NBA Playoffs 2011: Complete Report Card for Miami Heat, LA Lakers and More
Game winners, highlight dunks and absurd stat lines filled the headlines in the opening week of the NBA postseason.
In a weekend with only one game decided by double digits, the NBA fanbase got more than it could have ever asked for from the first eight games of the 2011 postseason.
From Dwyane Wade's late-game heroics in Miami to Dwight Howard doing work against Atlanta, the opening weekend of postseason basketball was all that we could possibly ask for.
And that was only Game 1.
It's hard to realize that there is still a month's worth of the NBA postseason to go when it seems like we've already topped off when it comes to watching entertaining and electrifying basketball.
During the opening weekend, no team won by more than 10 points, four of the games were decided by five points or less and two players scored at least 40 points.
It seems that all 16 teams brought their A-games to the court, since nearly every game came down to the wire.
It's come as a surprise considering that these down-to-the-wire finishes have come in the first round.
Over the weekend, we nearly had two No. 1 seeds fall, with one of those teams needing a huge rally to avoid an upset and the other team actually losing at home against an eighth seed.
Overall, three of the lower seeds were able to pull upsets over the higher seeds and were able to take away home-court advantage in the process.
Those three higher seeds to lose? They were the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic.
With a roller-coaster ride of a weekend, we couldn't help but give these teams a grade on just how well they have performed.
Some teams disappointed and some shocked us, but overall, this was easily one of the best weekends of basketball that we as fans have been lucky enough to witness.
Eastern Conference: 1. Chicago Bulls
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Game 1 result: Chicago 104, Indiana 99
Life in the playoffs becomes a lot easier once you get the future MVP on your side. In the case of the Chicago Bulls, their 104-99 Game 1 victory over the Indiana Pacers was nowhere near easy, but it became easier in the final moments once Derrick Rose got the ball in his hands.
To the tune of 39 points, six rebounds, and six assists, Rose was able to lead his Bulls back from a possible embarrassing upset at the hands of the Pacers at home.
Aside from the final minute, this game was the Indiana Pacers' to lose. They had led from the get go and were up by double-digits at a few points throughout until Rose decided to step up and lead his team back from what was looking like a certain defeat.
Chicago used a 16-1 run in the final minutes that was capped off by two Derrick Rose lay-ups and a go-ahead Kyle Korver three-pointer. The Bulls defense also caused the Pacers to miss their final eight shots of the game.
It wasn't the best way for the Bulls to start this postseason, especially when they're supposed to be contending for a title. They still needed 21 Derrick Rose free throws and 4-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc from Korver to pull off a victory at home against a No. 8 seed that is a few games below .500.
It was a quality comeback by Rose and the Bulls, but they're going to need to become aware that the Pacers aren't here to be a stepping stone.
Grade: B
Western Conference: 1. San Antonio Spurs
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Game 1 result: Memphis 101, San Antonio 98
Even without Manu Ginobili, there are absolutely no excuses for the San Antonio Spurs to lose Game 1 at home against a Memphis Grizzlies team that had never won a playoff game.
Even when the Spurs appeared to be out of it and were down by seven late, they staged a comeback that was capped off by back-to-back three-pointers by Matt Bonner to give the team a late lead.
However, suspect defense and failing to score led to the Spurs' eventual downfall as Shane Battier hit the go-ahead three-pointer in the final seconds.
The Spurs got their usual balanced attack, with Tony Parker scoring 20, Tim Duncan with a respectable 16 and 13, and George Hill dropping 15, but they lacked their go-to fourth quarter scorer in Ginobili and it cost them when they couldn't hit a shot down the stretch.
The Grizzlies aren't your usual eighth seed and they actually took two out of four games in their regular-season series with San Antonio.
Without Ginobili for the time being, the Spurs are going to need to find a solution to limit Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol around the basket.
Even with quality defensive players in Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair manning the middle, Randolph and Gasol combined for 49 of the Grizzlies 101 points.
Memphis is too scrappy of a team to be taken lightly. The Spurs are going to need to keep the Grizz off the boards and in check if they want to escape the first round.
Grade: C-
Eastern Conference: 2. Miami Heat
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Game 1 result: Miami 97, Philadelphia 89
For about a quarter-and-a-half, the Miami Heat were a team that looked lost. They already faced a double-digit deficit by the end of the first quarter and then nearly gave up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.
For the other two-and-a-half quarters, however, the Miami Heat were nearly at their best on the defensive end. After a 31-point first quarter, Philadelphia was held to only 38 points over the second and third quarters.
The playoff debut of the combination of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh wasn't as entertaining as it was originally expected to be. It became frustrating to watch a team that was supposedly 'turning it on' for the playoffs struggle so mightily in the first minutes of the postseason.
The only players who were scoring were Mike Bibby and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who were thriving off passes and tip-ins. By the second quarter, though, the Big Three began turning it on and they didn't look back until the final minutes of the fourth.
The members of the Big Three had solid outings with Bosh scoring 25 and grabbing 12 boards and James scoring 21 and grabbing 14 rebounds, but it was Wade in the end who led the Heat to this victory.
With a 14-point lead cut to one with two minutes left, Dwyane hit some free throws and then a ridiculous lay up that proved to be the dagger.
A win is a win for any team, but this was not the way the Heat wanted to start off. It was too reminiscent of the way they played some of their regular-season games when they built a comfortable lead, only to relax and allow the opposition to find its way back into the game.
Philadelphia is too resilient and energetic of a team for the Heat to keep playing this very risky game.
Grade: B
Western Conference: 2. Los Angeles Lakers
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Game 1 result: New Orleans 109, Los Angeles Lakers 100
What would have been a crazier prediction? Predicting that Butler and VCU would meet up in the Final Four or the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs losing their postseason openers?
The No. 1 and 2 seeds each dropped their openers at home, with the Lakers looking like the underdog in their game against the New Orleans Hornets.
After dominating the Hornets for the past few seasons, it came as a surprise to see the Lakers getting manhandled by Chris Paul and the David West-less Hornets.
Kobe Bryant was in full effect with 34 points, Ron Artest hit some big shots on his way to 16 points, but it was Pau Gasol and his dismal performance that led to the downfall of the Lakers on Sunday.
Missing seven of his nine shot attempts, Gasol only scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds in 38 minutes and was benched at the end of the game when the Lakers attempted their comeback.
The Lakers bench didn't provide too much support either, aside from Lamar Odom's 10 points and Shannon Brown's eight. Even with Gasol struggling and Andrew Bynum back from an injury, this wasn't a game that the Lakers should have lost.
They allowed Chris Paul to absolutely dominate them and it could come back to haunt them if Paul can continue to torch Derek Fisher throughout the series.
Grade: C-
Eastern Conference: 3. Boston Celtics
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Game 1 result: Boston 87, New York 85
Thought the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies game had the best finish of the weekend? You must not have stayed up late enough to catch the final minute of Game 1 between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.
What was believed to be the most exciting and entertaining series of this postseason lived up to expectations with a myriad of three-point heroics by both sides.
Following a Toney Douglas three-pointer that gave the Knicks an 85-82 lead, the Celtics showed off their playoff muscle by following that with an alley-oop off the inbound pass from Rajon Rondo to Kevin Garnett.
After an offensive foul by Carmelo Anthony, the ball was given to Ray Allen, who then made the clutch three-pointer to give the Celtics an 87-85 victory over the upset-minded Knicks.
The Celtics' balanced attack came up big in their win. Every starter scored in double figures, with Allen leading the way with 24 points, Paul Pierce finishing with 18 and Kevin Garnett dropping 15 points and 13 rebounds.
The biggest contribution came from Jermaine O'Neal, who dropped in a surprising 12 points and made all six of his shots. Even with O'Neal performing fine, the loss of Kendrick Perkins and Shaquille O'Neal is still significant, and it was obvious when Amar'e Stoudemre began pounding the paint.
What New York has in athleticism, the Celtics can match with experience. If they can keep this series to six games or less, they'll be able to conserve the energy that they'll need to play against the Miami's and Chicago's of the Eastern Conference.
Grade: B+
Western Conference: 3. Dallas Mavericks
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As well as the Dallas Mavericks have played this year, it seems that most people fail to take them seriously. It's probably because they've had great squads over the past decade and have won at least 50 games in every regular season since the 2000-01 campaign.
However, they've advanced past the semifinals only twice and only have one NBA Finals appearance to show for all this regular-season success.
They got off on the right foot for this year's postseason with an 89-81 victory over an upset-minded Portland Trail Blazers team. Dirk Nowitzki poured in his usual 28 points and 10 rebounds, but the Mavs got their offense from an unexpected source not named Jason Terry or Shawn Marion.
Instead, it was Jason Kidd who hit six three-pointers on his way to 24 points. Those two and Terry, who dropped 10 points off the bench, were the only Mavs to score in double figures.
Dallas certainly did dodge a bullet with this win. Even with eight more three-pointers and a 14-point advantage from the foul line, they still needed some late-game heroics to pull off a win at home against a sixth seed.
They only shot 41 percent as a team and had an awful third quarter in which they only scored 14 points, but they'll take this win for what it is and go into Game 2 with a chance to take control of the series.
Grade: B+
Eastern Conference: 4. Orlando Magic
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Game 1 result: Atlanta 103, Orlando 93
Take Dwight Howard off of the Orlando Magic last night and the team probably loses by at least 20 points. Luckily, the Magic did have Dwight Howard and he went off to the tune of 46 points and 19 rebounds against an Atlanta Hawks team that had no answers for him in Game 1 and probably none for the rest of the series.
Unfortunately for the Magic, they still lost by 10 despite playing at home and alsos getting 27 points from Jameer Nelson.
Aside from Nelson and Howard, the Magic were just plain awful on offense and defense. On offense, the team had seven other players combine for a grand total of 20 points.
On defense, the team allowed the Hawks to shoot 51 percent and gave up a combined 68 points in the second and third quarters. Orlando made a few desperation comebacks, but they were all futile efforts as the Hawks balanced attack stymied the Magic into a tough Game 1 loss.
Orlando looks like a team in trouble with the way the Magic handled themselves in Game 1. Atlanta used a 38-29 second quarter to take control of the game and they never looked back. The Magic couldn't find anyone else on the team to answer on the offensive end next to Dwight and Jameer.
It becomes tough when Ryan Anderson plays 24 minutes and doesn't score a point or when Hedo Turkoglu plays 38 minutes to only score six points or even Jason Richardson, who scored four points in 41 minutes.
The Hawks have no answer for Dwight Howard, but they do have answers for the rest of the team.
Grade: D
Western Conference: 4. Oklahoma City Thunder
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Game 1 result: Oklahoma City 107, Denver 103
How appropriate that the NBA would save the best game for last. This epic opening week of postseason basketball ended with a bang with the Oklahoma City Thunder defeating the Denver Nuggets 107-103 in a shootout for the ages. After allowing the Nuggets to rocket out to a 23-10 start and a 33-24 first quarter lead, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder decided to make this a game before it got out of hand after they trailed 35-27 in the second quarter.
An overall impressive game from everyone on the Thunder, with Kevin Durant leading the way with a career playoff high of 41 points and nine rebounds. When he wasn't making highlight plays at any given moment, he was using his feathery touch and hitting jump shots from all around the court, hitting three of his six three-point attempts. His teammate in Russell Westbrook did just as much with 31 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
It wasn't the most balanced effort from the Thunder, but 72 combined points from Durant and Westbrook was enough to get the job done for tonight. Even though they overcame the early deficit, there were still a number of red flags that should point out why this game shouldn't have come down to the final seconds. The Nuggets lost their starting center, Nene Hilario, for the entirety of the third quarter and played without their starting shooting guard in Arron Afflalo.
It was a very good Game 1 win for the Thunder that was filled with electricity from the opening tip, but they're going to need more than Durant and Westbrook saving the team if they want to get out of this series.
Grade: B
Eastern Conference: 5. Atlanta Hawks
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Game 1 result: Atlanta 103, Orlando 93
The Atlanta Hawks were questioning why most analysts picked the Orlando Magic to win this series despite losing three of four to the Hawks in the regular season.
With their dominant Game 1 victory over Orlando at the Amway, the Hawks proved that they're ready for this Magic team in the postseason and they aren't here for another sweep at the hands of the same team that they were just beaten by. It was only last year when Atlanta lost four games by over 20 points per contest.
By holding every other Magic player aside from Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard to low scoring, the Hawks were able to take advantage with a balanced effort from everyone on the roster.
Joe Johnson led the charge with 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting and Jamal Crawford came off the bench to drain four three-pointers on his way to 23 points. Al Horford, Josh Smith and Kirk Hinrich also scored in double digits for Atlanta.
The Hawks played an overall terrific game, aside from their defense at the point and center. They won't have an answer for Dwight Howard unless they want to risk double-teaming him, and it seems like they won't need an answer as long as they keep his supporting cast in check.
It's difficult to determine how this series will go just by judging from Game 1, but the Hawks are here to stay if they continue to limit the Magic to being only a two-player team.
Grade: A-
Western Conference: 5. Denver Nuggets
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Game 1 result: Oklahoma City 107, Denver 103
A tough loss for the Denver Nuggets, but an admirable effort from the short-handed team. Already playing without defensive stopper Arron Afflalo, the Nuggets lost their star center in Nene Hilario for the third quarter. Prior to losing him, he was absolutely dominating the paint and using his size and strength to throw down some ferocious slams. He would come back in the fourth and finish with 22 points and eight rebounds, but it was all for naught against the two-headed monster that came out of Oklahoma City tonight.
The team got plenty of balance with five players in double figures and 34 points from four players off the bench, but the team couldn't produce when it mattered most. Oklahoma City clamped down on defense and the Nuggets were forced into shots they didn't want to take with the game on the line. An interesting move by coach George Karl came when his team was down 104-101 with less than 20 seconds remaining when he elected to keep three-point specialist J.R. Smith out of the game. As good a shooter as Smith has been, it was interesting to see Karl not put Smith into the lineup.
Nevertheless, the Nuggets are still down 1-0 and have nothing to be disappointed about. They were short handed, even more so in the third quarter, and were still able to keep up with the dynamic duo of Westbrook and Durant. The next practice should be devoted to free-throw shooting because when your team shoots 21 of 33 (64 percent) in a close game, you put yourself at a disadvantage when you're giving up that many free points.
Grade: C+
Eastern Conference: 6. New York Knicks
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Game 1 result: Boston 87, New York 85
The New York Knicks know that they are the upset pick of this year's postseason. In Game 1 on the road against the championship-minded Boston Celtics, they gave a good effort on both sides of the ball, but just couldn't match the experience and clutch play of a Celtics team that has performed in this rodeo too many times before. After a Toney Douglas three-pointer that put the Knicks up by three with a little under 40 seconds remaining, they failed to answer any of the Celtics next five points.
As for the first postseason for Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire together, it was impressive for the most part. By impressive for the most part, I mean Amar'e did nearly everything and Chauncey and Carmelo contributed infrequently. 'STAT' dropped 28 points and 11 rebounds and scored the majority of the Knicks 21 fourth-quarter points. Billups hit a big three-pointer to give New York some breathing room, but Anthony was the disappointment of the game for the Knicks. Carmelo scored 18 points, but saw most of those points come in the first half.
The Knicks definitely proved that they are up to the occasion and are extremely upset minded, but they're going to need Anthony to start picking better shots and learn to be a team player if they want to steal a first-round upset against this tough Celtics team. Billups will also need to recover from the injury he suffered late in the game, since Toney Douglas and Anthony Carter aren't the types of point guards you want to rely on to limit Rajon Rondo.
Grade: C
Western Conference: 6. Portland Trail Blazers
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Game 1 result: Dallas 89, Portland 81
When Brandon Roy is scoring two points and missing six of his seven shots in 27 minutes of game time, a win is going to be extremely hard to come by.
Even with LaMarcus Aldridge putting on another show and scoring 27 points on 12-of-20 shooting, the Portland Trail Blazers just didn't have the answers to make a defensive stop or make a score.
The Blazers shot well from the field overall at 46 percent, but missed 14 of their 16 three-point attempts and only had 13 free-throw attempts.
Dallas just proved to be too much, despite being held to 41-percent shooting. Portland allowed the Mavs to hit 10 of their 19 three-point attempts, while also allowing one of the oldest players in the league in Jason Kidd to score 24 points and hit six of those 10 three-pointers.
On the other side of the ball, Aldridge didn't find much offensive help from his teammates aside from Andre Miller, who scored 18 points and Nicolas Batum, who dropped 14 off the bench.
Among the biggest disappointments was Wesley Matthews. He had been performing admirably all season long and only came away with two points in 19 minutes.
Gerald Wallace also played well below expectations, as he only finished with eight points and five rebounds in 38 minutes of game time. The 81 points overall is an extreme disappointment, even for a Portland team that is in the bottom half for points per game.
To beat a team like the Mavericks, Portland's going to need the entirety of its roster to play up to a much better standard than it did in Game 1.
Grade: C-
Eastern Conference: 7. Philadelphia 76ers
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Game 1 result: Miami 97, Philadelphia 89
There isn't such a thing as a good loss. For the Philadelphia 76ers, though, they'll take their Game 1 97-89 loss to the Miami Heat with a few lessons learned.
Even with Andre Iguodala struggling on offense and scoring only four points on 2-of-7 shooting, the Sixers showed how resilient of a team they can be and just how strong a part their bench can play in this series.
In a battle of the No. 1-scoring bench and the worst-scoring bench in the league, it was the league's top-scoring bench coming away with a significant lead.
The Sixers got a strong 20 points and 11 rebounds from Thaddeus Young and 10 points from Louis Williams for the team's strongest contributions off the bench and on the entire team.
When the team was down by double digits in the fourth quarter, it was a frontcourt led by Young, who was out-rebounding and out-muscling the Heat, that cut the deficit to only one point before some Wade heroics kept the 76ers at bay.
For Game 2 on Monday, the 76ers are going to have to make it an issue to begin driving and attacking. Considering the Heat aren't too strong of a team inside, the 76ers were too hesitant to drive and relied too heavily on their jump shooting to get back into the game.
It was obvious from the Heat's 39-15 free-throw advantage that Philadelphia needs to make it an issue to drive while also making it an issue to protect the paint.
It was a good start for the 76ers, especially on the Heat's home court, but they'll need to have a complete effort throughout the game if they want to steal a victory from Miami.
Grade: C+
Western Conference: 7. New Orleans Hornets
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Game 1 result: New Orleans Hornets 109, Los Angeles Lakers 100
David who? When Chris Paul is playing like the best point guard in the league and not like the player who has been injured for two years, he's going to be one tough to player to stop.
With 33 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds, and four steals, Paul was able to lead the New Orleans Hornets to one of the biggest upsets of the weekend with a 109-100 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center.
How were the Hornets able to go into the Staples Center without David West and pull off a victory? Aside from Paul, the team got a lot of support from unexpected sources.
They got a combined 27 points on 10-of-11 shooting, six assists, and five rebounds from Jarrett Jack and Aaron Gray. And they made up for the loss of West and the disappearance on the offensive end of Trevor Ariza, who only scored six points on 2-of-13 shooting.
If Paul can continue to play like he did today, which he can, then the Hornets certainly have a legitimate shot of making this series go longer than it should. It hurts to lose David West for the postseason, but Carl Landry proved to be a strong presence in the middle, scoring 17 points and five rebounds.
Chances are high that Pau Gasol won't always have games in which he scores eight points or that CP3 won't put up the absurd numbers he put up Sunday, but it's a confidence booster for the Hornets nonetheless.
Grade: A
Eastern Conference: 8. Indiana Pacers
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Game 1 result: Chicago 104, Indiana 99
For a moment there, I could have sworn I was watching North Carolina Tar Heels basketball from a few years back. With the way Tyler Hansbrough was torching the Chicago Bulls and making Carlos Boozer look like the postseason rookie, the Most Improved Player candidate was looking like the MVP on his way to dropping 22 points and hitting jump shot after jump shot.
Even after a hard elbow from Kurt Thomas that knocked him out near the end of the third quarter, Hansbrough returned in the fourth and led a surge that probably should have given the Pacers a victory if not for some horrid late-game play.
The Pacers were ready to shock the world, especially with the way Danny Granger was speaking of the Bulls coming into their postseason matchup. He backed it up with a solid second half in which he scored 18 of his 24 points.
He led Indiana to a number of double-digit leads in the second half, but his team couldn't execute in the end as they missed their final eight shots and allowed the Bulls to use a 16-1 run to end the game.
If not for a ridiculous amount of free throws by Derrick Rose and the terrible play down the stretch, this would have been a Pacers win. The problem was that they lacked composure near the end of the game and couldn't find an answer to keep Rose out of the paint.
Rose became impossible to defend and it was the Pacers downfall, as they were forced to double team him and leave other key role players open for easier shots.
It was a tough loss for Indiana, but encouraging now that they realize they can beat the Bulls if they play good basketball for the entire 48 minutes. ESPN should also issue an apology to the Pacers fanbase for forcing them to listen to Jon Barry and his unusually strong love for the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose.
Grade: C+
Western Conference: 8. Memphis Grizzlies
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Game 1 result: Memphis 101, San Antonio 98
As I stated in the San Antonio Spurs slide, the Memphis Grizzlies aren't your average eighth seed. They didn't fight their way into the postseason, without Rudy Gay for the last month mind you, to get swept for a fourth time.
They're here to make a statement and they already made it with their 101-98 in Game 1 of their series against one of the NBA's best teams, the San Antonio Spurs.
Even when they squandered a sure victory, they didn't regress and wait to exact their revenge in Game 2. Instead, they came right back and beat some of the greatest postseason players in NBA history.
Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol led the way for the Grizz as they combined to score nearly half of the team's overall point total. They abused the Spurs' bigs on the glass and they forced San Antonio to focus more on the inside, which led to the eventual go-ahead three-pointer by Shane Battier.
Memphis might not have one of its best players, but you didn't even notice it with the way this team fought back time and time again versus the Spurs.
Even after they missed four consecutive free throws and gave up consecutive three-pointers, Memphis fought back with some quick scores and some clutch shots down the stretch.
The Grizzlies aren't afraid of the Spurs and they're ready to shock the world if they can continue to exhibit their size in the middle.
Grade: A
