Ballin': NBA Playoff Picture Still Muddled in the East and West
By Jason McIntyre
Miami 95, Detroit 78: Something to ponder – the Heat are now within two games of Chicago for the top spot in the East. What about suddenly-dangerous Boston? The Celtics are 4th right now. The Bulls might want to avoid them in the 2nd round. Also: Here’s 6-foot-3 rookie Brandon Knight swatting 6-foot-11 Chris Bosh from behind.
New York 100, Chicago 99, OT: The Knicks opened up a 21-point first quarter lead, lost it in the third quarter, and were saved by a late Carmelo three (why didn’t Chicago foul or make foul shots?). Then, Melo (43 points!) won the game in overtime. You saw the highlights yesterday, but the news gets better …
Boston 103, Philadelphia 79: … the 76ers suffered their fourth straight defeat, and each loss has been more listless than the last one. They’re now tied (!) with the Knicks for 7th in the East. Fear not, Philly fans – of your 10 remaining games, three are against New Jersey, one is vs. Toronto, one is vs. Cleveland and one is vs. Detroit. Maybe the 76ers are just trying to dodge the Heat.
San Antonio 114, Utah 104: The Jazz are now 1.5 games back of Denver for the 8th seed in the West. Nice move, Tony Parker. And on the video below, I love how the announcer says “Duncan got a piece of it.” Little more than a piece, guy.
Oklahoma City 91, Toronto 75: Durant scored 23 points and the Thunder remain percentage points behind the Spurs for the top seed in the West. “Winner” probably avoids Kobe, gets … Lob City?
New Jersey 122, Cleveland 117, OT: How you know it is late in the NBA season – Gerald Green scored 32 points off the bench (including five 3-pointers and this sweet alley-oop) for the Nets. Lester Hudson of the Cavs scored 26 points in 28 minutes. Lester Hudson took 22 shots in 28 minutes. Who is Lester Hudson?