Playoff roundup Day 1: Pierce comes up big, Blake throws water on a fan, the Pacers stink
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| How are you at every sporting event? |
Day one of the playoffs is in the books, here's how it all went down.
Nets 94, Raptors 87
Toronto called Pierce and KG dinosaurs.
And their GM is not all that fond of Brooklyn.
But Paul Pierce did what Paul Pierce does -- shuts up opposing fans with dagger after dagger. Pierce was silent for the majority of the game, scoring only six points in the first 45 minutes. But then, he came alive, scoring nine points in a two minute span, helping the Nets close out the young, inexperienced Raps.
And he made sure to let everyone know that this is exactly why the Nets dealt for him.
Also, the shot clock broke, leading to these two guys
stealing the show by keeping track of the clock with a stopwatch, and counting down the last five seconds over the PA system. Which includes them yelling "HORN" when the clock expired.
This is why you can't have nice things, Canada.
Warriors 109, Clippers 105
Easily the most exciting game of the day, in what looks to be the most exciting series of the first round. The Dubs somehow escaped 13-36 shooting by the Splash Brothers as well as a 22-point explosion by J.J. Redick to take Game 1 on the Clips floor.
Blake Griffin was in foul trouble all afternoon, scoring only 16 points, and finally fouling out with a minute to go in a tie game.
Blake then watched the replay of his foul and threw water all over the nearest Warriors fan.
I've become a huge Griffin fan this season, and this only adds to it. If you're chirping in my ear right after I foul out and I happen to have a cup of water..that is going to be "accidentally" dumped on you 100 times out of 100.
Chris Paul had a massive game (28-7-6-4, several huge threes), but also turned the ball over six times and missed two crucial free throws with the game in the balance. Lot of pressure on CP3 now that he has the coach and the teammates to do some legitimate damage, let's see how he handles it.
Hawks 101, Pacers 93
Live look in on the Pacers
Something fishy is going on here. Now I admit that Indy may have been playing a bit over their heads with their 46-13 start, but they have fallen off at such a ridiculous pace that you have to wonder what's going on in that locker room.
We all know about Paul George allegedly knocking up a stripper (while dating Doc Rivers' daughter), and his catfish game. We also know Roy Hibbert called out the team and then proceeded to play like dog poop. But there's got to be even more going on behind the scenes.
Tough to pinpoint it, but keep in mind, everything started going to shit once they signed Andrew Bynum. And when all else fails -- you blame Bynum.
As for the Hawks, I'll say this: they're a match-up nightmare for a lot of teams. Their bigs (Millsap and Antic) shoot threes, their wings (Carroll, Korver) shoot threes, and their point guard (Teague) can penetrate and either score at the rim or find those guys.
They don't have great talent, but they are not fun to play. I had this series going six games before it started, but I may have sold the Hawks short.
Thunder 100, Grizzlies 86
Durant and Westbrook combined: 56 points, 18 rebounds, 12 assists.
Do you know how hard it is to beat a team that gets that much production from just two players? The Grizzlies do..it's borderline impossible.
Memphis is a good, smart team, but unless one of these two guys gets hurt or goes absolutely silent -- they don't have the firepower to keep up over seven games.
Also, this play kind of amazed me. Outlet pass to Durant, ball wayyyyy out in front of him, but he just extends his arm about 3 extra feet, gathers it, and lays it in. Smooth as butter. His skill level is stupid.
So that was it for Day 1. Road teams 3-1, a lot of money lost by yours truly gambling on things he shouldn't. But today's a new day, hopefully it's even more exciting.
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