After falling short last year by losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, the Heat went 46-20 this season to earn a No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs behind NBA overall leaderChicago.
Pierce said the sprain was minor, and that he doesn't expect it to bother him Sunday when the Boston Celtics take on the Atlanta Hawks in game one of the 1st round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs.
NBA.com reports that Pierce left Thursday season finale against the Bucks early in the first quarter, and though, the Celtics believed he would not return, he was back on the court late in the second quarter.
Another member of the big 3, Ray Allen, is questionable for Sunday. Allen has missed 2 weeks with a sore right angle, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he wasn't sure if Allen will be able to play Sunday.
After all Der- rick Rose went through in the regular season, with five different injuries shelving him for a total of 27 games, is anyone confident that he can stay healthy and lead his team to the Finals? Despite the reigning MVP’s repeated absences, the Bulls (50-16) still went 18-9 without him and finished with the No. 1 overall seed for the second straight season. Tom Thibodeau is seen as a lock to win his second straight Coach of the Year award as the Bulls led the NBA in scoring defense (allowing only 88.2 points per game, a Bulls record) and had the No. 1 rebound differential (6.7). Doug Collins’ Sixers (35-31) started 20-9, then lost 22 of their final 37 games. They’re not built for the playoffs — they have no stars, struggle to score (93.6 ppg) and lack an inside presence. Against the Bulls this season, they made only eight of 33 three-point tries. If it’s another quick first-round ouster, then everybody will await Collins’ decision as to whether he wants to come back for a third season on Broad St.
Second seed Miami (46-20) host the New York Knicks (36-30) and high-scoring Carmelo Anthony in their first-round opener on Saturday (Sunday PHL time) as Dallas (36-30) go up against second-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder (47-19).
Eight playoff series kick off on Saturday and Sunday as the grind of a 66-game NBA season compacted by the league's labor contract dispute gives way to the spotlight of best-of-seven series on the road to the title.
Miami will win the NBA title in Year 2 of the Big 3, or the perception of Riley’s grand superstar plan will go beyond disappointment toward monumental failure, an experiment already in need of an overhaul. Win it all, or the echoing braggadocio of those anticipated multiple titles (“Not one, not two, not three …”) will start to sound mocking, and begin to haunt.
It was this very rivalry more than 10 years ago — Heat-Knicks — that inspired Pat Riley to first utter the memorable lament, “There is winning, and there is misery.”
Back then, misery meant three consecutive years of playoff elimination at the hands of the Knicks (1998-2000), though the Heat was higher seeded every time. Worse, it was New York that Riley had forsaken to come make the NBA matter in Miami.
Some dozen years later the alternative to winning presents a very different sort of misery for Riley and all he has built here. That misery is out there, lurking, threatening.
After getting to the Western finals last spring, the Thunder (47-19) has been a popular choice to win the conference. Kevin Durant won his third straight scoring title (28.0 ppg) and has his best chance to win the MVP award. Russell Westbrook is coming off an All-NBA caliber season and James Harden is a lock to win the Sixth Man Award. Harden is ready for the playoffs after suffering a concussion at the hands of Metta World Peace last Sunday. After those three, who accounted for 67% of the team’s points, the Thunder has few scoring options. Ex-Laker Derek Fisher provided little (4.9 ppg) in 20 games. But Oklahoma City has one of the best interior defenses in the NBA, with veteran big men Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka, the NBA’s top shot blocker (3.65 per game). Coming off their championship season, the Mavs (36-30) have struggled, especially on the road (13-20), withoutTyson Chandler, J.J. Barea and DeShawn Stevenson. They got nothing out of Lamar Odom before releasing him. This is a transition season for owner Mark Cuban until he can restock his team, starting this summer with a move for free agent and Dallas-area product Deron Williams.
The Knicks have navigated through a tumultuous season that included a coaching change and the emergence of point guard Jeremy Lin and subsequent knee injury that has sidelined him.
Under interim coach Mike Woodson the Knicks have played spirited defense led by center Tyson Chandler and allowed Anthony to use his one-on-one scoring skills while also utilizing three-point sharpshooters J.R. Smith and Steve Novak.
Dallas took a step back after losing Chandler and guard J.J. Barea to free agency, and face a difficult draw against the high-powered Thunder, who are led by NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and offensive-minded guard Russell Westbrook.
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