Indiana 90, New Jersey 88 (Indiana leads series, 1-0)
The Pacers surprised the Nets, taking away home court advantage via a balanced attack. Five Indiana players scored in double figures, and the Pacers were able to contain Jason Kidd. Despite losing their last two regular season games, the Nets had won 17 of their last 22, and entered the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league.
Phoenix 107, LA Lakers 102 (Phoenix, 1-0)
Kobe surprised the Suns by actually passing the ball and led the Lakers with five assists as he tired to get his teammates involved. The Lakers matched the Suns, getting double figure scoring from five different players. The result was a close game that could have gone either way, which must be a confidence boost to the “other” Lakers.
Detroit 92, Milwaukee 74 (Detroit, 1-0)
The Bucks play was spotty, but the game was as tight as four with 9:21 to play before the Pistons went on a 24-10 run to close the game. The Pistons contained Michael Redd, who only shot 4-15 from the field, finishing with 11 points. The young Bucks need to grow up fast if they want to have a chance to compete in this series.
Dallas 103, Memphis 93 (Dallas, 1-0)
With a lot of help from their bench, the Mavericks fought off the stingy Grizzlies in game one. Dallas got 39 points from three reserves (Jerry Stackhouse, Marquis Daniels and Erick Dampier), compared to 32 from the Memphis bench. Dirk Nowitzki dropped 31 on the defensive-minded Grizzlies, going 9-18 from the field while also grabbing 11 rebounds.
