NBA playoffs 2013: Andre Miller saves Denver, Knicks slip by Celtics and more

It’s hardly a surprise that the series began with some fantastic chippiness -- this is the Grizzlies and the Clippers, and bears nor boats forget. But that the referees keyed in their whistles upon two of the biggest stars in the series, and two players so critical to their teams’ success, is a bit outside the norm. The officials won’t call the bruisers this tightly all series, right?

Given the teams’ history, including a 2012 seven-gamer more chippy than a Lay’s factory, you can imagine the crew coming into Game 1 with the intent of quelling future problems. If that means being strict on heavy contact in the paint to the point it turns Z-Bo and Blake into part-time players, so be it. But it’s not sustainable. No whistles keep Randolph from leading with a shoulder; no number of fouls changes Griffin’s explosive, physical style. So are we ready for a series that keeps two of its five best players stuck on the bench or looking over their shoulders?

McGee had a solid impact. Miller was a game-changer. It’s worth considering how many more teams will look to spend as much cash on their bench as they do their starters going forward.

• Flannery: The pass Melo had to make

This, incidentally, is why they tell you not to save the ball around your own basket.

Anthony’s scoring was impressive, but it was New York’s defense that helped the Knicks pull away. New York held Boston to just 25 second-half points, including just eight in the fourth quarter.

“To sum up the mess above: the Knicks won despite getting jarred out of their usual style, and they won by making second-half adjustments,” wrote Seth Rosenthal of Posting and Toasting. “After a couple years of not doing those things ever, that makes me feel all warm inside. They’ve got a 1-0 lead AND ample room to improve, even if it’s just getting Prigioni back and Chandler out of whatever funk he’s in.”

A team filled with explosive athletes and youthful exuberance, the Nuggets often win games with a degree of excitement and flair. But it was Miller, with a game tailored to compensate for increasingly poor hops and an inability to simply blow by defenders, who came through with the clutch performance in the team’s first appearance on the big stage.

As his younger and less experienced teammates often struggled with their shots against an active Warriors defense, Miller pried and plotted, finding openings and expertly running the offense. He finished the game with 28 points on 11 of 16 shooting, plus five assists, in just 27 minutes.

The Chicago Bulls are one of the top defensive teams in the league, but the Brooklyn Nets had no problems figuring it out in a 106-89 Game 1 win in the first-ever playoff game in Brooklyn Saturday.

“Gerald Wallace continued to prove that he just may indeed be ‘back,’” wrote Tom Lorenzo of Nets Daily. “He hit a long three early in the third and then followed that up with an and-one. This was the Gerald Wallace Nets fans were hoping to get in the playoffs.”

Paul led the way with 23 points and seven assists, but it was the contributions of Billups, Bledsoe and Crawford that helped keep the Clippers in front for the entire 48 minutes of the series opener. Billups’ 14 points were a welcomed addition for a guy who hadn’t played much this season due to injury. They’ve been used to contributions all season, but it was Bledsoe’s 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting and six rebounds that sparked the Clippers’ bench.

Paul added that playing with Billups and Bledsoe at the same time was “pick your poison” for opposing defenses. For a Grizzlies team that was out-rebounded by 24 in Game 1, worrying about the Clippers’ different guard combinations is just another adjustment to add to the list for Game 2.

Miller’s layup was a result of a matchup advantage.

“The Warrior who really stepped up tonight was Andrew Bogut, and it’s reflected in his +10 differential for the night, highest on the team (Curry was +8, everyone else except for Draymond was negative),” wrote Evanz of Golden State of Mind. “Bogut played 31 minutes of staunch defense (except JaVale’s thunderous 180 windmill-from-a-standstill-dunk over him), picking up 14 rebounds and four blocked shots (Klay had three himself, btw). Bogut was the difference-maker in this one, keeping the Warriors in the game, when it otherwise might have turned into a blowout.”

Because he is Melo and thus able to score even when he shouldn’t, he finished with 36 points on 29 shots. The Celtics will take both numbers, thank you very much. They know he’s going to score a ton of points, but they want to make it as tough as possible. So, the hedge came as it had all game long and Melo made the adjustment that superstar players need to make in those situations and made the pass for his first assist.

“I didn’t even think it was going to get through,” Anthony said later, but it did and Martin made an even better catch before finishing the play that finally put Game 1 out of reach, 85-78.

“Memphis, as always, needed well over two minutes to score it’s first points, and were down 6-0 seemingly before the game even started,” wrote Keith G. Edwards Jr. of Grizzly Bear Blues. “Zach Randolph picked up his second foul with 7:05 to play, and the tone for the game was immediately set by the officials: we’re going to call garbage all game long. And they did, on both sides of the ball, all night. Three Grizzlies starters would pick up two fouls in the first quarter, and the Clippers would jump out to a 29-21 lead behind 13 combined points from Chirs Paul and Blake Griffin (7 and 6 respectively).”

• Flannery: The pass Melo had to make

Chandler has been battling a neck injury, and he did not look like his normal self in his limited time. The big man had zero points, blocked zero shots and grabbed just five rebounds. However, Chandler insisted that his lackluster play had little to do with the injury, instead pointing to a lack of conditioning.

“Tyson didn’t have it tonight,” Woodson said after the game. “That’s no knock against him. I just elected to go with Kenyon.”

Lob City was shelved for one night as the Los Angeles Clippers opted for efficient guard play on their way to a 112-91 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies to take a 1-0 series lead.

Memphis opened the fourth with a burst of offense and cut the lead to one before Los Angeles’ second unit scored six straight to force Lionel Hollins to call a timeout. The Clippers continued to pound the glass, out rebounding the Grizzlies 14-4 on the offensive end, resulting in several second chance points. Down 10, Hollins called for Hack-A-Shaq on DeAndre Jordan with over four minutes to go. Jordan made the first free throw, then missed the second. Griffin was fouled by Gasol on the box out and sank both free throws to put the Clippers up 13, effectively putting the game to bed.

Hubie Brown wondered aloud if Dooling was trying to throw it out of bounds off Hollins’ leg, but that was pretty clearly intentional. If anything, he was lucky to get away with just a tech.

In a buzzing, blacked-out Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets pounded Chicago inside on both ends to cruise to a 106-89 Game 1 blowout.

Williams, looking as healthy and aggressive as he’s ever been, combined with Lopez for 34 points in the first half, almost matching the Bulls’ 35. Williams scored 22 points and added seven assists, while Lopez had 21 points, five rebounds and three blocks.

Considering the Nets have held a 20-point lead since late in the second quarter, it is highly unlikely Hinrich will return for the rest of this game. The focus will shift to his availability for Game 2 on Monday.

• Flannery: Carmelo’s time is now

Of course, Stack’s three early airballs haven’t exactly hurt the Nets. They’re currently up double digits on the Bulls. So keep airballing, I guess?

The Nuggets may not have a star player, but they have a roster loaded with guys that can bring it with the best of ‘em on any given night. In Game 1 against Golden State, that was Andre Miller, who powered Denver throughout the game before punctuating the performance with a game-winning layup just before the buzzer. It sealed a 97-95 win over the Golden State Warriors in their first-round playoff series.

It was an incredible effort for Miller, who looked very much in control as the elder statesman on the team. He finished the game with 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting and five assists in 27 minutes.

Don’t mess with the Old Man Game.

One of the key players for Golden State this season, Lee’s absence would be significant going forward. In the first three quarters of Saturday’s game, Lee recorded 10 points and 14 rebounds in 29 minutes.

• Flannery: Carmelo’s time is now

Looking forward to seeing just what “all black everything” looks like when the game tips off at 8 p.m. ET.

(via Nets Daily)

Rivers lamented the abundance of turnovers that plagued the Celtics, especially in the fourth quarter. Boston committed 20 turnovers for the game and eight in the final frame.

“We had bad turnovers tonight,” Rivers said. “We have those turnovers in any game, we should lose the game and we did. We were making post passes from the other side of the floor. You’re going to turn the ball over when that happens.”

Just a stunning display of athleticism. And JaVale’s reaction after this whistle was equally entertaining.

We feel you, JaVale. We feel you.