NBA Playoffs Results
Western Conference
Los Angeles Lakers 1 – Utah Jazz 0
San Antonio Spurs 0 -New Orleans Hornets 1
Eastern Conference
Boston Celtics 0 – Cleveland Cavaliers 0
Orlando Magic 0 – Detroit Pistons 1
Atlanta Hawks 65 – Boston Celtics 99
Kevin Garnett took a behind-the-back pass from Paul Pierce, slammed in the dunk to make the lead three dozen points and then slashed his hand across his throat to signal what the Atlanta Hawks already knew. "It’s over," he told the crowd. The game. The series. The surprising little scare the Hawks put into the NBA’s best.
Kevin Garnett scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 22 points, and the Celtics turned back the pesky Hawks with a 99-65 victory in Game 7 of their playoff series to advance to the second round. Rajon Rondo had 10 points and 6 assists, Kendrick Perkins had 10 points and 10 rebounds before joining the rest of the starters on the bench in the formality of a fourth quarter, just like the Celtics did for much of the regular season. Substitute Leon Powe was the third-leading scorer, with 12 points and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes of play time.
The Celtics went 66-16 for the league’s best record — 29 games better than the young Hawks team that earned the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The home-court advantage proved pivotal against an upstart team that fed off its own crowd but wilted on the road, losing four times by a total of 101 points.
Utah Jazz 98 – Los Angeles Lakers 109
Kobe Bryant, celebrating what’s expected to be his first NBA MVP award, converted 6 of his franchise playoff-record 21 foul shots in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Utah Jazz 109-98 to begin the second round of the playoffs. Bryant finished with 38 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, and the Lakers made it five straight victories to begin the postseason after winning eight of their last nine regular-season games to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Pau Gasol added 18 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, Lamar Odom had 16 points and 9 rebounds before fouling out, Derek Fisher had a career playoff-high 6 steals to go with 5 points and 6 assists, Sasha Vujacic scored a career playoff-high 15 points for the Lakers, and Luke Walton had 5 points and 3 rebounds in 13 minutes of play.
Mehmet Okur scored 21 points and posted a career playoff-high 19 rebounds for the Jazz. Carlos Boozer had 15 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists before fouling out, and Deron Williams added 14 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds.
Source: ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/
