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The 2012 NBA Playoffs brought us another blow out. This first round is not shaping up all that well, but then again we are talking about the top seeded San Antonio Spurs easily dealing with a Utah Jazz team that was 11-22 on the road. We're also not surprised to see a good Indiana Pacers team take care of business on the road against the Orlando Magic who are simply not that good without Dwight Howard.
In a more competitive game and series, the Memphis Grizzlies held on to beat the Los Angeles Clippers and tie their series 1-1. The Clippers suffered another blow with an injury to Mo Williams after losing Caron Butler to a broken hand in Game 1 although Williams is expected back.
The real question in this series is Zach Randolph. We saw him dominate in the playoffs last year, but so far he's just 9-24 in two games. He did have 15 points in Game 2, but while that's an improvement, it's nothing close to the performance we saw last year. If he gets it back, the Grizzlies will roll the Clips. If not, this series will continue to be a grind.
Here's what's on the NBA playoff schedule for Thursday night:
Miami Heat at New York Knicks at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT on TNT. The Knicks will be without power forward Amare Stoudemire (lacerated hand) and the Heat will match by playing without Chris Bosh who flew back home to be with his wife for the birth of a child. Neither team has much front court depth so expect to see the LeBron James vs. Carmelo Anthony match up move from the three to the four position. Whatever, the Heat will roll.
Update: Bosh is now expected back in New York in time for the game. Whatever, the Heat will roll.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT on TNT. The Thunder are extremely lucky to be up 2-0 in this surprisingly fun series. Now they go on the road and we'll find out what they are really made of. They were expected by many to come out of the West but so far look far from being a championship-ready team. Don't miss this game even if Community is on at the same time.
For more coverage of the NBA Playoffs, visit SB Nation's NBA hub.
