NBA Playoff Preview
First-Round Series Recaps
#7 Philadelphia 76ers vs. #2 Detroit Pistons
First-round playoffs:
Detroit wins 4-1 SU and ATS
UNDER 3-2
(Home team listed first in CAPS)
4/23/2005 – DETROIT 106, Philadelphia 85
(ATS winner: Detroit -9 | OVER 182.5)
* Sixers held 16-point first-quarter lead
* Antonio McDyess scored 13 of his 15 points in the second quarter during Detroit's comeback
* Rasheed Wallace scored 24 of his game-high 29 points for the Pistons in the second half
* Philly was led by Iverson (30 points) and Chris Webber (27) but no other Sixer scored more than 10
4/26/2005 – DETROIT 99, Philadelphia 84
(ATS winner: Detroit -9 | UNDER 183.5)
* Iverson gets taste of Bad Boys, Bad Fans: Iverson missed 17 of his 24 shots to finish with 19 points and was struck in the head by a coin thrown by a fan toward the end of the game.
* Lethal backcourt: Detroit got solid production from Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, who combined for 43 points and went 11-for-11 from the free-throw line. The Pistons hit 21 of 23 free throws as a team and held Philly to 36.8 percent shooting.
4/29/2005 – PHILADELPHIA 115, Detroit 104
(ATS winner: Philly +3.5 | OVER 206.5)
* "A.I. was phenomenal,'' said Pistons coach Larry Brown after Iverson had his best game of the series with 37 points on 15-for-26 shooting and 15 assists.
* Pistons got just two points from their bench and lost despite a career-high 29 points and 16 rebounds from Ben Wallace.
5/1/2005 – PHILADELPHIA 92, Detroit 97 OT
(ATS winner: PUSH | UNDER 190)
* Billups became the fourth different leading scorer for the Pistons in as many games, scoring 10 straight points in the final 3:05 of regulation and finishing with a team-high 25
* Iverson had another strong game with 36 points on 14-for-24 shooting and 8 assists but Willie Green split two free throws with 3.1 seconds left that would have won the game for Philly in regulation
5/3/2005 – DETROIT 88, Philadelphia 78
(ATS winner: Detroit -9.5| UNDER 188)
* Dynamic duo: Hamilton scored 10 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter while Billups also had 23 points, making 14-of-14 free throws
* One man can't beat team: Iverson had another huge game with 34 points and averaged 31 per game for the series but none of his other teammates scored more than 11 in Game 5
#6 Sacramento Kings vs. #3 Seattle SuperSonics
First-round playoffs:
Seattle wins 4-1 SU (3-2 ATS)
OVER 3-2
4/23/2005 – SEATTLE 97 , Sacramento 92
(ATS winner: Seattle -4 | UNDER 204.5)
* James huge inside against former team: Seattle center Jerome James had 17 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and five blocks. James started his career with the Kings in 1999 but was cut.
* Fallen King: Sacramento point guard Mike Bibby had one of the worst games of his career, scoring only 3 points on miserable 1-for-16 shooting.
4/26/2005 – SEATTLE 105 , Sacramento 93
(ATS winner: Seattle -2.5 | UNDER 203)
* James becoming Superfreak: The Seattle center followed up his statement game with another strong effort, totaling 19 points and 9 rebounds, while Allen scored a game-high 26 points.
* Bounce-back game not nearly enough: Bibby (1-for-16 shooting in Game 1) and Bobby Jackson (0-for-7) combined for 33 points on 14-for-32 shooting to lead the Kings, who didn't have another player score in double figures.
4/29/2005 – SACRAMENTO 116, Seattle 104
(ATS winner: Sacramento -6 | OVER 206.5)
* Bibby big, two others have career highs: Bibby had a team-high 31 points and 7 assists for the Kings while Kenny Thomas and Cuttino Mobley each had career playoff highs with 22 and 21 points, respectively.
* Allen had a game-high 33 points while James continued to be a force with 22 points and 9 rebounds before fouling out for the Sonics, who had just one other player score in double figures.
5/1/2005 – SACRAMENTO 102, Seattle 115
(ATS winner: Seattle +5 | OVER 210)
* Bibby bad, Allen awesome: Bibby reverted back to Game 1 form, making just 4-of-17 shots for 13 points and missed all three of his free throws and six field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Allen had the best game of any Sonic in team playoff history with 45 points, including six 3-pointers.
* Big run, bad shooting doom Kings: Sacramento surrendered an 18-3 run in the fourth quarter to the Sonics and made only 10-of-36 shots in the second half after holding a 68-56 halftime lead.
5/3/2005 – SEATTLE 122, Sacramento 118
(ATS winner: Sacramento +5.5 | OVER 209.5)
* Pair of aces can't beat full house: The Kings got outstanding performances from Bibby and Stojakovic, who combined for 73 points, but the Sonics got seven players to score in double figures led by Allen's 30.
* Sacramento guard Cuttino Mobley sprained his ankle in the second quarter and did not return, but his replacement Maurice Evans chipped in 13 points on perfect 5-for-5 shooting
#8 New Jersey Nets vs. #1 Miami Heat
First-round playoffs:
Miami wins 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS
OVER 4-0
4/24/2005 – MIAMI 116 , New Jersey 98
(ATS winner: Miami -8.5 | OVER 186)
* Heat got playoff career-highs from Wade (32 points) and Damon Jones (30, including seven 3-pointers), as the duo made 22 of 30 shots from the field combined
* Miami also set franchise record for scoring and field-goal percentage (.592)
* O'Neal returned from a two-game absence for the Heat due to a thigh bruise and totaled 17 points and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes
* Nets were led by Carter's 28 points and have won just one playoff series after dropping the first game (2002 vs. Indiana)
4/26/2005 – MIAMI 104, New Jersey 87
(ATS winner: Miami -8.5 | OVER 189)
* Great Mourning: The Heat got surprising production from backup center Mourning, who burned his former team for 21 points and 9 rebounds in just 16 minutes of action.
* Superman solid, not spectacular: O'Neal had another decent game with 14 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes but has averaged a mortal 16.4 points and 10 boards in five games against the Nets this season.
* Nets have now led just 7.6 percent of the series so far and got a game-high 27 points from center Nenad Krstic
* Jones on fire: Damon Jones has hit 11 of 15 3-pointers for the Heat through the first two games.
4/28/2005 – NEW JERSEY 105 , Miami 108 2 OT
(ATS winner: New Jersey +3.5 | OVER 191)
* Carter covers for Nets: Carter hit an amazing baseline jumper at the buzzer to send the game to OT and then dropped a deep 3-pointer with under 5 seconds left in the second OT to cover the spread with New Jersey down six points.
* Triple trouble: Kidd had a triple-double with 16 points, 13 assists and 16 rebounds and Carter just missed with 36 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds in the losing effort. However, the Nets hit just 3-of-23 3-point attempts compared to 10-of-22 for the Heat.
* Jefferson logs big minutes: Jefferson was a force early on for the Nets and played 45 minutes, finishing with 23 points and 8 rebounds. He had played 53 minutes combined in the first two games after missing four months with a wrist injury.
* Shaq big when it counts: O'Neal had a series-high 25 points in 47 minutes despite playing the extra sessions with five fouls.
5/1/2005 – NEW JERSEY 97 , Miami 110
(ATS winner: Miami -4.5 | OVER 190.5)
* O'Neal silent in first half, Wade deadly: O'Neal was held scoreless in the first half for the Heat and finished with 12 points while Wade continued to prove himself as an elite player by scoring 21 of his playoff career-high 34 points by the intermission.
* Carter, Jefferson down and out: Jefferson notched his first start of the series and combined with Carter for 29 points on 8-for-26 shooting after the duo totaled 59 points in Game 3.
#7 Denver Nuggets vs. #2 San Antonio Spurs
First-round playoffs:
San Antonio wins 4-1 SU and ATS
UNDER 3-2
4/24/2005 – SAN ANTONIO 87, Denver 93
(ATS winner: Denver +8 | UNDER 190.5)
* Spurs missed 17 straight shots after making their first three
* Duncan struggles: Duncan scored 18 points but shot terribly, making 7 of 22 shots, including 0-for-7 in the fourth quarter
* Nuggets 33-1 last 34 games when not playing top-seeded Phoenix, improving to 3-0 against the Spurs
4/27/2005 – SAN ANTONIO 104, Denver 76
(ATS winner: San Antonio -8 | UNDER 190)
* Nuggets missed 13 of 14 shots in the second quarter during a 27-5 run by San Antonio
* Duncan got back on track with 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting
4/30/2005 – DENVER 78, San Antonio 86
(ATS winner: San Antonio -1 | UNDER 193.5)
* Ginobili giant off the bench: Manu Ginobili helped lead the San Antonio reserves to a 53-14 bench edge by scoring a game-high 32 points with 9 rebounds in 32 minutes while Robert Horry added 13, including two huge 3-pointers during a 8-0 run in the fourth quarter
* Duncan struggles again: Duncan was in foul trouble throughtout the game and went 0-for-8 shooting in the third quarter, finishing 5-for-19 en route to 11 points.
5/2/2005 – DENVER 115, San Antonio 126 OT
(ATS winner: San Antonio -2.5 | OVER 188.5)
* Spurs blazing: San Antonio proved they could also win by playing an up-tempo game, improving to 19-18 SU when allowing 90 or more points. The Spurs are 41-5 SU when giving up less than 90.
* Duncan had his best game of the playoffs with a game-high 39 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out in the extra session.
* Anthony more aggressive: Anthony went to the free-throw line more times (14) than he did in the first three games of the series combined (10) and scored 12 of his 28 points from the charity stripe.
* Little Earl plays big: Earl Boykins came off the Denver bench to score a team-high 32 points.
5/4/2005 – SAN ANTONIO 99, Denver 89
(ATS winner: San Antonio -9.5 | UNDER 189.5)
* Boykins back down to Earth: Super sub Boykins got his first start of the series for the Nuggets and scored half as many points (16) than the previous game on 6-of-16 shooting.
* Under 90 remains barometer of success for San Antonio: The Spurs improved to a remarkable 42-5 SU when holding their opponents under 90 points. After staying close through the first three quarters, the Nuggets made just 8-of-22 shots in the fourth.
#8 Memphis Grizzlies vs. #1 Phoenix Suns
First-round playoffs:
Phoenix wins 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS
OVER 4-0
4/24/2005 – PHOENIX 114, Memphis 103
(ATS winner: Phoenix -10 | OVER 206)
* Suns made a franchise playoff record 15 3-pointers on 32 attempts
* Reserve Steven Hunter scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting for Phoenix off the bench to help overcome leading scorer Stoudemire's sub-par performance (9 points, 17 below his season average)
* Miller did most of his damage in the second half for Memphis, scoring 16 of his team-high 19 points
4/27/2005 – PHOENIX 108, Memphis 103
(ATS winner: Memphis +8.5 | OVER 207)
* Stoudemire came up big with 34 points and 10 rebounds following his 9-point performance for the Suns in Game 1
* Gasol had playoff career highs with 28 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies
4/29/2005 – Memphis 90 , Phoenix 110
(ATS winner: Phoenix -2.5 | OVER 206.5)
* Suns picked up their first-ever 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven playoff series behind 30 points and 9 rebounds from Stoudemire
* Grizzlies fell to 0-7 SU all-time in the playoffs and are on the brink of being swept for the second straight year
* No Memphis player scored more than 14 points while Phoenix had four players score at least 14, including reserve Jim Jackson, who contributed 17 off the bench
5/1/2005 – Memphis 115 , Phoenix 123
(ATS winner: Phoenix -5 | OVER 206.5)
* Suns got their first-ever four-game sweep in a best-of-seven playoff series, shooting a series-best 60 percent from the field
* Lack of defense costs Memphis: The Grizzlies hit 51 percent of their shots from the field, including 54 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, which should be good enough to win any game. However, they also allowed three Suns to score at least 23 points en route to the highest point total by any team in the playoffs so far.
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