The Chicago Bulls beat Miami in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals 103-82. The Bulls are now undefeated in four games against Miami this season and would love to grab a commanding 2-0 series lead before the series moves to Florida.

The Bulls won by 21 points in Game 1 despite the fact that they were outshot 47.1 percent to 43.7 percent. They made up the shooting disparity by outrebounding Miami 45-33, and they had a 19-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. The Bulls outrebounded opponents by 5.74 per game, which was the highest in the league.

Bosh had 30 points on 12-for-18 shooting in Game 1, but he didn’t have much help. James had 15 points on 5-for-15 shooting and Wade scored 18 points on 7-for-17 shooting. It was the first time since December that neither of the All-Stars had at least 20 points in a game.

“We’ve been able to bounce back this year no matter if it’s been the regular season or the postseason,” James said. “Learn from mistakes in the previous game and then move on. We’ve done that. We’re looking forward to the challenge, we’re excited about tomorrow’s opportunity to be here and try to steal homecourt.”

NBA: Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls Game 2 by Realtime Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder needed seven games to get past the Memphis Grizzlies in the conference semifinals. One of the games featured three overtimes and they had to play an extra period in another. The lengthy series and extra periods would seemingly be a deterrent to most teams, but not so much for the Thunder.

“We have a young, energetic, athletic team that loves to play and wants to play every night,” coach Scott Brooks said. “We’re excited about being in the position that we are in. We’re not ‘just happy to be here’ and just ‘whatever happens happens.”

The Dallas Mavericks are back in the conference finals for the first time since advancing to the NBA finals in 2006. The Mavericks swept the Lakers in the first round thanks to strong defense and numerous scoring options. And of course, there was the solid play of Dirk Nowitzki. The seven-footer is averaging 26.5 points per game on 49.7 percent shooting in the playoffs and has been crucial to the Mavs’ success throughout the season.

Oklahoma City has its own superstar in Kevin Durant. Durant led the league in scoring in the regular season and has continued that trend into the playoffs. He had 39 points on 13-for25 shooting in Game 7 of the Thunder’s Game 7 win against the Grizzlies.

Shawn Marion will be tasked with guarding Durant, and he will likely get help from Nowitzki and others. Serge Ibaka will guard Nowitzki, with Kendrick Perkins, Nazr Mohammed, Durant, Nick Collison and James Harden among those that will help out.

NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks Game 1 by Realtime Sports

Oklahoma City and Memphis combined to score 256 points Monday in a triple overtime game that lasted nearly four hours. Oklahoma City prevailed 133-123 as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined to score 75 points.

Less than 48 hours later, the two teams were back in action for Game 5, and the Grizzlies looked like they hadn’t recovered from Game 4. The Thunder didn’t even need Durant and Westbrook for the fourth quarter as they blew out the Grizzlies 99-72 to take a 3-2 series lead. It is Oklahoma City’s first lead in the best-of-seven series.

Memphis shot a season-worst 36 percent Wednesday. But the Grizzlies are aware that it was more than just missed shots that cost them Game 5.

“Shots weren’t falling for us but you still have to come with great effort and we didn’t bring it at all,” guard Mike Conley said. “They outplayed us in every area of the game. I wish I could tell you why. It just wasn’t there.”

To avoid elimination, the Grizzlies will likely need a lot more out of Zach Randolph than what they got out of him in Game 5. The power forward, who is averaging 23.3 points and 11.1 rebounds in the playoffs, had just nine points and seven rebounds Wednesday.

NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies Game 6 by Realtime Sports

Jesse Litsch (3-2, 4.04) is coming off of his best start of the year as he only allowed one run and four hits while striking out 9 in 6 1/3 innings. He wasn’t as sharp when he played Boston on April 17, so it will be interesting to see if this good mojo follows him into this game. Carl Crawford, Boston outfielder, has extended his hitting streak to 10 games and is 5 for 13 with a home run off of Litsch. Jacoby Ellsbury is also riding a 19 game hitting streak, and is 6 for 11 with a homerun.

After winning on Tuesday night, Toronto’s victory was only it’s third in the last 10 games. Jose Bautista hit his 11th home run of the year, which has him tying for the Major League home run lead. He’s batting .425 over his last 13 games. It will be interesting to see how these teams end up playing against each other, so all eyes will be on Lackey to see if he can pull things together.

MLB: Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays Game 3 by Realtime Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates (18-17) beat the Dodgers 4-1 on Monday night with Neil Walker hitting a double in the decisive inning.  The last time that the Pirates were above .500 was back in 2004.  While this is a minor milestone, the Pirates are looking to get out of 18 straight losing seasons.

May has been good to the Pirates, with them going 6-2 and having an ERA of 1.03 of the last four games.  With Correia leading the rotation, he looks to bring his first win to the Pirates while at home.  In his last two years on the Padres he won 22 games but has had most of his success while on the road.

As for the Los Angeles Dodgers, they have lost 7 of their last 9, and have scored less than 2 runs, 6 different times.   They will look to some of their hitters to get them out of that hole.  Andre Ethier just had a 30 game hitting streak snapped but came back against the Pirates for a triple and two doubles.

The Dodgers will have Ted Lilly take the mound and see if he can bounce back from his dismal performance last Wednesday against Chicago.  He currently has struggled in his road starts and has a 6.75 ERA, going 0-1.

MLB: LA Dodgers at Pittsburgh Pirates by Realtime Sports

The Dallas Mavericks rallied in Game 1 Monday to pull off a 96-94 victory. The Mavericks trailed by 16 at one point in the game and by seven points entering the fourth quarter, but they outscored the Lakers 25-16 to steal the win and home court advantage.

Dirk Nowitzki had 11 of his 28 points in the final quarter, including two go-ahead free throws with 19.5 seconds left. The free throws gave Dallas its first lead of the second half. Nowitzki’s playoff average of 27.4 points per game is second only to Kevin Durant among all postseason players.

The Los Angeles Lakers had a couple of chances to pull off the victory in Game 1 even after blowing the 16-point lead. Bryant fell down under defensive pressure from Jason Kidd while trying to get the ball from Pau Gasol with 5 seconds to play, and he missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won the game.

Bryant finished Game 1 with 36 points on 14 for 29 shooting. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, who both scored 15 points, were the only other Lakers in double figures. Gasol also had 11 rebounds and Odom had 12 rebounds.

The Lakers claimed they aren’t planning a new defensive approach to stop Nowitzki despite his strong effort in Game 1. Gasol, Odom and Ron Artest will take turns guarding the 7-footer, and they will try to improve their rotation to prevent Nowitzki’s teammates from spreading the floor for open shots.

Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers Game 2 Preview by Realtime Sports

The last meeting between Dallas and Los Angeles was a contentious affair. Early in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks’ Jason Terry and Brendan Haywood and the Lakers’ Matt Barnes and Steve Blake were ejected after a shoving match under the basket. Shannon Brown was later ejected from a game that Los Angeles would eventually win 110-82.

Despite their contentious past, players from both the Lakers and the Mavericks have insisted that the postseason is too big for any thuggish, boorish behavior. Barnes said that he isn’t carrying anything over, and Haywood said that his team can’t get “suckered into any fake tough-guy stuff.”

A major concern for Los Angeles heading into the series is the status of Bryant’s sprained left ankle. He appeared to be okay in Games 5 and 6 of the Lakers’ first round playoff series with New Orleans, but head coach Phil Jackson worries about the effect of inactivity on Bryant’s sore joints.

Bryant is also a major concern for Dallas. The Mavericks aren’t buying any suggestion that the two-time NBA finals MVP isn’t at full strength, and they will spend much of this series trying to find a capable defender to contain him.

“(Shawn Marion) will be on him at times,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “Shawn is experienced. He’s played him a lot. (DeShawn) Stevenson has played him a lot. (Jason) Kidd has played him. We’ll have other guys ready. We’ll have the kitchen sink ready. He’s a great player and all that, but we’re focused on our own game.”

Los Angeles won the regular season series 2-1.

NBA: Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers Game 1 by Realtime Sports

San Antonio is trying to avoid being the fourth No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8 seed. In the process, the Spurs are also trying to become the ninth team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series.

The Spurs looked like they were on their way out before veteran Manu Ginobili and Neal made some clutch jumpers. Ginobili hit a long two-pointer with 2.2 seconds to pull the Spurs within one, and Neal made a 3-pointer as time expired to send the game into overtime.

Zach Randolph is ready to get back on the court and continue his dominant play. The Grizzlies forward had 18 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime in Game 5. He said that he barely slept after the loss.

As crushing a defeat as Game 5 was, Memphis doesn’t seem to be dwelling over it. Mike Conley said that after Wednesday’s loss, the Grizzlies “couldn’t wait to get back in front of the fans and put on a show for them and get a win.”

Conley, Randolph and the rest of the Grizzlies will be supported by an enthusiastic group of fans indeed. Tickets went on sale Thursday morning and sold out in less than an hour.

NBA: San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies by Realtime Sports

Miami was outscored 10-0 in the final 82 seconds of its 86-82 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday. The Heat also suffered through their worst shooting performance of the series so far, making only 38.5 percent of their field goals.

If the Heat win on Wednesday, they will advance to the second round to play the Boston Celtics. They lost the first three games to the Celtics in the regular season before routing them 100-77 in the final week of the season. Although a Celtics-Heat matchup is a dream scenario for many, the Heat are solely focused on Philadelphia.

“We’re talking about Philly right now,” Dwyane Wade said.

It took some gutsy plays for Philadelphia to steal Game 4. Jrue Holiday hit a 3-pointer in Wade’s face that brought the 76ers to within one. Less than 30 seconds later, Lou Williams hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 8.1 seconds left to send the sold out Philadelphia crowd into a frenzy.

Three of the 76ers’ starting five had never started a playoff game before this series began. Veteran Elton Brand said that the Sixers’ collective youth could be beneficial in the series at times. He said that the youth would allow young players to continue to play in intense situations such as the one they faced at the end of Game 4 before rallying for the victory.

NBA: Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat Game 5 by Realtime Sports

Indiana interim coach Frank Vogel believes his team can be proud of their effort in Games 1 and 2, but that they must not be satisfied if they want to remain competitive.

“We’ve just got to guard against everyone in the world telling us how happy they are that we’re hanging with them,” Vogel said. “We’re 0-2 against them.”

The Pacers held double-digit leads in both of the first two games, including a 10-point lead with less than four minutes to go in Game 1. They were unable to preserve them, however, as Bulls point guard Derrick Rose ended up being too much. They have also had difficulties rebounding the ball. Chicago outrebounded Indiana 49-3r in Game 1 and 57-33 in Game 2.

As has been the case in almost every win this season, the Chicago Bulls can thank Derrick Rose for their two victories. He is averaging 37.5 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the first two games.

The Bulls will have to play their next two games away from Chicago, where they led the league in attendance. The change of venue may not be much of a disadvantage for the Bulls, however, because Indiana was last in the league in attendance during the regular season and Indianapolis is just three hours away from Chicago

NBA: Chicago Bulls at Indiana Pacers by Realtime Sports