The Knicks won their first playoff series in 12 years, eliminating Boston on the road. Boston eliminated New York in last year’s first round. The Knicks held a commanding 26 point lead in the 4thquarter, only to see Boston force multiple turnovers, rallying with 20 straight points to make it a close game. Carmelo scored 7pts in crunch time, including a 3-pter after previously missing 19 consecutive 3-pters in the series. Boston’s ageing Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce may have played their last games for Boston, as the Celtics ponder whether or not they should rebuild next year with a younger team.
The Pacers won on the road in Atlanta, eliminating them to progress to the second round to face the 2nd-seeded Knicks. It was the first time in the series that a team had won on the road. Down by 15 in the 4th quarter, the Hawks cut the lead down to 3pts with 2:13 remaining, but did not score again. Atlanta’s Josh Smith becomes a free agent next season.
OKC won on the road against Houston, eliminating the Rockets. Rocket’s James Harden started the game with strep throat against OKC, and Lin came off the bench still nursing a chest contusion. Houston held an 8 point lead in the 3rd, but the Thunder went on a run that would lead to a 9pt win.
The Grizzles won their 4th in a row to eliminate the Clippers, after being down 0-2 in the series, becoming only the 10th team in NBA history to do so. They face top-seeded OKC in the second round. Clipper’s Matt Barnes scored a career playoff high 30pts, with injured Blake Griffin coming off the bench for 9pts. The game featured 7 technical fouls, as well as the ejections of Chris Paul and Zach Randolph.
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