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| Atlanta rookie Al Horford scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds on Sunday night, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Celtics from cruising to a 104-81 win over the Hawks. |
Our View: Horford was very efficient in the loss hitting 7-of-10 from the floor, 6-of-7 from the stripe and throwing in an assist and a steal.
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| Ray Allen scored 18 points leading the Boston Celtics to a 104-81 win Sunday night in their playoff opener against the Atlanta Hawks. |
Our View: Allen is in the playoffs for the first time in three seasons after being obtained in an offseason trade with Seattle.
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| Rasheed Wallace scored 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds, but it wasn't enough to lead the second seeded Pistons to the Game 1 win against Philadelphia. |
Our View: Wallace played 40 mintes, was 9-for-21 from the field and a perfect 4-for4 from the charity stripe.
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| Andre Miller scored 20 points helping the Philadelphia 76ers upset the Detroit Pistons 90-86 Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round series.
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Our View: Miller and the cast of 76ers took advantage of the Pistons Achilles, scoring, and held Detroit to 35 second half points.
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| Backup forward Linas Kleiza scored a career playoff high of 23 points in Sunday's game one loss to the Lakers. |
Our View: Kleiza continues to grow in his role with Denver and must continue his scoring onslaught if the Nuggets are to steal Game 2 at the Staples Center.
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| Allen Iverson had 30 points before picking up two technical fouls with 2:10 remaining in the Game 1 loss to the Lakers, calling for his immediate ejection. |
Our View: The Big Two (Iverson and Carmelo Anthony) did their jobs offensively, but on the defensive end of the court both players did little to help the the team objective.
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| Carmelo Anthony, who overcame any assumed distractions of a recent DUI arrest, had 30 points and 12 rebounds for the eighth-seeded Nuggets on Sunday. |
Our View: Anthony and the Nuggets lost the Game 1 affair to the top seeded Lakers, but Anthony was effective in his effort shooting an effecient 11-for-26 from the floor and 8-for-10 from the charity stripe.
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| Lamar Odom scored 17 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and registered six assists as the No. 1 seeded Lakers notched a 128-114 win over the Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference series. |
Our View: Odom left the game in the fourth quarter with a knee ailment. No word yet on the seriousness of the injury.
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| Pau Gasol established playoff highs with 36 points and eight helpers in Sunday's home win over the Denver Nuggets. Gasol added 16 rebounds as well as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Nuggets 128-114.
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Our View: Gasol, a 27-year-old center acquired from Memphis this winter after spending 6 1/2 seasons with the Grizzlies, was 0-12 in three previous postseasons.
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| Anthony Parker led the Raptors with 24 points in Sunday's Game 1 loss to Orlando, 114-100. He also chipped in seven boards, four assists, and two steals. |
Our View: That was the first time that he reached at least 20 points in a game since March 31.
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| Jameer Nelson contributed 24 points in Sunday's 114-100 win over the Raptors in Game 1 of the playoffs. He also registered seven assists, two boards, one steal, and one block. |
Our View: He only averaged 10.9 points per game in the regular season, and has stepped up in the series opener for Orlando.
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| Dwight Howard led the Magic to a convincing 114-100 win over the Raptors in Game 1 of the playoffs on Sunday, as he generated a game-high 25 points and 22 boards, with one steal, two assists, and five blocks. |
Our View: Howard averaged 20.7 points and 14.2 boards in the regular season, and is off to a great start in the playoffs.
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| Thaddeus Young will start at power forward for the Sixers as they battle the Pistons in Game 1 on Sunday, according to the Philly Enquirer and Daily News. Coach Mo Cheeks noted that he is looking for more scoring at the power forward position, and is going with Young over Reggie Evans, who started the four games against Detroit in the regular season. |
Our View: Young averaged 8.4 points over 21.1 minutes per game in the regular season, and is a player on the rise.
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| Trevor Ariza, who is nursing a broken right foot, has a small chance of playing in the opening series against Denver, according to the Denver Post. |
Our View: He only averaged 5.5 points over 15.7 minutes per game this season, and the Lakers will be fine without him if he ultimately cannot play.
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| Allen Iverson continues to play with a broken right ring finger, according to the Denver Post. He had this to say about his injury, "Sometimes it feels better, sometimes it hurts worse. It's just something I'll have to deal with. Knowing what's at stake in the playoff push, that's what helped me deal with it a lot better."
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Our View: Iverson is a warrior who will continue to fight through the ailment to post solid numbers in the postseason.
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| Nene Hilario cannot play in Game 1 against the Lakers, but may be able to return at some point during the series, according to the Denver Post. He continues to be slowed by his groin ailment. |
Our View: He is a solid contributor in the post for the Nuggets, and he is needed back soon against the Lakers.
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