Pacers left feeling Bullied

Never mind what everyone else was thinking, Derrick Rose insisted he didn't expect the Chicago Bulls to roll over the Indiana Pacers.

They certainly didn't in Game 1.

Rose scored 39 points and found Kyle Korver for a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 48 seconds left, helping top-seeded Chicago stage a late rally to beat the visiting Pacers 104-99 in their playoff opener on Saturday.

"We knew it was going to be a hard game," Rose said. "From the beginning I guess we weren't prepared for it. Next time I think we'll be ready."

For the Pacers, the loss was tough to accept. They controlled most of the game, but couldn't put it away.

They'd make little runs, Chicago would come back, and the Pacers would pull ahead again. With Rose staring at them, Danny Granger never felt safe.

"With Derrick Rose on the other team? No," Granger said. "With Derrick Rose on the other team, no. It's like a crazy stalker ex-girlfriend. Every time you tell her you don't want to talk to her, she'll show up at your door again."

Trailing 98-88 in the final period, the Bulls showed the resolve that carried them to a league-best 62-20 record, closing with a 16-1 run over the final 3:38.

Rose scored seven during the impressive finish, including a three-point play and a floater that tied it at 99 with 1:27 left. He then hit Korver with a cross-court pass for a 3 that gave the Bulls their first lead at 102-99.

Danny Granger then missed a 3 and Joakim Noah got the rebound. Rose eventually hit two free throws with 14.8 seconds remaining.

Game 2 in this best-of-7 series is Monday night at the United Center.

Rose again showed why he is an MVP favorite even though he was off target. He missed each of his nine 3-point attempts but made 19 of 21 at the foul line and finished with six rebounds and six assists.

Luol Deng added 18 points and Korver finished with 13, no shot bigger than that 3.

Rose said an open 3 is “like a layup” for Korver, who credited the dynamic point guard for finding him.

“Derrick made a great read,” Korver said. “If my man helps, he’s going to kick it out to me. If he doesn’t help, he’s going to drive into the lane. That’s why it’s set up that way.”

Granger led Indiana with 24 points, and Tyler Hansbrough shook off an elbow from Kurt Thomas to finish with 22. Darren Collison scored 17, but had just two in the second half, and the Pacers came up just short in their first playoff game in five years.

Heat 97, 76ers 89: Chris Bosh scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, LeBron James finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds, and host Miami held off a huge Philadelphia rally to beat the 76ers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

Dwyane Wade scored 17 for Miami, five of those points coming in the final 1:34.

Philadelphia held the Heat scoreless for 4:37 of the fourth quarter and scored 12 straight points to close to 88-87, but never got the lead in the final minutes. Thaddeus Young had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers.

Game 2 is Monday in Miami.

Hawks 103, Magic 93: Joe Johnson scored 25 points, Jamal Crawford finished with 23 and visiting Atlanta beat Orlando in Game 1 of their playoff series, overcoming a monster night by Magic star Dwight Howard.

Atlanta was eliminated by Orlando in last year’s playoffs in the most lopsided four-game sweep in NBA history, but this one was much different. The Hawks led by as many as 18 points while running multiple bodies at Howard all night, and the rest of the Magic failed to step up.

Howard tied a career high with 46 points, to go along with 19 rebounds. Jameer Nelson had 27 points but no other Orlando player reached double figures.

Game 2 is Tuesday night in Orlando.

Mavericks 89, Trail Blazers 81: Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter and host Dallas defeated Portland in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series.

Even though Nowitzki struggled from the field most of the night, he came through when the Mavericks needed him most.

Nowitzki scored 12 consecutive points in the game-turning spurt in the closing minutes when Dallas tied the game and eventually went ahead to stay.

Jason Kidd added 24 points, including a playoff career-best six 3-pointers.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points for Portland.

Soon after Portland had its largest lead (six points), the Mavericks got back within 72-70 when Nowitzki made two free throws with 4:49 left. His a 3-pointer with 3:40 left to put the Mavs ahead to stay.

Game 2 is Tuesday night at Dallas.