NBA Playoff Schedule: Complete Guide to Wednesday's Game 5 Action

The NBA Playoffs have already sifted out some contenders from pretenders with three series already done and dusted—the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers are all first-round winners.

Wednesday night throws just two games our way, but with both series sitting at 3-1, we could very well see another two teams progress through to the conference semifinals.

This is the place you want to be for your complete guide to all the action, so without further ado, let's roll.

New York Knicks @ Miami Heat

7 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center, Miami, Florida

After taking a 3-0 lead in the series, the Miami Heat went to New York and looked to sweep the series in dynamic fashion, except that someone forgot to tell the Knicks, who rallied to keep their playoff dream alive.

Yet as teams have found out this season, beating the Miami Heat at your place is very different from beating them on their home court—especially when they're one game away from the conference semifinals of the NBA Playoffs.

For the New York Knicks to win, other than a miracle, they'll need their main man Carmelo Anthony to step up and lead the way once more. Melo has notched over 100 points, 30 rebounds and 10 assists for the series—ranking top three on the team in all categories.

He'll need to continue to shoot well from the floor and improve greatly from long range, where he's only made two of his 13 attempts so far this postseason. Along with Tyson Chandler, the Knickerbockers will need Anthony to chalk up offensive boards and second-chance points if they are to somehow pull off a win here.

The Miami Heat will know that they threw it away in Game 4 and that they should already have their feet up. Not only did they blow a double-digit lead twice and give up a 19-2 run in the third quarter, they also missed 11 free throws and botched their final play of the game.

Oh, and they missed from beyond the arc 16 times.

So expect a more disciplined and focused Miami side at home in this one. New York may have won the rebounding battle so far, but the Heat are averaging double the amount of steals and blocks and are capitalizing on those turnovers.

If LeBron James and Dwyane Wade can get their connection going early, this one should be done and dusted. They must still do all the little things well like rotate the ball and get good shots off. If they do that, Miami Heat will win this basketball game.

The Knicks pulled off the upset once, but they won't be able to do it again. This is Miami, at home, playing for some valuable time off heading in to the conference semifinals. With all that on the line, they won't make the same mistake twice.

Miami Heat by 10 points.

Los Angeles Clippers @ Memphis Grizzlies

9:30 p.m. ET at FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee

They might have entered the playoffs as one of the teams most likely to receive a first-round exit, but after four basketball games, the Los Angeles Clippers lead the Memphis Grizzlies 3-1 heading into Game 5.

The series hasn't been without its drama, including one of the most remarkable comebacks in history from the Clippers, as well as some overtime and clutch plays. Expect all of that and more to continue in Game 5.

For the Clippers, the key rests in doing what they've done all series—get the ball into the hands of Chris Paul and dominate the paint on both offense and defense. Paul has led the young Clippers with nearly 100 points and a mammoth 35 assists so far this series. His 22-of-24 mark from the free throw line has also helped Lob City, especially when the game is on the line—as it so often has been this series.

Speaking on the Clippers presence in the paint, Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said (via nba.com):

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"Even when we've got the ball inside, there's not a lot of space to operate. They just decide that they're going to come and try to take the ball out of their hands and make us beat them from the outside. We haven't been able to do that consistently ... "

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Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph dominated inside all throughout the regular season but come playoff time, they simply haven't been able to generate the same presence and results. The pair have scored fewer than 100 points this series, with Randolph in particular forced outside to shoot on a more frequent occurrence than usual.

Thus the key for the Grizzlies lies completely in their efficiency in the paint—particularly that on the offensive end—as they seek to tie the series. Randolph is due for a big game soon and for Memphis' sake, they desperately need it to come in Game 5.

For me, Memphis will undoubtedly be relieved to be back home, though the Grizzlies will know that the Clippers have beaten them at the FedEx Forum already this series. If they concentrate on their work inside the paint offensively and don't get too frustrated at the Blake Griffin and Chris Paul show on the other end, the Grizzlies will stretch this series for at least another night.

I like Memphis to win here and win comfortably. Each night has seen them take two steps forward and two steps back—this is the night they put all the pieces together for a statement victory.

Memphis Grizzlies by 12 points.

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