NBA Playoff 2012 TV Schedule: Teams That Will Survive Hard-Fought Series

Three series knotted at 3-2. Among them, six games to play. Three berths to the conference semifinals up for grabs.

There have been surprises and there have been foregone conclusions throughout the first round of the NBA playoffs. One top seed has already punched its ticket to the next round while the other is on the brink of elimination. Two possible title contenders are battling to get the one win they need to move on. The first-round action continues on Wednesday night as the Heat try to dispatch the Knicks, but you can see entire postseason schedule here.

In the meantime, though, how will it all end? Let's speculate.

No. 1 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 8 Philadelphia 76ers
Series: 3-2, Philly
Next Game: Thursday, May 10, 7 p.m. ET

Down 3-1 to a lowly No. 8 seed, the Bulls found the fortitude to fight back and keep their series alive—but for how much longer?

After losing reigning MVP Derrick Rose in the final minutes of Game 1, the Bulls have looked utterly lifeless. After losing Joakim Noah to a left ankle sprain, it looked like it couldn't get worse. The Sixers slunk into the playoffs after going 6-8 in the month of April, and yet they are one game away from doing away with the top seed.

There's little doubt that, at the end of it all, the Sixers will be the team that moves on. Chicago's performance after losing its two stars has been positively uninspiring, and understandably so. A couple of weeks ago, they were a favorite to make it to the NBA Finals; now, even they seem to believe that they're not going very far without Rose, and as a result, they've been playing like a team that just wants to go home since Game 2.

The Bulls kept it respectable with a Game 5 win, but the Sixers are far too energized right now to let this series slip away. They know they have a spectacular chance of moving on, and they're going to take advantage.

No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks
Series: 3-2, Boston
Next Game: Thursday, May 10, 8 p.m. ET

The Hawks weren't supposed to be a challenge of any kind in this postseason, and yet here they are, hanging around. They, unlike the Bulls, aren't playing like a team defeated by the loss of its star; they're playing like a team that showed up to shock people.

So far, this series has been incredibly evenly-matched. With the exception of Game 4 (a 101-79 Celtics win), each game has been close. Atlanta escaped elimination on Tuesday night with an 87-86 win, partly due to the fact that Al Horford tallied 19 points in his first start since January. He completely reenergized his team, and now they look like they have a chance of winning.

But after losing Game 1 in Atlanta, the Celtics came back in Game 2—despite being without Rajon Rondo—and clawed their way to a road victory to even the series. They wanted it, and they'll want it again on Thursday.

The Celtics have an opportunity to close this out at home on Thursday night, and everyone's healthy. For the most part, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rondo are all playing very well, and even Ray Allen is back in the mix after missing a big chunk of time this season with bone spurs. Boston has proven it can be just as tough as Atlanta, and it has just a bit more health on its side, which will be the deciding factor.

No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 6 Denver Nuggets
Series: 3-2, Lakers
Next Game: Thursday, May 10, 10:30 p.m. ET

Like both of the other series leaders, the Lakers had a chance to close out the Nuggets for good in Game 5, but let Denver sneak away with a 102-99 win. The Nuggets refused to quit and refused to make it easy for L.A. in Game 5, and it worked.

But if the Nuggets play the fourth quarter of Game 6 like they played the fourth quarter of Game 5, they'll be heading home fast.

Denver had a 15-point lead with half a quarter left in the game before Kobe Bryant scored 12 points on four three-pointers in the last 4:45, narrowing the deficit to 98-96 with 59 seconds left. But Kobe couldn't do enough to single-handedly beat the Nuggets and missed his last three shots, handing the win to the Nuggets.

Denver dodged a bullet in Game 5, but it won't be so easy for them against a very tough Lakers defense in Game 6. LA won't be giving away any more victories for free.