The NBA Playoff Standings saw serious results as four teams advanced to the following round. The New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the second round of the postseason. Here is what the NBA Playoff Standings look like following Friday's results.
The Knicks made it interesting late in the game as they finished the game on top 88-80. They were completely dominating Game 6 against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden in Massachusetts. Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks didn't waste time to take a lead early on. They built a 26-point lead and then almost blew it late in the game.
The Knicks committed a total of 17 turnovers and this led to almost letting Game 6 get away. However, Iman Shumpert scored 15 points in the second half allowing the Knicks to remain on top of the Celtics. Shumpert finished 3-3 from three and Pablo Prigioni added four threes of his own. Anthony finished with just 21 points and Shumpert added 17. J.R. Smith had a slightly better game going 5-13 from the floor.
Further south, in Atlanta, the Pacers put away the Hawks winning Game 6 in almost miraculous fashion. No, a buzzer-beater wasn't necessary, but the Pacers hadn't won their last 13 games in Atlanta against the Hawks. The Pacers simply took advantage of the Hawks terrible shooting night. Atlanta made 1/3 of their shots while the Pacers hit 42 percent from the floor. The final score was 81-73.
Paul George scored only four points leaving George Hill to contribute with 21 points. Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson both finished with 11 rebounds while Hibbert finished with a double-double scoring 17 points. The Hawks simply didn't have it in Game 7 at home as their leading scorer was Al Horford with 15 points.
The interesting thing about these teams clinching is that neither will have rest advantage. They will face each other in the second round of the playoffs. The Knicks are the No. 2 seed while the Pacers are No. 3. This should be a good one.
Over in the West, the Thunder battled back from a small deficit in the second half. By the 4 minute mark in the fourth quarter, however, the Thunder were up by double-digits and working their way to a 104-93 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Kevin Durant was finally able to finally get over the hump without Russell Westbrook. He only scored 27 points, but he received a ton of help from the bench as Kevin Martin helped himself to 25 points in about 40 minutes played. Reggie Jackson had 17 points and Derek Fisher continued to pour it on from the bench going 3-5 from three and scoring 11 points.
The Grizzlies defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 118-105 by simply destroying them in the second half outscoring them 34-26. There were multiple ejections handed out at the conclusion of the game, but the Grizzlies still enjoyed themselves as they exited the floor.
Jerryd Bayless, Quincy Pondexter and Mike Conley pounded the ball through the hoop as they were responsible for the Grizzlies' threes in this game. Zach Randolph was dominant once again scoring 23 points before coming
First Round Matchups Remaining & Results:
Miami Heat beat Milwaukee Bucks, Win Series 4-0
New York Knicks beat Boston Celtics, Win Series 4-2
Indiana Pacers beat Atlanta Hawks, Win Series 4-2
Brooklyn Nets 3-2 Chicago Bulls
Oklahoma City Thunder beat Houston Rockets, Win Series 4-2
San Antonio Spurs beat Los Angeles Lakers, Win Series 4-2
Golden State Warriors beat Denver Nuggets, Win Series 4-2
Memphis Grizzlies beat Los Angeles Clippers, Win Series 402
Second Round Matchups:
Miami Heat vs. Nets/Bulls
New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers
Thunder vs. Grizzlies
San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors
