NBA Playoffs 2013 schedule: Warriors survive, Lakers, Celtics fall

Randolph is getting his first playoff action since the Warriors drafted him back in 2008, three teams ago. Randolph can block shots, rebound and clean up around the rim. But man, he can derp the night away. His goaltend was among the worst in recorded history -- seriously, find me a worse one -- as the ball was clearly on a downward trajectory and was going to miss both short and wide right. He goaltended an errant floater that would have gone out of bounds if he had only not been there. I mean, look at this thing.

Chandler was good in Game 3, hitting a couple of crucial shots and picking up enough boards to help prevent another total glass disaster for Denver. But when he grabbed the Nuggets’ own rim on a fast break in which the ball was popping around the cylinder and almost certain to fall through ... and the Nuggets lose by two? Guh.

WELL, DEAL WITH IT.

Hat tip to @cjzero and @HoyaVey

Then there’s a bevy of really good role players who seem to be playing some of their best basketball in months.

Until then, look for New York to continue using the winning formula they are displaying against Boston. This is a dangerous team, and given the amount of talent and depth amassed on the roster, they could beat anyone on any given night, even if a few players aren’t on the top of their game.

Some of them had to go, others felt like they had no choice. Things change, but the Celtics as we knew them are no more. Garnett and Pierce are still up for a good old-fashioned bar fight but the legs aren’t as willing as they once were and the others haven’t lived through all those Game 7s and backs-against-the-wall games.

“If you haven’t been here and experienced playoff play and understand the whole thing, those are the times you have to band together and take some punches,” Garnett said. “We took them but we didn’t really give none back. When we messed up they made us pay for it and good teams are going to do that.”

The Knicks take a 3-0 lead, and the teams will play again Sunday at 1 p.m. Although it has been done in hockey and baseball, no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series in the playoffs.

Morris and Goudelock played admirably, combining for 44 points, but did nothing to contain the Spurs guards. In fact, as it was all season, the Lakers’ defense as a whole was terrible. The Spurs shot 61.4 percent, had an offensive rating of 125.1(!) according to Basketball Reference, and had an eFG percentage of .641 as a team. That’s some good offense.

Thank goodness for Denver vs Golden State. Without that game Friday, we would have been stuck with a night full of ugly one-sided basketball.

Regardless, this GIF sums up the entire game for the Celtics.

• LeBron’s mad he didn’t win DPOY

• Z-Bo strikes back, and the Grizzlies stay alive

He can do anything from pouring in threes to making weird circus shots like this. Just an incredible talent.

At least Gasol got a triple-double (11 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists), his first in a playoff game. That it is the first triple-double in an NBA playoff game recorded by a player whose team lost by more than 14 points is probably not particularly comforting.

• LeBron’s mad he didn’t win DPOY

A) This shot is well on its way down

B) It is wayyyy short

Splitter would hobble to the locker room with the aid of a trainer, and is unlikely to return to the game — with the Spurs up by 20 for most of the second half, he’s also unlikely to need to come back.

Prior to the injury, Splitter had been having a quiet night, with six points and five rebounds, and was the only Spurs starter to not reach double figures in scoring.

Wobbly Chris Duhon dot gif

Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the floor, continuing the theme from Game 2. Denver got the upper hand by forcing 13 Golden State turnovers and used a 13-2 run to extend its lead to 12 points, its largest lead of the series, with less than a minute remaining in the half.

There weren’t a lot of missed shots to track down, but the Warriors finished the half with a slight edge, out-rebounding the Nuggets, 19-16.

McGee goes sprints toward the hoop and then, in the blink of an eye, he lofts a floater without jumping? It’s just so JaVale. It might have been on purpose, but it all looks so awkward that it’s hard to believe that’s how the shot was intended.

Where Morris and Goudelock haven’t been good is on defense. Parker’s 12 points and four assists have come on all manner of slicing and diving, with little resistance on the Lakers’ end. Parker took an elbow to the head about a minute before the end of the first half, but remained in the game, and chalked up the injury to “playoff basketball” in an interview with ESPN’s Chris Broussard.

Howard has been the Lakers’ most consistent offensive weapon, but his old free throw woes have reared their head. His 12 points on nine shots would be significantly more impressive had he made more than four of the 10 free throws he attempted. Two fouls in the first quarter also kept Howard on the bench briefly, which allowed the Spurs to take a 30-18 lead after the period.

The Nuggets and Warriors finished the opening quarter tied, 32-32.

• LeBron’s mad he didn’t win DPOY

Of course, it’s gotta be him.

This post was bye bye bye Ben Swanson.

Please never leave us, Phil. Oh, and you too, Timmy.

As has been the case throughout the series, the Celtics just haven’t been able to consistently score. The Knicks, on the other hand, caught fire from behind the three-point arc and never looked back, cruising to the 14-point victory. As a team, New York hit 48 percent of their shot attempts and went 11-for-27 from deep.

Game 4 is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon. Closing out a team on the road is one of the toughest things to do in sports, but the Knicks are really on a roll. No team has ever come back to win a playoff series when down three games to none.

As Terry guarded Smith on the right wing, Terry reached in, which Smith seemed to think was a foul. However, none was called and play continued. With Terry on his back, Smith swung the ball around and brought his elbow up directly into Terry’s jaw, knocking him to the ground.

A foul was called, Smith walked back towards the other side of the court and Terry quickly jumped up to give chase, though teammates held him back. Smith was given a flagrant-2 foul and ejected from the game. He ran quickly out from the court and into the tunnel to the team locker room.

REMINDER: The Bobcats have won as many playoff games as the Lakers so far. Sorry, Mike.

Here are the answers to three key questions Steve von Horn had about the first half of Game 3.

Carmelo, who’s averaging 35 points a game in this series, has just 12 at the break, but he really started to heat up towards the end of the half. He’s been efficient so far, going 6-for-13 from the field. With Boston struggling to make shots, the Knicks haven’t really needed Anthony to take over on the offensive end.

Nash missed the final eight games of the regular season with hip, hamstring and other injuries before returning for the first two games of this first-round series. But the point guard received an epidural injection Thursday -- his third this month -- and was deemed doubtful to play in Game 3. His status was somewhat upgraded on Friday, but any optimism that he would be able to suit up has been dashed.

• LeBron’s mad he didn’t win DPOY

I can’t think of anything else to add to this. He is literally wearing glasses my grandma would wear. Or Urkel.

So sue me, I did it as fast as I could. Anyway, that’s a dead on photo of Grandma Swanson.

He was across the entire defense, behind the arc, behind the elbow. Felton’s pass miraculously wasn’t picked off as it floated at a snail’s pace yet resulted in a made three from Smith. This must be what it’s like to see a soccer ball bent like Beckham. Or something. I watch a lot of movies, but I don’t watch much soccer.

Weird? Sure. But hey, in the playoffs. Whatever works, works.