After Saturday's Game 1s, it's clear that Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose need more help from their teammates. Rose finally got some as Chicago survived 104-99 against an Indiana team that led almost the entire game. Meanwhile, Superman never got it. Jameer Nelson scored 27, but no one else scored more than 6 points. The rest of the team shot 8-for-34 from the field for a combined 20 points as the Hawks beat the Magic, 103-93. These trends will have to change if either of these teams is to make a serious run at the NBA title.
The Heat played a lackluster first quarter but regrouped to beat the Sixers, 97-89. Philadelphia did make an impressive charge at the end of the game, but Miami got exactly what it will need in these playoffs to be successful: A clutch Dwyane Wade and an awesome defense. Meanwhile, Mike Miller is still finding ways to not contribute for the Heat. As if his past injuries didn't make you scratch your head, now he's dealing with injuries to BOTH of his thumbs? He aggravated one of them 3 minutes into yesterday's game and didn't return...wow.
The Mavericks and Blazers provided a thriller, but Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd helped Dallas finish the game on a 23-9 run on the way to a 89-81 win. At one point in the 4th quarter, Dirk scored 12 straight points. Kidd scored 24 points while going 6-of-10 from 3-point range. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 27 points, but Portland will need more out of Brandon Roy, Gerald Wallace and Wesley Matthews, who only managed a combined 12 points.
Photo from bleacherreport.com