What a wild first day - so far three out of the four road teams have won. The biggest shocker is Atlanta taking care of business in Indy.

[Edited 4/19/14 19:27pm]

I know this is late, but I've been busy as of late.

#8 Atlanta Hawks vs. #1 Indiana Pacers
#7 Charlotte Bobcats vs. #2 Miami Heat

#6 Brooklyn Nets vs. #3 Toronto Raptors
#5 Washington Wizards vs. #4 Chicago Bulls




#8 Dallas Mavericks vs #1 San Antonio Spurs
#7 Memphis Grizzlies vs. #2 Oklahoma City Thunder
#6 Golden State Warriors vs. #3 Los Angeles Clippers

#5 Portland Trail Blazers vs. #4 Houston Rockets


One of the most notable coincidences of this year's NBA Playoffs is this it's the first payoffs since the early 1950's not to feature the Bostob Celtics, the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers, or the New York Knicks.

The playoffs continue on Sunday with the following schedule:

Dallas Mavericks @ San Antonio Spurs, 1:00 pm EST (TNT)
Charlotte Bobcats @ Miami Heat, 3:30 pm EST (ABC)
Washington Wizards @ Chicago Bulls, 7:00 pm EST (TNT)
Portland Trail Blazers @ Houston Rockets, 9:30 pm EST (TNT)

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Brooklyn Nets 94 Toronto Raptors 87

The Toronto Raptors were making their first playoff appearance in over a decade, and the fans came out wildly enthusiatically for their home team. But it was experience which would take over this game, as the Nets stormed out to a huge early lead. The Raptors would come back though, but it was the wily veteran Paul Pierce who led Brooklyn to victory, scoring nine of his 15 points down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson each led Brooklyn with 24 points apiece while Kevin Garnett grabbed seven rebounds. Kyle Lowry led Toronto with 22 points while Jonas Valanciunas scored 17 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.

Brooklyn leads series 1-0.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Golden State Warriors 109 Los Angeles Clippers 105

The Los Angeles Clippers came out string to start the game, leading by as much as eleven points on the Warriors, but Golden State would compose themselves and come back, taking the lead in the third quarter when both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were on the bench. The game would be bogged down with fouls, though, and Blake Griffin fouled out of the game with about a minute remaining in the game. The Clippers tried to grab a rebound off a missed free throw attempt with 37 seconds left in the game, but Darren Collison would step out of bounds in the scramble, thus giving Golden State the ball back and sealing the road victory. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 22 points while David Lee scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Stephen Curry and Harrison Barnes each added 14 points. Chris Paul led all scorers with 28 points while J.J. Redick scored 22 points for the Clippers including four of five shooting behind the 3-point line. Blake Griffin scored 16 points but was in fould troble throughout the game.

Golden State leads series 1-0.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Atlanta Hawks 101 Indiana Pacers 93

The Indiana Pacers were the most dominant team in the NBA during the first half of the season, looking like the prohibitive favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, but since the All-Star break the Pacers have stumbled down the stretch, looking very vulnerable and ripe for an early round upset in the playoffs. Tonight's game did nothing to dispel those rumors, as Indiana came out flat while Jeff Teague led Atlanta with 28 points and Paul Milsap added 25 points as the Hawks won their first road playoff game in three years. Paul George led the Pacers with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Lance Stephenson added 17 points, but Indiana shot only 36 percent from the field in the second half, often down by double digits during that time.

Atlanta leads series 1-0.

[Edited 4/19/14 22:12pm]

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Memphis Grizzlies 86 Oklahoma City Thunder 100

Okjlahoma City was looking to win their opening playoff game, if only to show the home team could win today. The Thuinder came out fierce, storming to a 20 point lead by halftime. They would lead by as much as 22 before Memphis came roaring back, cutting the Thunder lead to just two points in the fourth quarter. But OKC would close the game on a 14- 2 run to secure the victory. Kevin Durant scored 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter while Russell Westbrook scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Serge Ibaka added 17 points and nine rebounds for OKC. Zach Randolph led Memphis with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but he made just 7 of 21 shots and got into foul trouble in the second half. Mike Conley had 16 points and 11 assists, Marc Gasol scored 16 points and Tony Allen added 13 points for the Grizzlies. The Thunder held Memphis to 36 percent shooting in the game.

Oklahoma City leads series 1-0.

The Dinosaurs a.k.a The Nets looked good in that first game. Pierce has seemed rejuvenated for about a month now. Let's hope he can keep it going and rub some of that energy off on Garnett. The Pacers looked terrible......I have no idea why they've been so bad for the past couple months or so. They'd better get it together....fast! OKC looked good too. My original thought was that the Spurs would come out of the West. But it just might be OKC! I still expect the Clips to win over the Warriors.....considering Blake didn't play alot because of foul trouble and the game was close, they should be ok.

Pacers are a hot mess.They look like the Knicks on offense - too much dribbling and very little movement. The defense isn't what it was early in the season. And what's up with Hibbert? He doesn't look like the cat who owned Tyson Chandler in last year's playoffs. The whole team is in a funk, but they'll still win this series.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Dallas Mavericks 85 San Antonio Spurs 90

The San Antonio Spurs have dominated the Dallas Mavericks in recent playoff history, but that didn't stop the Mavs from nearly pulling a shocking upset. Dallas stayed in the game thanks to their torrid 3-point shooting and their defense on Spurs point guard Tony Parker in the second half. So San Antonio turned to their relaible superstar Tim Duncan, who scored 27 points for the game and used theiir stifiling defense to limit the Mavs to just one field goal in the final seven minutes to seal the victory. Tony Parker scored 21 points for the Spurs while Manu Ginobili added 17. Kawhi Leonard added 11 points and 10 rebounds and Tiago splitter grabbed 11 rebounds. Devin Harris scored 19 points for the Mavericks while Dirk Nowitzski, Monta Ellis, and Brandan Wright each added 11 points.

San Antonio leads series 1-0.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Charlotte Bobcats 88 Miami Heat 99

The Miami Heat were looking to continue their run towards a three-peat while the Charlotte Bobcats were making their first (and last, as the Bobcats) playoff appearance. The Bobcats were a little fesity early on, taking an early lead and keeping Miami flat-footed. But this game would be determined by runs, as the Heat took a huge lead in the second quarter thanks to a 23 to 5 run. But Charlotte would come roaring back in the third quarter, going on a 13-0 run of their own to take the lead. However, Miami would seal the victory down the stretch thanks to an 18-4 run led by James Jones, who scored 12 points off the bench. Lebron James led all scorers with 27 points while Dwayne Wade scored 23 for the Heat. Kemba Walker led the Bobcats with 20 points while Al Jefferson scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Gary Neal added 17 points while Josh McRoberts added 15 points for Charlotte.

Miami leads series 1-0.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Washington Wizards 102 Chicago Bulls 93

The Washington Wizards were looking to earn their first playoff victory in six seasons, while the Chicago Bulls were looking to make a run as the team no one wanted to face in the playoffs. The Wizards would take an early lead, but the Bulls would go on a tear, leading by as much as 13 points in the third quarter. But Washington would claw its way back, getting to within three points by the end of the third quarter, and patiently outhustling Chicago down the stretch, especially on the boards and with their defense. The Wizards were led by Nene, who scored 24 points while his teammates Trevor Ariza scored 18 points and Marcin Gortat added 15 points and 13 rebounds. Kirk Hinrich and D.J. Augustin each led the Bulls with 16 points apiece, but each had a bad shooting game, with Hinrich shooting seven field goals on 16 attempts while Augustin shot only three field goals on 15 attempts. Jimmy Butler added 15 points and seven rebounds for Chicago.

Washington leads series 1-0.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Portland Trail Blazers 122 Houston Rockets 120 F/OT

LaMarcus Aldridge had a monster game for the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring a game high and career high 46 points, but it was a tight game that went down to the wire and then some. The game was tied in the closing seconds of regulation when James Harden had a chance to win the game with a short jumper but missed. Aldridge carried the Blazers for the most part but got help from Damian Lillard, who scored 31 points. Once again, James Harden had a chance to tie the game in overtime but missed his shot, thus securing the victory for Portland. In addition to Aldridge's 46 points, he also grabbed 18 rebounds while Lilliard added nine rebounds and five assists to his 31 points. Wesley Matthews added 18 points for Portland. Both James Harden and Dwight Howard scored 27 points for the Rockets while Howard added 15 rebounds. Chandler Parsons scored 24 points while Jeremy Lin added 14 points.

Portland leads series 1-0.

The Chicago Bulls may have come up short in their first playoff game last night, but at least one of the players won a huge award. Joakim Noah was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Noah picked up 100 first-place votes and earned 555 of a possible 1,125 points. Roy Hibbert of the Indiana Pacers (166 points, eight first-place votes) and DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers (121 points, eight first-place votes) finished second and third, respectively. Noah becomes the first Bull since Michael Jordan to win the prestigious award. Jordan won the award in 1988. The emotional center also has a strong chance to make the All-NBA first team.

In other news, Mike Woodson was fired as coach of the New York Knicks today. Woodson went through his worst season as coach, much of it not necessarily his fault. But sources say former Chicago Bull player, former Phoenix Suns GM and current NBA TV analyst Steve Kerr is being interviewed for the coaching position. Kerr once played for Phil Jackson, who is now the team's president.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 2

Memphis Grizzlies 111 Oklahoma City Thunder 105 F/OT

After getting manhandled by OKC for Game 1, the Grizzlies were looking to bounce back with a better performance. For the most part, they led the game throughout, and they were able to contain OKC's offense for most of the game. Yet while Memphis led 98-93 with just 18 seconds left in regulation, Kevin Durant made an improbable four point play, hitting a desperation 3-point shot while getting fouled by Marc Gasol with just 13 seconds left. Durant made the bonus free throw, and while Mike Conley made one of two free throws with eight seconds remaining, Russell Westbrook made a desperate 3-point attempt in the closing seconds which he missed but was followed up underneath by Kendrick Perkins to tie the game and send it into overtime.

But in the overtime period Memphis would take the lead and hang on for dear life, eventually putting away the Thunder and evening the series. Zach Randolph led the Grizzlies with 25 points while Mike Conley scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out 12 assists. Marc Gasol and Courtney Lee each added 16 points. Kevin Durant led all scorers with 36 points while Russell Westbrook added 29 points.

Series tied at 1-1.

728huey said:

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 1

Washington Wizards 102 Chicago Bulls 93

The Washington Wizards were looking to earn their first playoff victory in six seasons, while the Chicago Bulls were looking to make a run as the team no one wanted to face in the playoffs. The Wizards would take an early lead, but the Bulls would go on a tear, leading by as much as 13 points in the third quarter. But Washington would claw its way back, getting to within three points by the end of the third quarter, and patiently outhustling Chicago down the stretch, especially on the boards and with their defense. The Wizards were led by Nene, who scored 24 points while his teammates Trevor Ariza scored 18 points and Marcin Gortat added 15 points and 13 rebounds. Kirk Hinrich and D.J. Augustin each led the Bulls with 16 points apiece, but each had a bad shooting game, with Hinrich shooting seven field goals on 16 attempts while Augustin shot only three field goals on 15 attempts. Jimmy Butler added 15 points and seven rebounds for Chicago.

Washington leads series 1-0.

Go Wizards. The ghost of Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld visited Nene and Marcin Gortat as they beat the Bulls at their own game with rebounding

and tough defense. They got the best of Noah and Boozer. The Wizards have a nice mix of veteran players to go with John Wall. I hope they can continue to make this a competitive series.

Go Memphis. I'm rooting for a few of the underdogs this season.

If I'm Steve Kerr, I wait until the playoffs are over. There could be coaching vacancies if OKC, Houston & Indy flame out in the first round. I'd rather coach those teams than the dysfunctional Knicks.

Steve Kerr is right to be wary.....

http://www.nydailynews.co...-1.1763985

[Edited 4/22/14 8:37am]

The Knicks in their current state are dysfunctional. However, Phil is now on board. I believe he'll be able to convince 'Melo to stay and maybe get a free agent or two to agree to come to Manhattan. People are throwing names like DRose and/or Noah around. A completely healthy Rose, with Noah, 'Melo and Phil working his Zen from uptop doesn't SEEM that dysfunctional. I would imagine quite a few coaches would like to take a shot at it. But, of course it depends on whether 'Melo remains and if Phils name can draw in some other big names. I'm not a Knicks fan, but I'm excited for what may happen for them......I have a feeling it's going to be special. As for last nights games........The Grizz are a MENTALLY TOUGH team! If they weren't - no way they win that game. They are going to give OKC a run for it.......

Yes, I know this is late, but I need to update this.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 2

Golden State Warriors 98 Los Angeles Clippers 138

The Los Angeles Clippers were stunned by the Warriors in Game 1, and Blake Griffin was limited in action due to foul trouble, thus allowing Golden State to stay close throught the game. That would not be an issue in game 2, as Blake Griffin came storming out of the gate along with his teammates, and the game was decided very early on. Griffin scored 35 points in only 30 minutes of play, and the Clippers spanked the Warriors. Chris Paul scored 12 points for Los Angeles while dishing out 10 assists and grabbing six rebounds in just 27 minutes of play. In fact, the Clippers were so dominant, the bench played nearly half the game. Stephen Curry led Golden State with 24 points while David Lee, Draymond Green, and Jordan Crawford each scored 11 points.

Series tied at 1-1.




Meanwhile, Gregg Popovich was named NBA Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons, making him only the third NBA coach to win that honor at least three times, joining Pat Riley and Don Nelson. He led San Antonio to a 62-20 record, the best in the NBA during the regular season.

Popovich garnered 59 first-place votes and 380 points in voting conducted by a panel of media members. Jeff Hornacek of the Phoenix Suns (37 first-place votes) finished second and the Chicago Bulls' Tom Thibodeau (12) finished third in the voting, with the Charlotte Bobcats' Steve Clifford and the Toronto Raptors' Dwane Casey rounding out the top five in a season so strong that Erik Spoelstra of the defending world champion Miami Heat did not make the top 10.

His accomplishment becomes even more remarkable when considering the state of coaching in the NBA today. A record 12 coaches were replaced last summer, and three vacancies have already opened up since the regular season ended a week ago.

[Edited 4/22/14 17:08pm]

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 2

Atlanta Hawks 85 Indiana Pacers 101

The Indiana Pacers had a miserable game 1, and lot of critics were wondering whether they were even likely to win another game, let alone be the number one seed in the East. After starting with a 7-0 lead, the first half of the game looked very much like game 1, with Jeff Teague dominating the Pacers on the court. Luis Scola came off the bench for Indiana and hit his first four shots, thus keeping the Pacers within striking distance by halftime.

But in the third quarter, the Pacers finally showed why they had the best record in the Eastern conference this season. Paul George and George Hill went on a tear, with George scoring 27 points for the game and Hill scoring all of his 15 points in the second half. The Pacers closed the third quarter with a 22-4 run and cruised to a relatively easy victory. Luis Scola scored 20 points for the Pacers. Paul Milsap led the Hawks with 19 points while Jeff Teague scored 14 points.

Series tied at 1-1.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 2

Brooklyn Nets 95 Toronto Raptors 100

The Toronto Raptors may have looked a little shellshocked in game 1, but they were determined to bounce back in this game. They took an early lead on the Nets, but Brooklyn would make a run in the third quarter taking a brief lead. But Toronto would come back, thanks to the play of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who would put the Raptors up by four points with about a minute remaining in the game. Paul Pierce had a chance to tie the game later for Brooklyn, but he had an awful night, finishing with just seven points on 2 for 16 shooting and missing the late shot. DeRozan led Toronto with 30 points while Amir Johnson added 16 points, Jonas Valanciunas added 15 points, and Kyle Lowry added 14 points. Joe Johnson led Brooklyn with 18 points while Deron Williams added 15 points, Mirza Teletovic added 14 points off the bench, and Kevin Garnett scored 13 points.

Series tied at 1-1.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 2

Washington Wizards 101 Chicago Bulls 99 F/OT

The Washington Wizards once again came out strong against the Chicago Bulls, leaving them dazed and confused early and leading by 17 points in the second quarter. But the Bulls would come charging back thanks to the play of D.J. Augustin and Taj Gibson coming off the bench. Augustin led Chicago with 25 points and seven assists while Gibson scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. The Bulls would take the lead in the third quarter and lead by as much as 10 points.

But the fourth quarter would be a near replay of Game 1. The Wizards clamped down defensively on D.J. Augustin, and he would not score another point in the contest. Nene, Bradley Beal, and John Wall would hit key field goals and send the game into overtime. The Wizards then went on to take a seven point lead with a little over a minute remaining in overtime. The Bulls would make a valiant comeback effort and cut the lead to two points. Kirk Hinrich drove on a basket with 2.4 seconds remaining and was fouled by Nene, giving him a chance to tie the game with a couple of free throws, but after missing the first free throw, he missed the second on purpose with hopes of getting a rebound, but it was grabbed by Washington and sealed the victory. Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 26 points while Nene added 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and John Wall scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out seven assists. Joakim Noah scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Bulls in a losing effort.

Washington leads series 2-0.

The Wizzzzarrds!

Shaolin325 said:

The Knicks in their current state are dysfunctional. However, Phil is now on board. I believe he'll be able to convince 'Melo to stay and maybe get a free agent or two to agree to come to Manhattan. People are throwing names like DRose and/or Noah around. A completely healthy Rose, with Noah, 'Melo and Phil working his Zen from uptop doesn't SEEM that dysfunctional. I would imagine quite a few coaches would like to take a shot at it. But, of course it depends on whether 'Melo remains and if Phils name can draw in some other big names. I'm not a Knicks fan, but I'm excited for what may happen for them......I have a feeling it's going to be special. As for last nights games........The Grizz are a MENTALLY TOUGH team! If they weren't - no way they win that game. They are going to give OKC a run for it.......

The Knicks dysfunction comes from the idiot owner, plus he's surrounded by corporate yes-men who like the status quo. The culture at the Garden has been toxic ever since the Dolans took over, If Phil can't change that, it'll be business as usual.

Bulls could use a lights-out scorer like Carmelo Anthony.

[Edited 4/23/14 0:59am]

@Uptown, You might be right about that whole "dysfuntion" thing. I read an article that said Dolan and Phil supposedly are butting heads about who got fired.....which doesn't make sense. Phil wouldn't fire someone and then say "oh yeah, by the way Dolan I fired so and so". Wouldn't he have to get the green light or at the very least get an indication that the moves would be approved by ownership? Crazy. Also, my Nets couldn't close out last night. The defense faltered. But, Pierce has called the entire team out so I expect better results Friday in Brooklyn! I'll be there cheering them on!

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 2

Charlotte Bobcats 97 Miami Heat 101

The Miami Heat's big three looked to extend their lead in this series, but those Bobcats refused to go away. The Heat jumped out to a big early lead, but Charlotte would claw its way back and make it interesting down the stretch, thanks top some huge shotrs by Kemba Walker, who eventually cut the Heat lead to three points with about a minute remaining in the game. Unfortunately, they were unable to make theior shots down the stretch, and they very possibly could have had one of their players ejected thanks to a very hard foul on Lebron James in which he appeared to have been hit in the neck with a forearm by Josh McRoberts. But the officials did not call a flagrant foul. Nevertheless, Miami would hold on to win the game. Lebron James led all scorers with 32 points and eight assists while Chris Bosh scored 20 points and Dwyane Wade scored 15 points. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist led Charlotte with 22 points while Al Jefferson scoreed 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Kemba Walker added 16 points while Gerald Henderson added 15 points.

Miami leads series 2-0.

Meanwhile, Phoenix Suns guard Goran Drajic was named the NBA's Most Improved Player this season. Dragic, who entered the season with a career scoring average of 9.5 points per game, put up a career-best 20.3 points per game to go along with averages of 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds. He shot just over 50 percent from the field this season. He led the Suns to a 48-34 record, which left them short of the playoffs in the Western conference but would have given them the four seed in the East. Dragic received 408 of a possible 1,134 points, including 65 first-place votes, from a panel of 126 sports writers and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Lance Stephenson of the Indiana Pacers (158 points, 13 first-place votes) and Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans (155 points, 16 first-place votes) finished second and third in the voting respectively.

[Edited 4/23/14 19:27pm]

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 2

Dallas Mavericks 113 San Antonio Spurs 92

The Dallas Mavericks may have stumbled down the stretch in game 1, but tonight that was not an issue. They jumped out to an early lead and cruised their way to an easy victory. The Spurs uncharacteristically turned the ball over, giving away the ball 15 times in the first half when they averaged 14.4 turnpovers per game this season. Monta Ellis led the Mavs with 21 points while Shawn Marion scored 20 points, Devin Harris added 18 points, and Dirk Nowitzski added 16 points. Manu Ginobili led San Antonio with 27 points, but Tony Parker and Tim Duncan were held to just 12 and 11 points respectively.

Series tied at 1-1.

Go Spurs Go!