Enormous Consequences: Knicks, Pacers Prominent For NBA Playoff Standings

Apr 3, 2012, 4:11 PM UTC

Enormous Consequences is a daily look at the most impactful games in the NBA’s playoff races.

The NBA playoff picture is coming into focus, as the excellent Tom Ziller focused on early Tuesday morning, meaning the eight games on Tuesday night’s schedule are going to be observed rather closely -- and not just because the college basketball season ended with the Kentucky Wildcats winning the national championship, either.

The most important game on the slate for Tuesday night will take place in lovely Indiana as the Pacers host the New York Knicks (7 p.m., NBA League Pass), sans Amare Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin. The Knicks are currently two games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks and have sole possession of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot, but it might be difficult to keep a hold on that without two starters in the lineup.

The Pacers, on the other hand, are hoping for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs -- there's a chance they will get it, too, as they are currently only half of a game behind the Orlando Magic for the third seed in the East.

Basketball fans will also want to tune in to a couple of other Eastern Conference games on Tuesday night. The aforementioned Magic are on the road against the Detroit Pistons (7:30 p.m., NBA League Pass) in a game that could have the Pistons playing the spoiler. The Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat will also meet at 7:30 on NBA TV in a game featuring two teams that are currently entrenched in the postseason.

The Memphis Grizzlies will look to increase their foothold in the Western Conference standings with a win over the Golden State Warriors in a game scheduled for an 8 p.m. tip-off. The Warriors have all but been eliminated from playoff contention, yet could play the role of a spoiler in their game against the Grizzlies. Memphis currently is the No. 5 seed, but they sit just 2.5 game ahead of the Houston Rockets -- a team currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the postseason.