The NBA: 2013 Playoffs: Day 1: Miller Time

Andre Miller made the game-winner in Game 1
(Image from: sbnation.com)

#Melo #turnovers
The Knicks get Game 1 versus the Celtics due to Carmelo's big game and the Knicks impressive defense in the 2nd half. The Knicks were trailing at the half by 4 points but they tightened up their defense especially in the 4th quarter. Jason Kidd led their defensive effort with numerous deflections and some steals. The Celtics scored 8 points in the last quarter and had 8 turnovers as well. Jeff Green had a good game with 26 points but his effort was wasted.

#MillerTime #OldManGame
Andre Miller was clutch during the 4th quarter. At one point, he scored 9 straight for the Nuggets and then he finished the game with a crafty game-winning layup. Miller went 11-16 and finished with 28 points and 5 assists. Miller was so good that he outscored the whole bench of the Warriors. This was Steph Curry's first taste of the playoffs and he struggled shooting early. Curry wasnt alone in that respect, Carl Landry and Jarrett Jack missed a bunch of shots too. David Lee left the  game after he hurt his hip.

#BrookWin #BullSh*t
The Brooklyn Nets won their playoffs debut at Barclays Center by annihilating the Chicago Bulls. The Nets were scorching hot during the 2nd quarter as they shot 16-20 from the field and scored 35 points. They led by 25 points at the half and the Bulls never got close. Chicago played horribly on the defensive end especially with Joakim Noah only playing 13 minutes due to a nagging injury. The Bulls simply had no effort and no energy. It got so bad for the Bulls that even Reggie Evans managed to score against Boozer in an isolation play.

#blowout #ReboundCity
The Grizzlies needed to control the glass to give themselves a chance in this series. They failed to do that by a wide margin as the Clippers pounded the boards to a tune of 47-23. The Clippers had a balanced attack where 7 players scored at least 10 points led by Chris Paul who finished with 23 points and 7 assists. The Grizzlies had less turnovers 7-13, but the rebounding discrepancy just shredded their chances of stealing Game 1. Can you believe that Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol (DPOY candidate) combined for 6 rebounds?

#Stats #News

• Knicks bench outscored Celtics 33-4
• Jason Kidd did not start the game but he played 35 minutes
• Miller scored 20 of his 28 in the 2nd half
• Curry made 4 threes to give him the lead (tied with Melo)
• Gerald Wallace scored 14 points, his highest output in 10 games
• Rip Hamilton played 7 unproductive minutes
• Rookie Ed Davis led the Grizzlies with 6 boards
• Clippers shot 55% from the field

#Highlights of the Night
JaVale McGee dunks on Andrew Bogut
Deron with a Nice Feed to Brook

#Tweet of the Night

Bill Simmons ‏@BillSimmons

Andre Miller old man pickup hoop move alert!!!!

#Game Recaps

Final Score: New York 85, Boston 78

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Carmelo Anthony's late-season scoring surge has carried into the playoffs. And the New York Knicks clamped down defensively in the second half, especially in the fourth. Anthony netted 36 points in the Knicks' 85-78 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference first-round series. Anthony was 13-of-29 from the field and added six rebounds and four steals for the Knicks, who were swept by the Celtics in the first round two years ago. The Celtics were held to just eight points in the fourth, and 25 overall in the final 24 minutes. Boston shot just 25.9 percent in the second half -- 27.3 percent in the final frame. J.R. Smith netted 15 points, while Raymond Felton added 13 points and six assists in the win. New York held a 10-4 advantage on the offensive glass and a 12-6 edge in second-chance points. The Knicks tallied 20 points off 21 Boston turnovers. Jeff Green scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half and Paul Pierce registered 21 points and seven assists in defeat.

Final Score: Denver 97, Golden State 95

Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Andre Miller poured in a game-high 28 points, including the game-winning layup with 1.2 seconds remaining, to lift the Denver Nuggets to a 97-95 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday in a Western Conference quarterfinal matchup at Pepsi Center. Golden State superstar Stephen Curry connected on a 3-pointer from the left corner to tie the game with 14.5 seconds remaining, but Miller answered at the other end, as the crafty veteran drove to his left before switching to his right and finishing a layup to send the Nuggets to their 24th consecutive home victory. Ty Lawson tallied 12 points, while Wilson Chandler chipped in 11 points and 13 rebounds for the third-seeded Nuggets, who have won 24 of their last 27 games overall. Evan Fournier got the start in place of forward Kenneth Faried, who was in uniform, but did not play due to a left ankle problem. Fournier finished with 11 points. Klay Thompson paced the Warriors with 22 points, while Curry contributed 19 points and nine assists for Golden State, which earned the sixth seed in the West and is in the postseason for the first time since 2006-07. David Lee added 10 points and 14 boards, but left early in the fourth quarter and did not return after sustaining a probable right hip flexor strain.

Final Score: Brooklyn 106, Chicago 89

Brooklyn, NY (Sports Network) - The Nets displayed dominating basketball in their first playoff game in Brooklyn, while taking advantage of a Chicago Bulls team that continued to play without their standout point guard. Deron Williams scored 22 points and Brook Lopez added 21, as the Nets dominated the Bulls, 106-89, in the opener of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Joe Johnson totaled 16 points, while Reggie Evans pulled down 13 rebounds for the fourth-seeded Nets, who gained their first postseason win since May 16, 2007, a Game 5 victory over the Cavaliers in Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Bulls point guard Derrick Rose remained out as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in last year's playoffs. Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose is "most likely out" for the rest of the postseason. Without Rose and with All-Star center Joakim Noah hampered by plantar fasciitis, the Bulls were no match for the Nets. Carlos Boozer had 25 points and Nate Robinson scored 17 in a reserve role, but the Bulls allowed the Nets bolt to a 25-point halftime lead and shoot 55.8 percent for the game. The second contest of this best-of-seven series is Monday, again at Barclays Center.

Final Score: LA Clippers 112, Memphis 91

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Chris Paul directed the offense to the tune of 23 points and seven assists, and the Los Angeles Clippers dominated on the glass to beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 112-91, in the opener of their Western Conference quarterfinal series. Eric Bledsoe scored 13 of his 15 points in the final quarter when the Clippers went 15-of-22 from the field and held a 37-22 scoring advantage. The Clippers placed seven players in double figures, including Chauncey Billups with 14 in the rematch of this first-round series from a year ago. The Clippers topped Memphis in seven games in 2012. The team known as "Lob City" for having two of the three top players in dunks for the season, the Clippers had just one jam all night, that from DeAndre Jordan in the fourth quarter. Yet, the Clippers managed to pull away down the stretch. Jerryd Bayless had 19 points off the bench for the Grizzlies, who also received 16 points and seven assists from Marc Gasol. Memphis was beaten on the glass, 47-23. Game 2 of this best-of-seven set is Monday, again at Staples Center.

The NBA Playoffs: Day 11: Win or Go Home

Kobe Bryant lost this game while Andre Miller celebrated
for the Nuggets. There will be a Game 6 in Denver
(Photo by the Associated Press)

#WINorgoHOME #playoffs
Elimination games are exciting, most of the time. The NBA had four games tonight that had 3-1 leads with the opportunity to finish the series and move on to the next round. Only one team was sent home packing (Orlando Magic) while the rest of the match-ups forced a Game 6. Two of the games featured last minute turnovers and missed shots. More importantly, Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce, two very good closers for their respective teams made tough shots to bring their teams closer to victory. These same closers also missed shots that led to their teams losing the game. That's the way the playoffs are made and I love it!

#MillerTime #Kobe
The Lakers were down 15 midway to the fourth quarter. It appeared that the Nuggets were going to cruise with a win. Then, Kobe happened. Bean Bryant shot the Lakers back into the game with four consecutive treys. Bryant was hot (43 pts), the Staples Center was in a frenzy and the Nuggets appeared shaken. As the Lakers made their push, one veteran on the Nuggets fought back, Andre Miller. He made a couple of shots and some free throws to keep the Nuggets in the lead. He was not as hot as Kobe and he did not get cold like Kobe who missed his last three shots that would have given the Lakers a tie or lead. The Nuggets escaped with a win and there will be a Game 6 in Denver. This was an exciting game to the finish and I hope that there will be two more games in this series.


#win #StayAlive
Al Horford just got back from injury and played in Game 4 which was a loss. He was not ready to go home after playing just his second game back. The Hawks defeated the Celtics to force a Game 6 in Boston. Horford gets to play his third game and the Hawks hope that he produces the same numbers and intensity like what he did in Game 5. Horford started the game and came up with 19 points and 11 rebounds. He was even better in the clutch as he scored the last two buckets for the Hawks and He played excellent defense on Rajon Rondo on the last possession which resulted in a turnover. Paul Pierce played despite on an injury and he almost got the Celtics the win but he airballed a jumper that would have given the Celtics the lead. If Horford plays like this and Pierce is still hobbled by his injury on Game 6, then the Hawks might just be able to even the series and have a Game 7 back in Atlanta.


#win #finally
The Bulls finally won a game without Derrick Rose in the playoffs. They also did it without Joakim Noah. Luol Deng (24 pts) and Carlos Boozer (19 and 13) provided the offense while Taj Gibson provided the hustle and intensity. Gibson also provided an injury scare for the Bulls when he went down with a sprained ankle. He managed to go back into the game and contribute so hopefully the injury is not that severe to keep him from playing in Game 6. But a suspension could prevent Gibson (maybe Brand also) from playing in the next game due to an altercation with Elton Brand in the second quarter as they dove for a loose ball. Elbows were thrown and tempers flared then technical fouls were given but no ejections. The Sixers shot poorly (32%) and Spencer Hawes and Iguodala struggled offensively. This was a good win for the Bulls and they will need another one in Philadelphia to avoid going home early.

#GoHome #GolfingSeason
The Pacers are moving on to the next round after they dominated the Magic in the fourth quarter (36-16) to earn a blowout win. The game was close until Danny Granger and Darren Collision erupted in the final frame. Collision scored 15 pts in the fourth to close out the series. The Magic simply did not have enough weapons especially when the starters were not making their shots. Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson were not able to contribute much in offense and the bench was not much of a help either (16 total bench points). The Pacers winning the series was an expected outcome since Dwight Howard did not play in the playoffs. They are now waiting for the Heat to finish their own series.

#Tweet/Quote of the Night
And just like that, Kobe reminds us what happens when you make a habit of contested off-balance threes. He missed that one, Nugs rebound.- Daily Dime Update, ESPN @DimeUpdate


#RandomStuff #stats

• Corey Brewer of the Nuggets suffered an eye laceration and had to leave the game
• JaVale McGee had 21 points and 14 rebounds to outplay Bynum
• Darren Collison had only 1 turnover in the series
• Four of the five starters for the Hawks played at least 41 minutes (41, 45, 46 43)

Follow me on twitter: @rollzter