VIDEO: Can Knicks, Mavericks Make Any Noise In 2012 NBA Playoffs?

Sunday's NBA action featured two outstanding games between four playoff teams. In the end, the Miami Heat prevailed over the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Dallas Mavericks. The two winning teams will be higher seeds in the first round, while the two losing teams will almost certainly open the playoffs on the road.

Despite all this, can the Knicks and Mavericks make any noise in the playoffs? SB Nation's Tom Ziller lays out the reasons why fans of both teams should not get too optimistic.There's a very good chance that New York and Dallas would indeed square off against Miami and Los Angeles, respectively, in the first round. If that ends up being the case, both teams should be concerned with what transpired on Sunday. The Knicks failed to defeat a struggling Heat team at home with Carmelo Anthony having a big game, and the Mavericks couldn't beat the Lakers even though Kobe Bryant was injured.