Bulls, Heat, Magic, & OKC off to strong start in playoffs

Derrick Rose will miss the rest of the season after tearing the ACL in his knee late in the Chicago Bulls' 103-91 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals Rose's season-ending injury now casts a big cloud over a team eyeing a championship run.




Dwyane Wade scored 19 points in his first game back after dislocating his left index finger as the Miami Heat rode the strength of what became a 32-2 run to easily beat the New York Knicks, 100-67 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Heat striked first in the series between clubs that waged classic annual battles from 1997 through 2000 and are meeting for the first time since.




Jason Richardson & Jameer Nelson scored 17 points apiece to help the 6th-seeded Orlando Magic, playing without Dwight Howard, surprise the 3rd-seeded Indiana Pacers, 81-77 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.




Kevin Durant scored 25 points and hit the winning jumper from the foul line with 1.5 seconds left to give the Oklahoma City Thunder a 99-98 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinal series - a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals.