Result: Dallas beat the Lakers 96-94 in LA
What that means: The Mavs take a surprise 1-0 lead in the series. But here’s a long way to go.
How it happened: When Kobe Bryant drained a three-pointer to put the Los Angeles Lakers up by 16 points in the second half, nobody would have been surprised if the Dallas Mavericks packed it in.
After all, these perennial underachievers aren’t exactly known for their playoff tenacity.
Their stirring comeback against the two-time defending champions showed that Dirk Nowitzki and his Mavs just might be capable of creating whole new reputations this spring.
Nowitzki scored 28 points and hit two go-ahead free throws with 19.5 seconds left, Jason Kidd forced a crucial turnover moments later, and the Mavericks escaped with a 96-94 victory in Game 1 last night when Bryant missed two late chances to steal it back for the Lakers.
Jason Terry scored 15 points and Nowitzki had 14 rebounds for the Mavericks, who erased that huge third-quarter deficit before the dramatic finish to the perennial playoff teams’ first postseason meeting in 23 years. The Mavericks trailed 92-87 with 3:32 to play, but finished on a 9-2 run.
“I thought we did a great job hanging in there,” Nowitzki said.
“It wasn’t looking good, but we talked about in the huddle. Just stick with it, try to get some stops, don’t turn the ball over, and get a shot up every time. Just at least give ourselves a chance to make it.”
They made it, all right — but only when Bryant, who scored 21 of his 36 points in the second half, couldn’t provide his usual late-game heroics.
“You’ve got to make plays, and you’ve got to dodge some bullets,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “We did both.”
After Nowitzki’s free throws gave Dallas its first lead of the second half, Bryant fell down while trying to get past Kidd to collect the ball from Pau Gasol with 5 seconds to play. After one free throw by Kidd, Bryant missed a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer off the back rim just before the buzzer.
“I think they always had hope,” Bryant said of the Mavs. “They’re in the second round. They’re here to play. I don’t really see it as a big deal. We’ve got to improve.”
Game 2 is tomorrow night at Staples Center.
As fans of Entourage will know – when it gets to the business end of the season in LA, the stars fill the Staples Center front row.
And the Kardashians go along too.
The stars come out for Lakers' play-off
The stars come out for Lakers' play-off
The stars come out for Lakers' play-off
The stars come out for Lakers' play-off
The stars come out for Lakers' play-off
The stars come out for Lakers' play-off
The stars come out for Lakers' play-off
The stars come out for Lakers' play-off
Source: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill" title="">Gasol had 15 points last night, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the second-seeded Lakers, who lost their second straight Game 1 after winning six straight openers over the previous two seasons. Their loss to New Orleans two weeks ago was much more surprising than this loss to the playoff-tested Mavs, but the Lakers’ lack of poise down the stretch should be scary to anybody anticipating what the Americans call a ‘threepeat’.
Check out how it all unfolded here:
Result: Atlanta beat the Bulls 103-95 in Chicago
What that means: The Hawks – like the Mavs – take a 1-0 lead in the series.
How it happened: The Chicago Bulls were out of sorts long before Derrick Rose hobbled off the court at the end of the game.
The MVP’s ankle injury was just added to their pain.
Joe Johnson scored 34 points and Atlanta beat top-seeded Chicago 103-95 last night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
“Joe really got on a run,” Rose said. “He hit a couple of tough shots.”
The Bulls, meanwhile, came out flat to start the game and couldn’t pull it out in the end. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they got a big scare at the end of the game when Rose turned his left ankle and came up limping. He stepped on Jamal Crawford’s foot as he dribbled out the final seconds and was helped off by teammates and a trainer, casting a cloud on a night when news came that he is the league’s MVP.
A person familiar with the situation confirmed reports last night that the award is his, making him the league’s youngest winner and the Bulls’ second alongside Michael Jordan.
That announcement is expected today, with the presentation at Game 2 tomorrow. If the Bulls keep playing like this, that could be their final appearance at the United Center, particularly if Rose is limited.
“It’s fine,” said Rose, who expects to be ready for Game 2. “I just twisted it a little at the end. I’ll just get some treatment.”
Check out all the results here
-additional reporting AP
