Day of upsets in NBA playoffs
I know quite a few people’s hearts stopped yesterday. It’s gonna be an intense playoff season.
Highly-seeded Western Conference teams have so far seen a few Sunday surprises.
It started early — in the first game of the day, actually — when Memphis outslugged San Antonio for a 101-98 win.
The Grizzlies are the No. 8 seed in the West, so getting a win over the top-seeded Spurs is a noble accomplishment itself. But Memphis had not won a playoff game in its history prior to Sunday, making the result even more amazing.
The end came when Shane Battier, acquired near the trade deadline in a deal with Houston, buried a 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining. That made it 101-98, which held up as the final.
Following that shocker, the highly-favored Los Angeles Lakers looked absolutely helpless to stop New Orleans star Chris Paul.
Paul had his way all day, finishing with 33 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds in an equally stunning 109-100 victory for the Hornets.
The seventh-seeded Hornets weren’t expected to put up much of a fight, especially with forward David West out for the playoffs with a knee injury, but it seems this New Orleans group has other plans.
Things were better in the East, although things weren’t decided until the end.
Although New York led for the majority of the game, the Knicks lost Ray Allen on an inbounds play, and the league’s career leader in made 3-pointers took advantage.
Allen’s late bomb give the Celtics an edge, and New York’s final possession was neither efficient or effective. Carmelo Anthony launched a long 3-pointer that didn’t have much of a chance. It clanged off the rim, and time expired on Boston’s 87-85 win.
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