NBA Playoff Capsules: Mavericks aim to end cycle of early playoff exits
A look at the eight first-round series in the NBA playoffs, which start this weekend:
| EASTERN CONFERENCE |
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| No. 1 CHICAGO BULLS (62-20) vs. No. 8 INDIANA PACERS (37-45) |
Season series: Bulls, 3-1. Chicago limited Indiana to an average of 82.7 points while winning the first three meetings before the Pacers earned a 115-108 overtime victory on March 18 in the final matchup. Derrick Rose scored a season-high 42 points in that game and averaged 27 in the series for the Bulls, who had the pairing of Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah together for only their 92-73 rout on Dec. 13.
Storyline: With the best record in the NBA — and their best since Michael Jordan's final season — the Bulls begin the quest for their first championship since Jordan left after winning his sixth in 1998.
Key Matchup I: Luol Deng vs. Danny Granger. Deng, whose fine season was overshadowed by Rose's brilliance, scored at least 15 points in all four meetings. Granger had a pair of 19-point outings and scored 22 in another, but the Pacers showed how much they need their leading scorer when they shot just 36 percent without him in the Dec. 13 loss.
Key Matchup II: Noah vs. Roy Hibbert. Noah played only twice this season against Indiana and now will be counted on to continue the Bulls' excellent defensive play against the 7-foot-2 Hibbert, who totaled just 10 points in the Pacers' three losses before scoring 15 in their lone victory.
X-Factor: Tyler Hansbrough. Wasn't a part of the rotation for much of the season and played in only one of the first three meetings, then had 29 points and 12 rebounds in Indiana's win.
Prediction: Bulls in 5.
| No. 2 MIAMI HEAT (58-24) vs. No. 7 PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (41-41) |
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Season series: Heat, 3-0. Miami's Big Three earned its first victory together with a 97-87 win at Philadelphia on Oct. 27, then beat the 76ers twice at home. Dwyane Wade averaged 30.7 points and the Heat held the 76ers to 92 per game.
Storyline: The Heat, who closed the regular season playing at the level that was expected of them when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Wade in Miami, open with a Philadelphia team that exceeded expectations in Doug Collins' first season as coach but struggled down the stretch.
Key matchup I: James vs. Andre Iguodala. Iguodala's defensive skills earned him a starting spot on the U.S. world championship team last summer. He'll have to be at his best against James, who scored only 16 and 20 points in the first two games before going for 32 in Miami's 111-99 victory on March 25.
Key matchup II: Bosh vs. Elton Brand. Bosh got better in every game against the 76ers, topped by a 20-point, 10-rebound performance in the final meeting. Brand's resurgence after a couple of forgettable seasons in Philadelphia was a good story and one of the keys to the Sixers' success, but he had no game higher than 12 points against the Heat.
X-factor: Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams. If the 76ers have any advantage in the series, it's when the teams go to their benches. Young was in double figures all three games, while Williams scored 24 as a reserve in the March 25 game.
Prediction: Heat in 4.
| No. 3 BOSTON CELTICS (56-26) vs. No. 6 NEW YORK KNICKS (42-40) |
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Season series: Celtics, 4-0. Boston completed the sweep on the final night of the season, when Amare Stoudemire was the only one of the combined six All-Stars on the teams who played. The Celtics won by four and then two in the first two meetings, then pulled away in the final three minutes of a 96-86 victory on March 21, the only one Carmelo Anthony played in.
Storyline: Like last season, the Celtics hope to prove their late-season struggles were meaningless and start another run to the NBA finals against the Knicks, who are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and believe they are a dangerous underdog in the 14th postseason matchup between the longtime rivals.
Key matchup I: Paul Pierce vs. Anthony. The Celtics have long had one of the NBA's best closers in Pierce, who made the tiebreaking jumper with 0.4 seconds left in their 118-116 victory at New York on Dec. 15. Now the Knicks have an answer in Anthony, who has an NBA-high 16 go-ahead field goals in the last 10 seconds since 2003.
Key matchup II: Rajon Rondo vs. Chauncey Billups. Rondo's sensational play was the catalyst for the Celtics' run last spring and he must pick it up now after a mediocre finish to this season. Billups has all the experience and clutch ability a team could want, but not enough speed to stay with his much younger counterpart.
X-factor: Toney Douglas. The Knicks are a different team when the streaky backup guard is making 3-pointers, and they may have to call on him often to defend Rondo.
Prediction: Celtics in 6.
| No. 4 ORLANDO MAGIC (52-30) vs. No. 5 ATLANTA HAWKS (44-38) |
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Season series: Hawks, 3-1. Atlanta won the last three meetings, doing a solid job on Dwight Howard and limiting the Magic to 79 points per game in its wins. Howard averaged 19.3 points and 14.3 rebounds, but his 43.1 percent shooting against the Hawks was his worst against any opponent. Joe Johnson, who had a nightmare series when these teams met in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals, bounced back with 19.3 points per game against Orlando this season.
Storyline: Rematch of last season's second-round series, the most lopsided four-game sweep in NBA history. Orlando won by an average of 25.3 points and the Hawks would go on to change coaches, replacing Mike Woodson with Larry Drew.
Key matchup I: Howard vs. Al Horford. After shooting 10 of 20 for 27 points in Orlando's Nov. 8 victory, Howard was held below 50 percent in the last three games, including a 4-for-13 showing in the Atlanta's 85-82 victory on March 30. Horford had only 11 points in that game, but had a pair of 16-point games and scored 24 in another matchup.
Key matchup II: Jameer Nelson vs. Kirk Hinrich. Nelson, perhaps Orlando's best clutch player, dominated Mike Bibby in last year's sweep and now hopes to duplicate that against Hinrich, acquired by the Hawks when they dealt Bibby to Washington in February. Nelson, limited to two games against the Hawks this season, scored 20 points and Hinrich managed just five on 2-for-9 shooting in the lone matchup with Hinrich in Atlanta.
X-factor: Josh Smith. The Magic don't have a great option to defend the power forward spot, and the versatile Smith, who averaged 17.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.3 blocks, could be able to take advantage of his matchup.
Prediction: Magic in 6.
| WESTERN CONFERENCE |
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| No. 1 SAN ANTONIO SPURS (61-21) vs. No. 8 MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (46-36) |
Season series: Tied, 2-2. San Antonio won the first two at home, and the Grizzlies won a pair in Memphis in March, averaging 110 points and shooting better than 52 percent in both. Tim Duncan missed one of those losses and was largely outplayed by Zach Randolph in the other three.
Storyline: Back in the postseason for the first time since 2006 and still seeking their first victory in a playoff game after 12 losses, the Grizzlies start against a Spurs team that could open without All-Star Manu Ginobili, who sprained his right elbow in the regular-season finale and is doubtful for the opener.
Key matchup I: Duncan vs. Randolph. Randolph had four 20-point, 10-rebound games, including a 24-21 game in the Spurs' Dec. 18 victory. Duncan's stats have been down in recent years and he didn't score more than 13 against Memphis, but remains one of the top defenders at his position and should be more of a factor offensively playing more minutes in the postseason.
Key matchup II: Tony Parker vs. Mike Conley. In his best season in the NBA, Conley averaged 15.5 points against the Spurs. He now faces one of the few players who can match his quickness in Parker, who had a 37-point outing against Memphis and likely will be looking to score as long as Ginobili is out.
X-factor: Tony Allen. Has brought solid defensive play and postseason experience from his years in Boston, and has been a scorer against the Spurs. He scored 20 in both Memphis wins, and he's likely the best option to defend Ginobili.
Prediction: Spurs in 6.
| No. 2 LOS ANGELES (57-25) vs. No. 7 NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (46-36) |
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Season series: Lakers, 4-0. Los Angeles posted three double-digit victories, the Hornets never cracked 100 points, and Chris Paul admitted "this is not a team we match up with good this year" after the final and most lopsided meeting, the Lakers' 102-84 victory on March 27. Kobe Bryant had a pair of 30-point games and averaged 26.8.
Storyline: Seeking a third straight NBA title, the Lakers open against the Hornets, whose surprisingly strong season was ruined when power forward David West was lost with a torn knee ligament.
Key matchup I: Pau Gasol vs. Carl Landry. Landry's solid play helped the Hornets hold on to a playoff spot after West went down, and he scored 24 points against the Lakers in the most recent meeting. But Gasol was dominant this season against New Orleans, averaging 22.3 points and 12.8 rebounds, and shooting 70.5 percent from the field.
Key matchup II: Derek Fisher vs. Chris Paul. Fisher had paltry numbers against the Hornets, but the Lakers know they can count on him in the postseason. His role here is defense against Paul, who probably has to be at his sensational best with West out to give the Hornets a chance.
X-factor: Emeka Okafor. In his first postseason, he has to not only defend against the Lakers' depth inside but find a way to provide some offense as well.
Prediction: Lakers in 4.
| No. 3 DALLAS MAVERICKS (57-25) vs. No. 6 PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (48-34) |
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Season series: Tied, 2-2. Dallas won the first two meetings, and Portland took the last two at home later in the season after acquiring Gerald Wallace. Dallas guard Jason Kidd had a combined one point in the Mavericks' losses, missing all six shots in a scoreless outing on April 3.
Storyline: Following two straight first-round eliminations, the Blazers seem to be considered the trendy underdog pick this year, even though Dallas won its final four games to tie for the second-best record in the Western Conference.
Key matchup I: Dirk Nowitzki vs. LaMarcus Aldridge. The Mavs won on Jan. 4 at home against Portland without their All-Star forward, who faces an opponent who also enjoys popularity in Dallas. Aldridge is a native of the city who played at Texas and had a pair of 30-point outings against his hometown team.
Key matchup II: Tyson Chandler vs. Marcus Camby. Neither will be counted on for his offense, but they are two of the top rim protectors in the league, and their defense will be key in a series that doesn't figure to be high scoring.
X-factor: Rodrigue Beaubois. Both Kidd and Jason Terry had their struggles against Portland's tough defense, and if that continues the Mavs will need a big contribution from Beaubois, who averaged 17 points in his two appearances against the Blazers.
Prediction: Trail Blazers in 6.
| No. 4 OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (55-27) vs. No. 5 DENVER NUGGETS (50-32) |
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Season series: Thunder, 3-1. Oklahoma City won the season series with a pair of victories in April, including a 101-94 win on April 5 that was Kevin Durant's first in Denver. The NBA's leading scorer averaged 31.5 points in the series.
Storyline: The Thunder are considered one of the top challengers to the Lakers in the Western Conference, but draw a dangerous first-round opponent in the Nuggets, who went 18-7 after trading Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks in February.
Key Matchup I: Russell Westbrook vs. Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton. The Nuggets have a solid duo to play against Oklahoma's All-Star point guard, but Lawson, perhaps a better option because of his speed, sprained his left ankle in the season finale.
Key Matchup II: Kendrick Perkins vs. Nene. Perkins, acquired from Boston to bring some interior defense and toughness, exchanged some words and shoves with Nene in the last two meetings. The Brazilian center had only seven points on 3-of-10 shooting in the April 5 game, a poor outing for the NBA's leading shooter.
X-Factor: James Harden. Must provide the third scoring option behind Durant and Westbrook, especially because the Thunder bench could have difficulties matching the deeper Nuggets one.
Prediction: Thunder in 7.
-- Brian Mahoney
DALLAS (AP) — The playoffs are here and so are the Dallas Mavericks. Of course. With 11 straight 50-win seasons, the only question each spring seems to be where they'll be seeded.
Followed by another question: How early will they get bounced? Since reaching the NBA Finals for the first and only time in 2006, Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs have won a single playoff series. They've gone out in the first round three of the last four years.
This postseason, they're seeded third in the Western Conference and will play Portland in a series that begins Saturday night in Dallas.
Sentiment is building that Dallas is as vulnerable as ever. Lakers guard Matt Barnes and Nuggets coach George Karl made comments in recent weeks suggesting the Mavericks are the team everyone wants to play.
It's not just mind games. Four straight wins to close the regular season bumped them to a mere 12-9 since early March. Until beating New Orleans on Wednesday night, they'd lost nine straight games against Western playoff teams, including two against the Trail Blazers.
"I hope whoever we're facing is thinking, 'Same old Mavs, a team that's going to come in and get knocked out early,' because that'll give us an advantage," center Tyson Chandler said. "Sometimes it's good to be the hunter instead of the hunted."
Then again, Chandler is a newcomer. He doesn't know the here-we-go-again frustration in and around the organization. A few years ago, in fact, Chandler helped the Hornets add to the Mavs' misery with one of those first-round oustings.
Yet his presence is one of the reasons Dallas is hoping things will be different. He and Brendan Haywood give the Mavericks the best depth and flexibility they've ever had at center.
"(Chandler) is the most athletic big man I've ever played with," Nowitzki said. "If our two big guys play like (Dallas expects), we can beat some people in the playoffs."
So, which is going to be — same old, same old or something new?
Only three other teams have put together as many 50-win seasons as Dallas — Bill Russell's Celtics, Magic Johnson's Lakers and Tim Duncan's Spurs. Each of those clubs won at least three championships along the way. San Antonio's run is still going.
The knock on the Mavericks has always been that they're soft, relying too much on jump shots. The label will linger until they prove otherwise. Heck, coach Rick Carlisle even said it a few weeks ago.
Fingers are mostly pointed at Nowitzki because everything about this club starts with him. While he should be beyond questions about his skills and toughness, his ability to lead will be questioned until he wins a title.
In the playoffs, teams have been willing to smother Nowitzki and take their chances with everyone else. Whether he gets enough help this time around might answer the question of how long Dallas lasts.
Things were looking good early, when Caron Butler was the wing man. Then he tore up a knee. Jason Terry resumed the role as the second-leading scorer with mixed results.
An emotional leader capable of hitting big shots, Terry also can be inconsistent. His emotions have gotten the best of him the last few weeks. He's started a fight, got a technical foul late in a close game, yelled at a teammate in the huddle and appeared to lose track of the score in the final seconds of a game.
The offense runs best when Jason Kidd is going strong, but how strong can his 38-year-old body be this time of year? He missed two recent games for rest and came back refreshed. He'll need to pace himself to avoid fading in the playoffs like last year.
Then there's the difficulty of the first-round matchup. The Trail Blazers are a tough draw, and their star, LaMarcus Aldridge, is from the Dallas area.
Yet there is plenty to rally the pro-Mavs faction.
Although Dallas lost both games in Portland this season, the Mavericks tied Miami for the most road wins in the NBA. They also allowed the 10th-fewest points this season, while scoring the 11th-most; only the Heat and the Lakers were that good on both ends of the court.
"We've got to play great defense — that's the thing that's got to be our calling card in this series," Carlisle said. "If we do that, it's always going to enhance our offense."
Carlisle is expected to revert to his best defensive starting lineup, which includes DeShawn Stevenson.
Stevenson started most of the season, including the majority of the Mavericks' 18-1 spurt from late January to early March, then gave way when second-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois returned from a broken left foot. Expectations were high that Beaubois would be a big lift, but he struggled so badly that on Wednesday night he lost his starting job to Stevenson, then wound up spraining his troublesome left foot in that game.
Regardless of Beaubois' availability, Carlisle has plenty of depth and versatility on his bench, from Terry, Haywood and J.J. Barea to late-season additions Peja Stojakovic and Corey Brewer.
And, if Dallas can last long enough in the postseason, Butler could return.
The Mavericks' playoff road potentially includes the Lakers in the second round and the Spurs in the conference finals. Should they knock off the two-time reigning champions, they certainly would have the attitude that this could be the year, the chance for Kidd and Nowitzki to finally become champions.
Actually, that goes for all of them, as no player on the Dallas roster has won an NBA title.
"We know this is not an easy challenge, but we know it's a challenge that is a great one," Carlisle said. "So embracing it and being energized by it is what we're going to make it about."
Spurs' Ginobili doubtful for playoff opener
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is doubtful for Game 1 against Memphis after spraining his right elbow in the regular-season finale.
The All-Star had an MRI exam Thursday that confirmed the sprain. Ginobili hyperextended the elbow in the first quarter of Wednesday's loss at Phoenix.
The Spurs said Ginobili will be listed as doubtful for the playoff opener Sunday. San Antonio locked up the No. 1 seed in the West last week and plays the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.
Coach Gregg Popovich sat his stars Tuesday at the Los Angeles Lakers, but played them against the Suns with the goal of keeping them in a rhythm for the playoffs.
The 33-year-old Ginobili averaged 17.4 points this season.
Playoff Preview: Lakers' road to repeat may go through Chicago
Kobe Bryant has all that championship experience, and perhaps the NBA's best supporting cast. The Miami Heat have the promise of what LeBron James and Dwyane Wade can deliver in their first postseason together, and the Boston Celtics think their playoff-tested group can do it again.
"You don't ever know if you're going to win a championship until you get there, but you know you have the pieces that can compete for one," Wade said. "That's where we're at right now."
But to win an NBA title, those teams may have to go past Michael Jordan. Well, past his likeness anyway. The Chicago Bulls, with dynamite point guard Derrick Rose, earned home-court advantage by finishing with the league's best record for the first time since Jordan ruled the NBA. Keep on winning, and the Bulls would open the finals at the United Center, with its statue of Jordan outside.
And what a story it would be if his old coach was on the opposing sideline.
Phil Jackson, who led Jordan and the Bulls to six NBA titles, is expected to retire after this season. The Lakers would love to send him off with a sixth title in Los Angeles and a remarkable fourth three-peat.
They are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and endured a five-game losing streak late in the season. But they still have Bryant, seeking to tie Jordan with a sixth ring, and loads of interior depth with Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and they hope a healthy Andrew Bynum.
And they might be back on track after closing the regular season with two straight victories.
"Maybe we turned a corner the last two nights," Jackson said. "We can't do anything easy. We're bipolar."
The playoffs start on Saturday, with Chicago hosting Indiana in the opener. Also Saturday, the Heat play Philadelphia; Atlanta and Orlando meet in a postseason rematch, and Portland visits Dallas.
The Lakers get started Sunday against New Orleans, after West No. 1 seed San Antonio welcomes the Memphis Grizzlies. The Celtics drew the New York Knicks, in their first postseason since 2004 and confident they are dangerous with the Carmelo Anthony-Amare Stoudemire tandem; before scoring leader Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder face the new-look Denver Nuggets in the nightcap.
The Bulls may lack the star power of some other heavyweights, but they've spent the last few months making believers of all of them. Led by Rose, perhaps the MVP favorite, Chicago went 62-20 for its best record since finishing with the same mark in 1997-98, Jordan's final season.
"Chicago's a good team and there's a reason why can they keep coming at you in waves," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said, "and they play hard."
Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah provide a strong tandem inside and the Bulls not surprisingly were a top defensive club under coach Tom Thibodeau, the architect of the Boston defense that knocked out Wade, then James in last year's playoffs on the way to the finals.
That duo then joined Chris Bosh in Miami, and after some early struggles and more scrutiny than any team should endure, the Heat surged into the postseason with 15 wins in their last 18 games and perhaps can still meet the expectations that were raised last July.
"All these teams we're talking about, they're all flawed. There's no perfect team to be honest with you. So if you've got two of the five best players, they are very dangerous," Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley said.
The two most intriguing first-round series could involve Anthony's current and former teams.
New York struggled last month as it adjusted to the trade with Denver, but won seven straight down the stretch to set up the 14th Celtics-Knicks series. Boston had its own problems since dealing center Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder, and though the Celtics quickly put things together last year after a lackluster finish to the regular season, there's questions if they can do it again following such a major change to their roster.
Doc Rivers said his team will be ready.
"I think this is what our guys have been playing for all year," he said. "You know, when you lose a Game 7, it sticks with you and that's very difficult to get back through the regular season because the whole season you're thinking about, 'Gosh, we've got to go through 82 of these just to have a chance to get back to where we were at last year' and now all that part is gone. And now we can start trying to get back to, and finish the job."
The Nuggets went 18-7 after trading their All-Star forward along with Chauncey Billups, moving up to the No. 5 seed by getting balanced contributions throughout the roster. Oklahoma City provided a tough first-round test for the Lakers last year and believes it's better equipped to compete with the champs with Perkins patrolling the paint.
The winner of that series might have to play the Spurs, then the Lakers just to reach the finals.
"When you're in the Western Conference, if you're looking for something easy, you've come to the wrong place," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "In this conference, it's a lot different than it's been in the East. A lot of their playoff positioning has been settled for days and weeks. Out West, it's been the epitome of high-level competition all year. It's only going to be more competitive now."
The Lakers believe they can be the team to emerge from it.
"Every team we can match up with in the playoffs, especially defensively," Odom said.
-- Brian Mahoney
Western Conference
Allen brings blue-collar attitude, non-stop energy
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Tony Allen has a blue-collar attitude with a sometimes zany personality. His nonstop talk on the court and defense get under the skin of opposing coaches and players. His towel-twirling antics on the bench inspire the home crowd.
More than anything, Allen has changed the Memphis Grizzlies' approach heading into the playoffs for the first time in five years.
"Tony plays with a lot of emotion," forward Zach Randolph said of his teammate. "Tony's been great all year. Tireless on defense. Our leader on the defensive end. Guys feed off his energy."
The Grizzlies were looking to improve their defense and add to their bench when they signed the 6-foot-4 guard to a three-year contract last summer. He spent his first six seasons with Boston, who selected him with the 25th pick in the 2004 draft. His calling card is defense and hustle, first learned at Oklahoma State and honed out of necessity in Boston under coach Doc Rivers.
Allen said Rivers told him the Celtics paid Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnet millions to handle the scoring.
"'What you need to be doing is all the little things,'" Allen recalled. "That's hustling, diving for loose balls, charges, deflections, fast transition breaks, pushing the ball, driving and kicking and getting steals. Doing the intangibles."
Early in the season, Memphis coach Lionel Hollins seemed to struggle to find a spot for Allen. He came off the bench. Some nights he played extended minutes, other games he played less than 10 — if at all.
A season-ending shoulder injury to star forward Rudy Gay in February moved Allen into the starting lineup. Gay's loss could have devastated the Grizzlies' playoff hopes if not for Allen filling the void. Now, the Grizzlies open their playoff series Sunday at top-seeded San Antonio.
"I ain't trying to fulfill Rudy's shoes," Allen said. "I'm not trying to be Rudy. They pay Rudy those X amount of dollars to do what he do, and I just do what I do."
His defense is strong enough that the Grizzlies are campaigning for Allen's inclusion on the NBA All-Defensive team. He averages 4.35 steals per 48 minutes, about a steal ahead of New Orleans point guard Chris Paul in second.
Despite sitting out the final two games, Allen finished fifth in steals at 1.79 per game even though he averaged less than 21 minutes. He is scoring 13.7 points per game and grabbing 3.7 rebounds as a starter, up from 5.6 points and 2.0 rebounds off the bench. The Grizzlies are 18-7 when Allen plays 30 minutes.
"More than Tony's veteran experience is his winning experience," Hollins said. "I think it's his ability to come out and guard and get everybody else to guard and play with energy. That's the most important."
An impressive game from Allen leads to must-see TV if the guard is up for the postgame interview. He stares into space as if unaware of the question, calls out to people walking by and then answers. Sort of. A memorable response came after a game at Oklahoma City where Allen pestered Kevin Durant in helping the Grizzlies pull out the victory.
Asked about guys stepping up, Allen said, "Yeah. It's just all heart. Grit. Grind," before he went on to credit Randolph with helping him guard Durant and saying Memphis knew it had to "do a good job on the Ibakas of the world, the Hardens of the world, the Sefoloshas of the world to make it a tight game down the stretch."
His grit-grind comment inspired a local sports talk radio host to turn the phrase into a T-shirt that he can't produce fast enough to meet demand.
Allen is as entertaining on the sideline as when on the court. He backslaps teammates running down the court, gyrates in reaction to a dunk, or tosses a towel after a good play. The Grizzlies put together a video montage of his antics, which they play often late in close games to excite the crowd.
"It's just being a teammate when you see me on the sideline cheering for my teammates," Allen said. "I never thought that was crazy. I never thought that was bad at all. I love this game."
Allen also keeps reminding teammates the goal isn't making the nightly highlights or padding stats. His message? It's about winning and making the playoffs.
"My role has expanded through energy," Allen said. "I'm taking advantage of it. I'm on that gas right now, and I don't plan on letting up."
Blazers prepare for the Mavericks
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan is dismissing any debate over the "underdog" in the series between Portland and the Dallas Mavericks.
Simply put, there isn't one, McMillan asserted Thursday.
"We don't fear Dallas. We respect them. We believe we can win," McMillan said. "We were even this year. Both teams split and both teams won on their home court. We know where we are and who we're playing against."
The sixth-seeded Blazers prepared for their first-round playoff series against the third-seeded Mavericks on Thursday at the team's practice facility in Tualatin, Ore. The team will also practice at home on Friday morning before leaving on Saturday for Dallas.
The series kicks off on Saturday night at the American Airlines Center. The underdog chatter was touched off by comments Dallas guard Jason Terry made after the Mavericks defeated the New Orleans Hornets 121-89 in the regular-season finale Wednesday night.
The Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings, pushing Dallas to the third seed. Portland had already wrapped up the sixth spot.
"All seven other teams wanted to play us," Terry told the Dallas Morning News. "Now, we're the underdog and we're going out fighting every night."
The Blazers and the Mavericks split their regular season series, with each team winning twice on its home court. Each of the games was decided by eight or fewer points.
Portland shot 47.8 percent from the field against the Mavs, while Dallas shot 51 percent against the Blazers.
Overall, the Blazers lead the all-time series against the Mavericks 72-57, and lead 9-5 in playoff games.
Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who leads the Blazers this season with an average of 21.8 points and 8.8 rebounds, speculated Terry was pulling out the underdog card to motivate his team.
"They're a really good team with a lot of options," Aldridge said. "That's what they're saying. We still have to go out and play."
Portland forward Gerald Wallace wasn't going to engage in the back-and-forth.
"I don't want to hear it," Wallace said with a smile when a reporter asked about Terry's comment. "I'm done, no comment."
The Blazers are in the playoffs despite a turbulent season. In December, the team got word that center Greg Oden required season-ending microfracture surgery. About that same time, it became apparent that three-time All-Star Brandon Roy was having trouble with his knees.
Roy, who has said he lacks cartilage between his bones, finally underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in January. The former Rookie of the Year missed 35 games overall this season.
The Blazers also lost veteran center Marcus Camby for more than a month earlier this year because of a knee injury.
But Portland did gain when they acquired Wallace in a trade with the Charlotte Bobcats at the NBA deadline in late February.
Wallace has been key down the stretch, averaging 15.8 points and 7.6 rebounds. He also has averaged two steals per game with Portland.
The Blazers have been to the postseason in each of the past two seasons, but both times they've been bumped in the first round — by the Houston Rockets in 2009 and the Phoenix Suns last year.
"Being in the playoffs two years in a row, you feel a little more comfortable because you know what to expect," said Aldridge, who was born in Dallas.
The Blazers also played the Mavericks in the first round back in 2003. Dallas won the series in seven games.
That series was memorable because of Rasheed Wallace's famous "both teams played hard" news conference comments after Portland's victory in Game 4. He was fined $30,000 by the NBA.
It was also the series where then-Portland coach Maurice Cheeks rushed to the rescue of a 13-year-old girl who forgot the words to the national anthem before Game 3.
-- Anne M. Peterson
As playoffs arrive, Hornets discount recent skid
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — So much has changed for the Hornets since they were last in a playoff series two years ago, from a new coaching staff to an overhauled roster.
One striking similarity persists, though. New Orleans is a seventh-seed that appears to be overmatched by its first-round foe.
For now, the Hornets can still hope they'll fare better against the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom they open a best-of-seven series with on Sunday, than they did in the first round of the 2009 playoffs against Denver.
New Orleans lasted only five games against the Nuggets, who tied a playoff record with a 58-point margin of victory in Game 4.
"Yeah, yeah, I will never forget that," Hornets All-Star guard Chris Paul said. "But that is behind us now."
Yet, there is no getting around the fact that the Hornets would have to stage a monumental upset to advance past Kobe Bryant and Co., who are seeking a third straight championship.
In one respect, the Lakers have already completed a four-game sweep of New Orleans, albeit in the regular season.
Los Angeles won those games by 15, 4, 6, and 18 points. The last meeting came two games after Hornets leading scorer David West went out for the rest of the season with a torn left knee ligament.
Nonetheless, Paul found reasons for optimism.
"It doesn't matter what your season series is with a team," the Hornets' four-time All-Star said. "You get to start back over now."
The Hornets aren't exactly rolling into the playoffs in top form, having lost their last three regular season games by 22, 12 and 32 points. Yet, as far as rookie head coach Monty Williams is concerned, whether the Hornets' recent slide equates to stunted momentum is up for debate.
"The fact that we are here is momentum for us, because there are a number of teams that aren't playing" in the postseason, Williams said. "Obviously, we'd like to win games going in, but not at the sacrifice of doing things the right way.
"It's easy for us to look at the negative, and I do that enough," Williams continued. "Coaching makes you emotionally negative, but I'm going to try to focus on the things that we've done to get here and try to make the most of this opportunity."
The Hornets gave the 39-year-old Williams his first head coaching gig shortly before the 2010 draft. Later that summer, the Hornets fired general manager Jeff Bower and replaced him with former Spurs front office executive Dell Demps, a former NBA teammate and longtime friend of Williams.
From the time Demps was hired until shortly before February's trading deadline, the Hornets went about revamping the roster, which now includes 10 players that were not with the club last season.
The new players include several who play prominent roles as starters or key reserves, including power forward Carl Landry, small forward Trevor Ariza, shooting guards Marco Belinelli and Willie Green and point guard Jarrett Jack.
Acquired in February, Landry was supposed to provide depth in the front court as a top reserve, but instead wound up starting after West's injury. The Hornets were able to remain competitive after West first went down late in a tight game in Utah on March 24.
New Orleans rallied to beat the Jazz without West in overtime, then won five of the next seven games, clinching a playoff spot with a few games to spare.
The Hornets hope the way they played during that stretch is more like how they'll perform in the playoffs.
Paul, who has averaged 15.9 points, 9.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals, expressed pride in his team's ability to surpass expectations in what many initially saw as a rebuilding year.
"There was a lot of people calling us out, saying, 'Oh, they won't make the playoffs,'" Paul said. "We've been through a lot of adversity this season.
"What more can we ask for but an opportunity," Paul said. "This is a whole new season now. That is what I have learned. It doesn't matter if you win 60-something games, as long as you win enough to get in. Now is when the fun stuff starts."
-- Brett Martel
New Nuggets limp into the playoffs
DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets cast aside conventional wisdom and actually played better without All-Star Carmelo Anthony after trading him to the New York Knicks in February.
They were 32-25 with the best player in their history, 18-7 without him. They improved in just about every offensive and defensive statistical category following the blockbuster deal.
Now, they're going against the grain again as they both storm and limp into the NBA playoffs.
The Nuggets showed they could win without a superstar because of a deep rotation and problems they present in preparation. As coach George Karl was fond of saying, "I don't even know who's going to shoot it, how can (my opponents)?"
Yet, as they prepare for their first-round series opener Sunday against Oklahoma City, another team that reshaped its roster at the trade deadline, the Nuggets aren't even sure who's going to be on the court.
Center Nene missed the last 1½ games with a strained left groin; guard Arron Afflalo has been bothered by a strained left hamstring for more than a month and tweaked it again this week; and point guard Ty Lawson sprained his left ankle in the season finale Wednesday night.
Afflalo is the one go-to guy on the Nuggets' roster, but he's rusty. Nene can outrun center Kendrick Perkins downcourt, but if he's hurt, it could create more of a muscle-and-tussle game in the low post than the Nuggets would like.
All three are key figures in Denver's designs on reversing Oklahoma City's 3-1 regular season series against the Nuggets.
The Thunder beat Denver twice in a three-game span earlier this month when the Nuggets were missing Afflalo and center Chris "Birdman" Andersen (right ankle).
"It was kind of frustrating for me to watch two games in a week, for them to beat us," Afflalo said. "They did have somewhat of a swagger about their game a little bit. Hopefully we can put that to a stop."
Because they weren't at full strength, the Nuggets aren't putting much stock in their 101-94 loss to the Thunder at home on April 5 or their 104-89 loss at Oklahoma City three nights later. Neither are the Thunder.
"No, nothing," Kevin Durant said when asked if he took anything from those two wins. "You never know how those guys are going to play. You never know who's going to be the guy each night. One night it's Ty Lawson, one night it's Danilo Gallinari, one night it's Kenyon Martin. So, you never know. So, it's tough to prepare.
"We've just got to worry about their whole team. They play well together, do a great job of moving the basketball and playing defense," Durant said. "It should be fun, though, because we're the same type of team. We rely on our defense. I think one thing we do have to take out of the game is transition. They're a team that gets up and down quick. Ty Lawson at the point guard is so good at pushing the tempo."
There's bad blood brewing in this budding rivalry.
Nene and Perkins exchanged elbows, words and several shoves in the last two games, and Denver point guard Raymond Felton called the Thunder trash-talkers.
On Thursday, Karl added some more fuel by suggesting there was some below-the-belt banter in the Thunder locker room after they won in Denver for the first time since moving from Seattle.
"We know what they were saying after the game here, we know. I'm not going to bring it to the public but we know, I mean, it gets back to us," Karl said. "We've got ball boys in that locker room. We've got players that have the same agents. We know what's going on."
Earlier in the week, Karl agreed with Felton that the Thunder were cocky.
"We're cocky? No, I don't think that," Durant said. "We play with an edge, of course. That's what you have to play with in this league. I don't think we're cocky. We don't go out and say that we want to play the Denver Nuggets because we think we can beat them. We don't do that. We respect them as a team. We always have a humble approach to everything, but we do play with an edge.
"When you're on the floor, of course, you're going to play with an edge. You can't be too nice in this league. I guess that's what he's referring to. But we don't do any talking in the media. I make sure guys don't do any of that, so I don't see where they get those comments from."
The Nuggets likely won't be at full strength against the Thunder again when the series starts, although Karl said he was hopeful he'd have everybody available.
"I don't talk about injuries during the playoffs," Karl said. "That's one time I don't. You kind of know the beast during the regular season. If we can steal 15 or 20 minutes of surprise by not talking about it, it has a value in a playoff series."
Afflalo played sparingly against Golden State on Monday before leaving when his hamstring tightened.
"If I could have just rested, obviously I would have been in a better position," he said. "But I didn't, so you've got to live with it and move forward."
If Afflalo is limited, expect plenty of two-point guard sets with Karl playing both Felton and Lawson together to push the pace.
-- Arnie Stapleton
Eastern Conference
Rose anxious as playoffs start
DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Derrick Rose is curious, too. Just how good are the Bulls? And how far can he take them?
Chicago catapulted to the top of the Eastern Conference and earned homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs by finishing with the NBA's best record. Now, they're eyeing another championship.
Their first-round series against Indiana starts Saturday, and for Rose, this could be a defining time. Not since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led a pair of three-peats in the 1990s have the Bulls been this good, and their All-Star point guard from Chicago's South Side has a chance to take his place alongside the greats.
"Right now, everything's new to me. On the high school level, it was kind of different where you knew when you were on a good team that you automatically were going to win championships," said Rose, who led Chicago's Simeon Career Academy to back-to-back state titles. "Now, everything is new to me. This year, it's my first time really winning in the NBA, being on a winning team and just seeing how things are going to play out."
The Bulls won 41 games in each of his first two seasons and got knocked out in the first round by Boston and then Cleveland. Another early exit would be a huge disappointment for a team that established itself as one of the league's best on the heels of a massive offseason makeover.
With a new coach in Tom Thibodeau and an overhauled roster, the Bulls put up a 62-20 record even though prized acquisition Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah missed long stretches with injuries. The biggest reason for their success was Rose.
"They got a guy who says, 'Hey, every night I step on the floor we've got a chance to win,'" Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley said. "At some point, you're going to have to have a guy who says we need a basket, and I'm going to get us a basket. Well, the Bulls have that guy so they're going to have a chance."
From Rookie of the Year to All-Star in his second season, he took another big step and vaulted into the MVP conversation with one of the best seasons ever by a Chicago player.
Rose spent countless hours honing his skills in the summer and was a fixture at the team's practice facility when he wasn't preparing for the world championships with the U.S. National Team. He predicted big things for the Bulls even though they failed to land LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in free agency.
Then, he backed it all up. He ranked seventh in scoring (25 points per game) and 10th in assists (7.7), making him the only player this season in the top 10 in both categories. The only other Bull to do so was Jordan in 1988-89, when he led the league in scoring (32.5 points) and finished 10th in assists, according to information provided to the team by the Elias Sports Bureau.
Rose's 4.1 rebounding averaging also puts him in another elite group. He's the seventh player in league history to average at least 25 points, 7.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds, along with Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Wade and James, according to Elias.
At 22, it's fair to wonder just how much better he can be.
"For me, being a Chicago player, I'm far more impressed how he carries himself," said Boston coach Doc Rivers, who's from Chicago. "In the time I think kids need absolutely great role models, they have one.
"It's not his job to be a role model, but it is his job to be who he is," Rivers said. "His humility that he shows. I think it's wonderful, absolutely wonderful. It's better than you think. I talk to Thibs a lot, it's what you think it is and even better."
Rose has added new wrinkles to his game each season, expanding his shooting range and turning what was once a liability into an element that defenses can't ignore.
Although his overall field-goal percentage was a career-low 44.5 percent, he hit 33.2 percent of his 3-pointers after shooting 24.2 percent from long range through his first two seasons. His scoring average also jumped more than four points.
"Rose just has got to see (defensive) bodies in transition," New Jersey coach Avery Johnson said. "We trapped him. We've given him different looks. We've full-court pressed him. We've zoned him. We've just tried to give him multiple looks and always try to contest his shots and keep somebody in front of him, but it's not easy. He makes timely 3-point shots. He shoots 34 percent from 3, but he makes all of them, it seems like, in the last three minutes of the game."
Now comes the postseason, a time when superstars can really define themselves, and Rose wasn't exactly shying away from such talk.
"I'm very curious," he said. "I'm thinking about it right now. I've been thinking about it for a while."
His scoring rose about three points from his regular-season average to 19.7 in that thrilling seven-game series against Boston two years ago, and he was even better in the playoffs last season. He averaged 26.8 points in five games against Cleveland after scoring 20.8 during the season.
This time? As Rose said, it's different. The Bulls are carrying a big target and he's right there in the center. He understands there's more pressure on him, but he also realizes he has plenty of support.
"It's a team thing," he said. "Playoffs, you definitely need a team. You can't win in the playoffs by yourself."
NOTES: Asked about finishing with the league's best record, Thibodeau said, "It doesn't guarantee you anything. You try to win as many games as you can to put as many things in your favor as possible, so that doesn't really do anything for the Indiana series and that's what's in front of us right now. So that's the only thing we're thinking about." ... Still sore, G Ronnie Brewer was cleared to play after missing Wednesday's game because of a sprained left thumb. "You've got to play through pain," he said Thursday. "That's what I intend to do."
-- Andrew Seligman
Heat's Bosh eager to change playoff fortunes
MIAMI (AP) — Chris Bosh stammered slightly when trying to explain how NBA playoff games are rougher and tougher than ones in the regular season. He had to really think about his answer.
"Yeah, it's been a while for me," Bosh said.
Quite an understatement. It takes four victories to win a postseason series. Bosh would say those four wins are far from easy to get — considering he's been part of three playoff-game triumphs in his entire career, the last of those coming in 2008. That's one of the many reasons why Bosh came to the Miami Heat, who expect a bit more than just getting out of the first round.
Miami's postseason starts Saturday, when the Philadelphia 76ers visit for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. To say Bosh has been waiting somewhat impatiently for the playoff challenge to arrive, well, that also would be quite an understatement.
"The past week felt like a month," Bosh said as the regular season wound down. "It's gone by very slow."
He's hardly the only Heat player who feels that way.
On July 9, the night Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade all posed for the first time in Heat uniforms at a rock-concert-esque welcome party in Miami, they became the league's villains, the team everybody else loved to hate.
Bosh took that harder than most at times.
He expressed his frustration with it several times over the course of the season, was offended when what he thought was a harmless comment about the type of cable television he could get while living in Toronto turned into a two-day-long story in Ontario and acknowledged just before the All-Star break that he felt "unappreciated" by some around the league.
"But my teammates here appreciate me," Bosh said.
That was proven over the season's final month. When the Heat were in a five-game swoon after the All-Star break, Bosh publicly came out and asked for the ball more. He got it, and it's no coincidence his field-goal shooting percentage rose 6 percent over the season's final five weeks.
Now he's in the playoffs for just the third time in his eight seasons, with Saturday set to be just the 12th postseason game of his career. If the Heat are going to capture that title, Bosh almost certainly will need to play a significant role.
"We need Chris to step up, just like we need me to step up and LeBron to step up," Wade said. "That's why we all came together, to do this thing together."
Bosh finished the season averaging 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The Heat were the only team in the league with three players ranked among the NBA's top 25 scorers this season, with James second (26.7) and Wade fourth (25.5). Bosh was 24th.
That makes him often seem like Miami's forgotten man.
James and Wade get the vast majority of the attention, which is understandable and won't be changing anytime soon. Of the players in this 16-team playoff field, James ranks No. 1 in postseason scoring average at 29.3 points per game, Wade is No. 2 at 26.3 per game.
Bosh may be the No. 3 option, but he's no fallback. The Heat were 21-7 when he had at least 10 points and 10 rebounds this season.
"I think some people might look past them, but it's hard to say that when you have those three players," Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love said. "On that team, that's really all they talk about. They have a lot of good players on their team. They're well coached. I think they'll turn it up come playoff time."
Bosh expects that to happen.
The last time he won a championship was high school. With the Raptors, he never even got to know what leading a series felt like. Toronto lost Game 1 to New Jersey in 2007, then dropped the opening game of the 2008 playoffs in Orlando.
He's waited a long time to change his playoff fortunes.
"We know the challenge in front of us," Bosh said. "We have the type of team that does whatever it takes to win. If we need to be more physical, we're going to do that. If we need to rebound more, we're going to do that. More paint points, we're going to do that."
-- Tim Reynolds
If Knicks keep it close, it could be Melo's time
NEW YORK (AP) — In their best chance to beat Boston this season, the New York Knicks went to Amare Stoudemire for a shot that came just after the buzzer.
The Knicks have another option now — statistically the best one in the NBA.
Carmelo Anthony has long been one of the league's top closers, one of the reasons New York feels it could be a dangerous underdog when it returns to postseason play this weekend against the Celtics.
"The scary thing of course for Boston is that you've got the Carmelo factor at the end of games," TNT analyst Steve Kerr said. "In the last week it seems like every time you turn on SportsCenter, New York just clears out for Carmelo on one side of the court and he scores. So in any close game in the playoffs, I think New York has the best weapon in the entire league if you just need one basket."
Boston has a top finisher in Paul Pierce, and both he and Kevin Garnett have come into Madison Square Garden in the last two years and knocked down winning shots.
Pierce's jumper with 0.4 seconds left gave the Celtics a 118-116 lead in their Dec. 15 visit to New York. The Knicks inbounded to Stoudemire, who made what appeared to be a winning 3-pointer, but replays showed it clearly came after the buzzer.
Still, the Knicks might consider looking elsewhere if the situation presents itself again.
Anthony has made 16 go-ahead baskets in the last 10 seconds since 2003, tops in the league, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He is 19 for 39 (49 percent) on shots that tie or put his team ahead in the final 10 seconds of regulation or overtime, highest percentage among active players who have at least 20 attempts in the regular season during that span.
Yet Anthony said the Knicks shouldn't just go to him down the stretch. Besides Stoudemire, they also have Chauncey Billups, who didn't take long to live up to his "Mr. Big Shot" nickname after joining New York, making a go-ahead 3-pointer in a victory at Miami.
"If it's close, if it's my time to make a basket or make a play, then I will do that. If it's Chauncey, if it's Amare, whoever it may be, everybody's got to be ready to make that play," Anthony said. "So I don't think it's down the stretch get the ball to Melo and let him do something.
"Everybody's got to step up. Amare, if he has it going and it's his time to take that shot at the last couple of minutes, then we're going to him."
But it would be hard to bypass Anthony after what he's done in his brief Knicks career. His jumper with less than a second left provided an impressive victory at Memphis in March, and last week he knocked down another go-ahead jumper with 4.9 seconds to go, then blocked Danny Granger's potential winning attempt in a 110-109 victory at Indiana.
For all the attention on Anthony and Stoudemire, coach Mike D'Antoni said his team's ability to compete will come down to doing the little things, such as boxing out and getting to loose balls.
"And if we consciously do them, I think we have two guys that can bring it home at the end of games," D'Antoni said.
New York outplayed the Celtics for nearly 45 minutes in the lone meeting with Anthony, but Boston pulled away at the end for a 96-86 victory. If the Knicks can keep it closer just a little bit longer at some point in the series, it might have a guy who can win it for them.
"New York is going to have to figure out a way to stay in games defensively and just stay close and hope that Carmelo can take over late," Kerr said.
-- Brian Mahoney
Pacers embracing underdog role against Rose, Bulls
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Reggie Miller doesn't give the Indiana Pacers much of a chance in their first-round playoff series against the top-seeded Chicago Bulls.
The clutch shooter who helped put the Pacers on the map before his retirement is happy that his beloved team has reached postseason play for the first time since 2006, but even he admits the odds are stacked against them. The Bulls had the best record in the league this season and are on a tear heading into Saturday's Game 1 in Chicago.
The young Pacers, meanwhile, are the only team in the playoffs with a losing record.
"Hopefully, they'll be successful," said Miller, a TNT NBA analyst. "I doubt it, but they can lick their wounds together, and that's how a team grows."
The Pacers are aware that they are heavy underdogs, and it has gotten under their collective skin.
"We hear people talking about Chicago's second-round matchup, who they're going to play," Indiana center Roy Hibbert said. "We hear that. That's in the back of our minds."
"We hear it, and rightfully so," Indiana point guard Darren Collison added. "We're the last seed in the playoffs. They're supposed to say that. It don't matter."
Pacers interim coach Frank Vogel hasn't hesitated to use Indiana's underdog status as a tool.
"This team has succeeded a lot this year by feeling like they've been disrespected, told they're not good enough, and it drives them."
Reaching the playoffs is an important step for the franchise, which has been rebuilding since the brawl between Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills in 2004. Numerous issues in the following years led the team to part with its nucleus of Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley.
After the overhaul, the team became extremely young. Just one Pacers starter, Danny Granger, has been in the league for more than three years. That's why Pacers president Larry Bird, a three-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, said this playoff experience is a key part of Indiana's rebuilding effort.
"I knew after my first playoff experience in the early '80s that I had a lot of work to do if I wanted to win a championship," he said. "This is a great opportunity for these young guys to get some experience, and we'll see what happens."
The opportunity almost didn't come.
The Pacers fired coach Jim O'Brien after a 17-27 start, and things were uncertain — Miller said those situations are usually "death sentences."
Vogel took over, and the confident 37-year-old immediately declared that the Pacers were going to make the playoffs. He re-established Hibbert, a skilled 7-foot-2 center, as a go-to player. He gave Collison more freedom to create and replaced the team's constant ill-advised 3-point shots with "smashmouth basketball," a style that emphasizes attacking the basket to take advantage of the team's athletic ability.
The Pacers responded by winning seven of their first 10 under their new leader before the All-Star break. The mood in the locker room changed as Vogel's confidence filtered down to his players.
"It was a pretty soft schedule, but still, a win is a win in this league," Miller said. "What it did is it gained confidence for coach Vogel and for the assistants."
Vogel started taking chances, eventually moving rookie Paul George and second-year forward Tyler Hansbrough into the starting lineup. The team finished 20-18 in the regular season under Vogel.
"How else will these young guys ever learn unless they're thrown in the fire?" Miller said. "How else is Larry Bird and the rest of his staff going to be able to evaluate this young talent unless they play?"
Because of the relative youth and inexperience on the team, Miller believes Granger will have to play at a higher level for Indiana to make noise in the postseason. The forward averages 20.5 points and 5.4 rebounds.
"This team will go as far as Danny will take them because no one else on that team can do what Danny can do," Miller said. "And that's put the ball in the basket and put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses. Really, it falls on his shoulders. I hope he accepts that. If they are to be successful against the Bulls, Danny has to have an incredible series. He has to put the fear of God in the Bulls."
Both Bird and Miller agree that, aside from Granger and veteran Jeff Foster, none of the players in the team's regular rotation know what they are getting into. Vogel has tried to account for that by using veterans James Posey, T.J. Ford and Dahntay Jones as part of his "Red Squad," a group whose job is to prepare the regulars for the physical nature of postseason play.
"We've encouraged them to do lots of grabbing and holding and pushing and fouling, and we've allowed it," Vogel said. "We've told the rest of them guys that they're going to see this and they're not going to be called, so fight through it, don't look at the officials."
Bird said the Pacers have to be aggressive against the Bulls.
"We've got to be the instigators, and not the retaliators, and that's going to be hard to do with the young guys," he said.
-- Cliff Brunt
Hawks take six-game losing streak into playoffs
ATLANTA (AP) — Jason Collins spent all but six minutes on the bench when the Atlanta Hawks were swept by the Orlando Magic in a lopsided second-round playoff series last year.
With Mike Woodson as coach, Collins saw no action in two games and wasn't on the floor long enough to work up a sweat in the other two as the Hawks lost four straight by an average of 25 points.
Under first-year coach Larry Drew, Collins has played a much larger role as a part-time starter this season. Collins was especially important when starting four games against Dwight Howard and the Magic. Collins helped the Hawks win three of the four.
It's no wonder Drew was so encouraged to see Collins, who missed the last four regular-season games with a sprained left ankle, return to practice on Thursday.
"Jason participated in everything we did," Drew said. "He was moving around real well. I was really happy to see he didn't show as if the ankle was bothering him or anything. He looks like he's back."
Collins likely will start Saturday in the opening game of the first-round series in Orlando as the Hawks try to atone for last year's playoff loss.
The Hawks also are trying to recover after closing the regular season with six straight losses, their longest losing streak in three years.
"I was a little disappointed with the way we finished that last week out, which was a concern of mine, particularly after we locked up the fifth spot," Drew said. "I know some of the guys were expecting some games off and some guys did take some games off. I'm confident this team is going to flip that switch back."
Drew, who was an assistant under Woodson, rested his starters down the stretch. The five starters combined for only 20 points, with none playing more than 25 minutes, in Atlanta's 96-85 loss at Charlotte on Wednesday night.
Collins, a 7-foot center known for his defense, started 28 games this season. He had modest averages of 4.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in the four games against Orlando, but his defense helped hold Howard to 43-percent shooting.
The addition of Collins to the lineup allowed Al Horford to move from center to power forward. Horford averaged 16.8 points and 8.8 rebounds against the Magic. Overall this season, he averaged 15.3 points while making his second All-Star team.
Horford didn't hesitate when asked why he is confident the Hawks won't suffer a repeat of last year's brutal playoff showing against Orlando.
"Just the lineup change," Horford said. "Having a bigger guy guarding Dwight has made all the difference. That's why we are so confident."
The big lineup also worked well for forward Josh Smith, who averaged 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in the four games. He had 26 points in the Hawks' most recent game against Orlando, an 85-82 win in Atlanta on March 30.
Marvin Williams, the starting small forward in Drew's normal lineup, comes off the bench when Collins starts.
Collins won't be asked to take on Howard alone. The Hawks plan to use their depth at center with Collins, Zaza Pachulia and Horford.
"We definitely need to make this a physical series," Collins said. "We need to use our fouls. We've got a lot of big bodies on this team."
Horford said the six-game losing streak doesn't reflect the team's postseason chances.
"Ideally, you want to go in with some momentum from the regular season," Horford said. "But as a team, I think we're there. Once we clinched that fifth spot, I think we mentally were ready to go."
Collins said the Hawks moved past last year's playoff loss with their first game against Orlando this year, a 93-89 loss on Nov. 8. After that, the Hawks won the last three games of the regular-season series.
"Our first game down there this year, we closed the book on last year," Collins said. "And we want to keep it closed."
-- Charles Odum
