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Best in show Looking back at the first round's highlights and lowlights
OK, you can breathe now, Pistons and Mavs fans. Your worst nightmare is over. Thanks to gutsy Game 7 victories on Sunday, your teams are still alive in the NBA playoffs. The Mavs, especially, can be relieved. Had Dirk Nowitzki not come alive in the fourth quarter, Dallas would have joined the ’69 Cubs, Greg Norman and Bill Buckner in the pantheon of all-time sports chokers. Instead the Mavs get a date in the second round with the Kings. Come to think of it, maybe that’s not such a good thing.
Who were those players? Read on, as we take a look back at the best and worst of this year’s first round: Best shot: Forget those game-winners by Stephon Marbury, Rodney Rogers and Rasheed Wallace. How about Suns reserve center Jake Voskuhl’s jump hook over MVP Tim Duncan with two seconds left in Game 4 to even their series at 2-2? Worst shot: Magic forward Pat Garrity took an injection of cortisone from an eight-inch needle to alleviate pain in his pelvis before his team’s pivotal Game 7 at Detroit. It didn’t work, as the Pistons drove around Garrity like a pylon. Best in-your-face move: Kobe Bryant’s reverse baseline dunk around Kevin Garnett and Rasho Nesterovic in Game 5. It ended with Kobe sprawled on the deck, but it sent a message the Lakers weren’t going down. Worst in-your-face move: Ron Artest’s shoving match with Mel Daniels after Game 6 in Boston. Upset about being hit with debris as he was leaving the Fleet Center floor, Artest had to be restrained by the 6-foot-9 Daniels, now a Pacers official. Best coaching decision: Mo Cheeks inserting Zach Randolph in the starting lineup. The second-year forward scored 25, 22 and 21 points over Games 4 through 6, respectively, to help the Blazers climb out of a 3-0 hole and nearly make history. Worst coaching decision: Isiah Thomas leaving Reggie Miller on the bench in Game 1. With their veteran shooting guard on the pine, the Pacers blew a 12-point lead down the stretch and lost at home. It set a tone for the series -- and for Miller. Best quote: "I caught a rhythm. The basket looked like an ocean." -- Sixers guard Allen Iverson after scoring 55 points, the fourth most in playoff history, against the Hornets in a Game 1 victory. Iverson, who hit 21-of-32 shots, also dished out eight assists. Worst quote: "It was a good game. Both teams played hard." -- Blazers forward Rasheed Wallace after his team’s victory in Game 4. By giving the same non-answer to five questions at a postgame news conference, Wallace was fined $30,000 by the NBA. Biggest surprise: Tayshaun Prince. After barely playing during the regular season, the Pistons rookie made a major contribution at both ends. He used his lanky frame to help slow McGrady, then exploded with 20 points in Detroit’s Game 7 clincher. Biggest disappointment: Miller. The spindly assassin averaged just 9.2 points on 28.3 percent shooting from the floor, including 4-of-25 from 3-point range. The Pacers desperately needed some outside shots to fall, and he couldn’t deliver this time. Most unheralded: Michael Curry. The veteran Pistons guard helped wear down McGrady over the series by using his size, strength and experience. At the other end, he hit a few big shots and set up several others with smart passes. Most overrated: Rasheed Wallace. He won Game 5 with a 3-pointer and made some big shots in others, but he also disappeared for long stretches. For a guy who makes $16 million, he should lead his team every night. Luckiest coach: Don Nelson. Blowing a 3-0 series lead to the Blazers would have made the Chris Webber fiasco in Golden State seem like a trifle. Instead, Nelson can talk about a contract extension again with a straight face. Unluckiest coach: Paul Silas. Last year, he lost Jamal Mashburn to injury in the playoffs. This year, he loses Mash and Baron Davis, but still manages to keep the Hornets competitive. All he gets for the effort is a pink slip. Best finish: New Jersey’s wild Game 3 victory at Milwaukee. In a tense contest featuring six technicals, Rodney Rogers missed two foul shots, but got the rebound of the second and swished a 20-footer with two seconds left to give the Nets a 103-101 victory. Worst finish: John Stockton walking off the floor for the final time, after Utah’s Game 5 loss in Sacramento. Classy to the end, Stockton finished his Hall of Fame career without fanfare -- but with the everlasting respect of his peers. Luckiest non-player(s): The crew that worked Game 3 of the Lakers-T’wolves series. If Minnesota hadn’t pulled out that OT thriller, Oliver Stone wouldn’t be the only one charging conspiracy. Unluckiest non-player: Jason Kidd’s 4-year-old son, T.J., who suffered a broken collarbone during Game 2 when his father landed in his lap while chasing after a loose ball. T.J. was back in his courtside seat the next game. Best moment: Cheeks coming to the rescue of a 13-year-old girl who had forgotten the words of the national anthem before Game 3. With tip-off minutes away and his team in a 2-0 hole, Cheeks easily could have had his mind on Xs and Os. Instead he reminded us of what’s truly important.
Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.
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"I ain't really worried about Kenyon, to tell you the truth. He doesn't turn my head like that."
