Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and, hopefully, James Harden begin to lead the charge this Saturday in their search for the 2011-12 NBA Playoffs as the schedule has finally been released. The first opponent? The defending champions. The Dallas Mavericks will be the first of several formidable opponents if the Oklahoma City Thunder hope to make it all way to the NBA Finals, and given the recent concussion suffered by Harden, the road could prove tougher than expected.

Ready or not, it all starts Saturday. The full series schedule is as follows:

Game 1 (Saturday, April 28, in OKC) - 8:30 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Game 2 (Monday, April 30, in OKC) - 8:30 p.m. CT (TNT)
Game 3 (Thursday, May 3, in Dallas) - 8:30 p.m. CT (TNT)
Game 4 (Saturday, May 5, in Dallas) - 6:30 p.m., CT (TNT)
Game 5 (Monday, May 7, in OKC) - TBD (TBD)
Game 6 (Thursday, May 10, in Dallas) - TBD (TBD)
Game 7 (Saturday, May 12, in OKC) - TBD (TBD)

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