency will be to give in to hopelessness now that they have to go the rest of the way without their star.

The truth of the matter is that they still have hope. They have a talented roster, are the best rebounding team in the league and also rank No. 1 in points allowed at 88.2. Perhaps this isn't a team capable of winning the championship anymore, but they can certainly beat Philadelphia and make it out of the first round.

They have to respond to adversity in Game 2.

Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder - Monday April, 30th at 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT

Speaking of responding to adversity, how will the Dallas Mavericks respond to losing to the Oklahoma City thunder on a last-second shot from Kevin Durant?

The Mavericks are the defending champions and are still a very talented team dispute the turnover from their championship roster. That being said, Oklahoma City seems to be the favorite to roll through the West, and it's shots like the one from Durant that make them so dangerous.

The one-two punch of Durant and Russell Westbrook is arguably just as good as the Heat's Big Three, and there isn't a team in the West that can stay with this team in a seven-game series.

The Mavericks had a shot to get an early lead in the series and perhaps prove their doubters wrong, but they let it slip away.

How will they respond in Game 2? On the flip side, will the Thunder let up a bit after the emotional high of their first win?

Those are the storylines to be watching.