MAGIC, ROCKETS, WIN IN SIX

 

 

And the 2009 NBA playoffs 1st round continued. Game 1 left us with eight teams taking first blood. Game 2 saw only three teams maintain and extend that advantage. Game 3 saw a switch of location and after that, only one team remained unbeaten. That team was the Cavs and they went on to complete their sweep of the Pistons in Game 4. For the remaining seven series, Game 5 saw another switch of locations, back to the home court of the favourites and the Lakers, Nuggets and Mavs were able to book their places in the conference semis. Now there were four undecided series remaining for another location switch in Game 6 and all of them were on the line.

In the East, the Magic faced the Sixers in Philadelphia. Well the home side were held scoreless for the first two minutes of the game but came back to go 5-2 up but the first quarter was still dominated by the Magic who raced into a double digit lead at the first buzzer. The Sixers cut the gap to single digits early on in the second quarter but the Magic were able to keep knocking down shots and the Sixers looked to be just treading water untill half time. The Magic lead 62-48 at the half with Rashard Lewis leading the was with 17 points. That was with Dwight Howard suspended. It wasn't unworkable for the Sixers to turn the game around, they certainly had to find some way of doing so.

Well again the Sixers were held scoreless for the first minute of the third quarter and though they were able to briefly cut the gap to twelve, they never looked like turning the game around in that quarter, in fact the Magic lead went over twenty points at one point before the third buzzer. Though the Sixers started to come back from that, the fourth quarter proved to be apocyliptic. The game was pretty much over with six minutes left on the clock and the game eventually ended with the Magic winning 114-89. Lewis led the way with 29 points with Rafa Alston backing him up on 21. The Magic won the series 4-2 and should be back to full strength for the next round.

Out West, the Blazers faced the Rockets in Houston. Well the Blazers had a hard time scoring early in the first quarter and the Rockets took full advantage of that but the cisitors came back to lead 17-13 with just over three minutes left in the quarter though the home side still came back to lead at the buzzer. The Blazers were held scoreless for the first minute of the second and the Rockets took a double digit lead with just under nine minutes left in the half. The Blazers were going nowhere fast before half time. The Rockets led 52-37 with Ron Artest leading the scoring on 19 points. For the Blazers, it looked a though it would be the ultimate reality check.

The Blazers opened the scoring in the third quarter but the home side soon turned any dreams of a quick turnaroud to dust, though the visitors kept pushing the gap down, but the Rockets were still up by twenty before the third buzzer sounded. The Blazers were then held scoreless for the first two minutes of the fourth but once they did get a bucket, they certainly seemed to find some kind of form, getting the gap down to thirteen with over seven minutes left. The Rockets always had an answer though and the game ended with them winning 92-76. Artest led the scoring with 27 points, Yao backing him up on 17. The Rockets won the series 4-2. They'll face the Lakers in the Conference semi finals.

Back in the East, the Bulls beat the Celtics 128-127 in a triple overtime rumble. That means that the Bulls have saved their bacon and forced a Game 7 back in Boston. Giving how crazy this series has been so far, who knows how that's going to turn out. The Heat beat the Hawks 98-72 in Miami. Likewise that keeps Dwayne Wade and crew in the mixers for a winner-takes-all Game 7 in Atlanta with the series now tied 3-3. Neither sides fears the other's home court so again, hell knows which way that one will go. Either way, there are still two conference semi final spots up for grabs and both deciding games should be well worth keeping an eye on.

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