NBA Playoff Roundup – Knicks Win, Bulls on the Brink

There were four games on the playoff schedule in the NBA yesterday and most series are looking to be decided quickly. The Knicks avoided the sweep, the Bulls are toast thanks to injuries, the Lakers are set to finish off Denver, and Boston is showing Atlanta they're not ready for the big time.

Philadelphia 89 - Chicago 82

It's easy to want to feel bad for the Bulls. They earned the number one seed, even with Derrick Rose missing 27 regular season games. Rose came back seemingly healthy for the first round, then tore his ACL at the end a game one victory. Chicago lost the next game, then lost center Joakim Noah in the next game with a nasty sprained ankle. Those are the breaks, and Philadelphia is playing inspired ball in the meantime. They should close out Chicago, who have to be feeling mentally defeated at this point. Philly leads 3-1 with game five tomorrow in Chicago.

New York 89 - Miami 87

Carmelo Anthony scored 41 and Amar'e Stoudemire played despite a stitched together Franken-hand and the Knicks staved off elimination with a game four win in New York. They're going to lose game five in Miami, so Knicks fans need to relax. There was even talk of Jeremy Lin trying to play in game five. Stop it. Why risk further injury when there's no point? The Heat will finish this thing off Wednesday in Miami.

Boston 101 - Atlanta 79

Maybe the Celtics aren't as old as it seems. Rajon Rondo led the C's to the game four win with 20 points and 16 assists, and the Hawks continue to show that they don't have the mental game to compete in the playoffs. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce continue to show they have plenty of game left, and the Celtics are one game away from advancing to the second round. Game five is in Atlanta Tuesday night.

Los Angeles Lakers 92 - Denver 88

Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake both hit threes to seal the win for the Lakers in Denver. The Lakers are up 3-1 heading back to L.A. for game five on Tuesday night. Oklahoma City is home resting waiting for the winner of this series, so the Lakers are looking to close this series out.

Article by Eric Gray