NBA Playoff Schedule 2012: Complete Times and TV Info for This Weekend's Action

The first round of the NBA playoffs is in full swing, and this weekend's games will go a long way in determining which teams advance to the second round. 

Eastern Conference

Chicago Bulls at Philadelphia 76ers- Series tied 1-1

Game 3- Friday 8 EST (ESPN 2)

Game 4- Sunday 1 EST (ABC)

The series now moves to Philadelphia for the next couple games. 

Historically, the eighth-seed has not had much success against the top seed. However, the Bulls lost their franchise player, Derek Rose, to a torn ACL in Game 1, and lost Game 2 in his absence. 

The loss of Rose makes the Bulls vulnerable to a first round exit against the defensive-minded 76ers. 

Luckily for the Bulls, this team has had a lot of experience playing without Rose this season. They were 18-9 in the regular season with Rose on the bench. 

The Bulls have much more playoff experience than the 76ers, and they may need to draw on all of their experience to get out of the first round without their MVP.

Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics- Series tied 1-1

Game 3- Friday 7:30 EST (ESPN) 

Game 4- Sunday 7:00 EST (TNT) 

The Celtics overcame the absence of suspended star point guard Rajon Rondo to take Game 2 in Atlanta.

The series now shifts to Boston, where the Celtics are 24-9 this year.

The Hawks let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers in Game 2. The Celtics were without both Rondo and future Hall of Fame shooting guard Ray Allen in Game 2, yet still found a way to tie up the series. 

Game 3 represents the swing game in this series, with the winning team taking control and a 2-1 series lead. 

Indiana Pacers at Orlando Magic- Pacers lead 2-1

Game 3- Saturday 2 EST (ESPN) 

The Magic are playing without all-world center Dwight Howard for the remainder of the playoffs. 

This gives the Pacers a huge edge in this series, and also gives them a huge size advantage inside. 

The series shifted to Orlando for Game 3, in which the Pacers drubbed the Magic 97-74. 

The Pacers dominated the second-halves in games two and three, outscoring the Magic 104-70 in that span. 

The Magic will need more production from Ryan Anderson and Jameer Nelson if they hope to make Game 4 more competitive in front of their hometown fans.

Miami Heat at New York Knicks- Heat lead 3-0

Game 4- Sunday 3:30 EST (ABC) 

The Heat have a stranglehold on this series, and are in prime position to finish off the sweep. 

In Game 3, LeBron James outscored the Knicks 17-14 in the fourth quarter. 

The Heat appear to be poised to make a strong run through the Eastern Conference, and the injury to Derek Rose has made their path to the finals much easier. 

The Knicks will be depending on a huge game from Carmelo Anthony in Game 4, although that will not guarantee a Knicks' victory as the Heat have a few players that have the ability to score with Anthony.

If the Knicks lose Game 4, it would mark the second straight year that an Anthony-led Knicks team was swept out of the playoffs. 

Western Conference

Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets- Lakers lead 2-0

Game 3- Friday 10:30 EST (ESPN) 

Game 4- Sunday 9:30 EST (TNT)

Kobe Bryant's quest for a sixth ring starts in the first round versus the Denver Nuggets. 

If the Lakers are able to beat the Nuggets in Game 3, then they will take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.

Andrew Bynum has played extremely well in the series, and has dominated the pace of the game when on the court. 

Bryant went off for 38 points in the Lakers 104-100 win in Game 2, while Ty Lawson led the Nuggets in scoring with 25 points. 

The Lakers have a ton of playoff experience, and it may be tough for the Nuggets to win even one game in this series. 

Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Clippers- Series tied 1-1

Game 3- Saturday 4:30 EST (ESPN)

The Clippers pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks in NBA history in Game 1, coming back from 27 down to upset the Grizzlies in Memphis. 

The Grizzlies were able to bounce back from their historic collapse in Game 2, and beat the Clippers 105-98.

Although the comeback was impressive, the Clippers cannot count on pulling off another one of that nature. They will need to play better basketball at home if they hope to advance to the second round. 

Both teams in this series finished the regular season with exceptional home records, thus indicating that home court should be even more important in this series.

Fans should expect to see more great basketball between these two teams, as the series appears to have all the makings of a long and competitive one. 

San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz- Spurs lead 2-0

Game 3- Saturday 10:00 EST (TNT)

The Spurs have completely dominated the Jazz thus far in this series, and there has been no indication that they won't continue to do so. 

The Jazz have been outscored by an average of 23 points per game in the first two games. One would assume that the Jazz will fare better at home, where they went 25-8 this season.

But after being dominated so thoroughly in San Antonio it seems unlikely that they will be able to win a game in this series, even at home.

This could potentially be Tim Duncan's final run at a title, and the Spurs aren't taking that lightly. 

Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks- Thunder lead 3-0

Game 4- Saturday 7:30 EST (TNT)

The defending champion Dallas Mavericks are now only one loss away from being swept out of the playoffs.

After playing two extremely competitive games in Oklahoma City, the Mavericks laid an egg at home. 

The Mavericks were blown out in Game 3 by a score of 95-79. That score is somewhat misleading, however, because the Thunder outplayed them by more than 16 points. 

The Thunder are now on the precipice of exacting revenge on the Mavericks, who beat them in the Conference Finals last season.

This series represents a changing of the guard in the West, as the Thunder appear poised to make another deep playoff run this year.