NBA Playoffs 2012 TV Schedule: Thunder vs. Mavericks & Saturday's Must-See Games
The first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs continues Saturday with four games on the schedule, and none of them will be more exciting than the evening matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks.
The defending champion Mavericks are facing elimination Saturday, and need a win at home to stay alive and defend their title a bit longer.
In the other Game 4 of the day, the Indiana Pacers look to take a commanding 3-1 lead on the Orlando Magic, who are playing without star center Dwight Howard.
Let's look at the most exciting games on Saturday's NBA playoff schedule.
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
| Indiana Pacers at Orlando Magic | 2:00 p.m. | ESPN, ESPN3 |
| Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Clippers | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN, ESPN3 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks | 7:30 p.m. | TNT |
| San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz | 10:00 p.m. | TNT |
Thunder at Clippers
This series has been full of physical play and multiple technical fouls after players have needed to be separated following elbows and hard fouls.
It's clear that after the Western Conference Finals last season, and through three first-round games this season, that the Thunder and Mavericks don't like each other, and that makes for great basketball.
Oklahoma City has a chance to sweep the defending champs on their home court, and it's hard to imagine them failing to do this Saturday.
The Thunder have too much offensive firepower in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and their defense in the paint is fantastic with center Kendrick Perkins and power forward Serge Ibaka blocking shots consistently.
Dallas won't go down easy, but the Thunder are just too deep and athletic to be stopped by an aging and inferior Mavericks squad.
Grizzlies at Clippers
This matchup will be a phenomenal one to watch because both teams badly need a win. The Clippers cannot afford to go down 2-1 by losing Game 3 at home because they don't have much playoff experience to fall back on.
The Grizzlies lost the home-court advantage by losing Game 1 after blowing a large fourth-quarter lead, and will do everything they can to take it back on Saturday.
Memphis guard O.J. Mayo, who scored a massive 20 points off the bench to help the Grizzlies to a Game 2 victory, will be an important player once again.
The Grizzlies don't have the bench scoring they did last season, so it's crucial that Mayo provides them with an offensive spark in a sixth man role throughout the series.
If you want to watch an intense game that will likely come down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter, check out the Grizzlies and Clippers this afternoon.
Nicholas Goss is an NBA Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, follow him on Twitter.
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