CHICAGO (AP) -- Derrick Rose fell to the floor, clutching his left knee. His season is over and the Bulls' title hopes just might be finished, too.
Rose will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee late in Chicago's 103-91 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Saturday's playoff opener, casting big cloud over a team eyeing a championship run.
He scored 23 points and was playing more like the league's reigning MVP after missing 27 games because of injuries during the regular season, but his injury-plagued season came to an end as the Bulls were wrapping up an impressive victory.
Rose crumbled to the ground after he drove the lane with about 1:20 left and the Bulls leading by 12. He was going for a layup when he came to a jump-stop and seemed to change his mind as the 76ers' Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen rotated over, passing off to a teammate before an awkward landing.
Team medical personnel immediately rushed out and tended to Rose for several minutes as he was writhing in pain near the baseline before helping him to the locker room. Rose was taken to the hospital, and the results of the MRI were not good.
Whether Rose should have been in the game at that point figures to be debated for a long time around Chicago. He checked back in with just under eight minutes left and the lead got as high as 20 shortly after that before the Sixers chipped away at it.
With Philadelphia making a push, coach Tom Thibodeau decided to stay with Rose.
"I don't work backward like you guys do," Thibodeau said. "The score was going the other way."
Veteran guard Richard Hamilton defended the decision, saying, "Philly was making a run. In playoff basketball, you never want to give a team confidence. ... When you have a team down, you have to try to keep them down. They made a little run so we needed guys that could put the ball in the basket."
Sixers coach Doug Collins also had Thibodeau's back.
"He knows what he's doing coaching his team," Collins said. "Thibs is my buddy. I have the ultimate respect for him. From his standpoint he wanted to finish that game for what he did. It's awful that Derrick got hurt."
Losing Rose is obviously a huge blow for a team that made the conference finals last year and captured the top overall seed for the second straight season.
He was finally performing more like the reigning MVP after being out of the lineup so often during the regular season with various injuries and mostly struggling the few times he did play late in the regular season.
Heat 100, Knicks 67
MIAMI (AP) -- LeBron James took the fourth quarter off. And Miami's postseason got off to a flying start.
James scored 32 points after shooting 10 for 14 from the field, Dwyane Wade added 19 points in his first game back after dislocating his left index finger and the Heat rode the strength of a 32-2 run to easily beat the New York Knicks 100-67 in Game 1 of the teams' Eastern Conference first-round series on Saturday.
It was physical, it was heated -- and it was one-sided, too.
Mario Chalmers added 11 points and nine assists for Miami, which turned 27 New York turnovers into a franchise playoff-record 38 points. The Knicks were called for 21 fouls in the first half, Miami enjoying a 28-5 advantage in free throws attempted in the first 24 minutes alone, and center Tyson Chandler sent James flying with what was called a flagrant foul as the Heat were blowing the game open in the first half.
J.R. Smith scored 17 for the Knicks, who lost Iman Shumpert to a knee injury and have dropped 11 straight playoff games dating back to 2001. Carmelo Anthony missed 12 of 15 shots and finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Baron Davis added 10 points for New York.
It was the worst playoff loss for the Knicks since a 126-85 defeat at Chicago on April 25, 1991.
Magic 81, Pacers 77
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Don't count the Orlando Magic out just yet.
Jason Richardson and Jameer Nelson scored 17 points apiece to help sixth-seeded Orlando, playing without Dwight Howard, surprise the third-seeded Indiana Pacers 81-77 in Game 1 of the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series on Saturday night.
Howard, the Magic's leading scorer and the league's top rebounder, will miss the rest of the season after having back surgery. The Magic played defense Howard would have been proud of down the stretch, overcoming a seven-point deficit by holding the Pacers scoreless for the final 4:05.
David West scored 19 points, Danny Granger added 17 and Roy Hibbert had eight points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks for the Pacers. Granger traveled with 7.5 seconds left and the Pacers trailing by three.
Orlando took a 68-67 lead on a dunk by Earl Clark with 9:41 remaining, but the Pacers held the Magic scoreless for nearly five minutes to take a 75-68 lead.
A 3-pointer by Richardson cut Indiana's lead to 77-75. The Pacers missed 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions, and Granger missed two free throws with 1:14 left. Richardson made another 3-pointer to give the Magic a 78-77 lead with 1:04 to play.
Granger missed in close, and Orlando snagged the rebound. Nelson was fouled and made two free throws with 24.5 seconds left to take an 80-77 lead.
Darren Collison missed a shot from near the free throw line, and Orlando rebounded. Clark missed two free throws with 12.1 seconds remaining, giving Indiana one more chance. Indiana barely got the ball inbounds, then Granger traveled.
Indiana coach Frank Vogel expected Orlando's offensive style, which focuses on spacing the floor and shooting 3-pointers, to present a challenge. Orlando led the league in 3-pointers made and attempted during the regular season and was third in percentage (.375).
He was right.
Orlando fell behind by 10 in the first quarter before rallying in the second. A 3-pointer by Richardson gave Orlando a 43-40 lead, and the Magic increased that lead to 49-42 on a bucket by Nelson. The Magic led 51-44 at halftime, taking the air out of a crowd that showed up with high expectations. The Pacers made numerous atypical mistakes; among them, shooting just 9 for 15 from the free throw line.
Indiana opened the second half on an 8-2 run that included a 3-pointer and a fadeaway by Granger. George Hill was fouled on a 3-pointer, and he made all three free throws to finally give Indiana a 58-57 edge and bring the crowd back into the game.
Ryan Anderson's 3-pointer in the final minute of the quarter, his first of the game, gave the Magic a 64-63 lead at the end of period. Indiana held Orlando to 13 points on 6-for-19 shooting in the period, but couldn't support its good defense with offensive production in the fourth.
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Notes: Indiana G Leandro Barbosa, who was nursing a sprained left ankle, finished with three points in 20 minutes. ... Orlando forward Hedo Turkoglu wore a mask during the game. ... Vogel was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for April. ... Collison, who recently lost his starting job, played most of the fourth quarter ... Orlando shot 33 percent in the first quarter. ... Magic assistant Patrick Ewing had a walking boot on his left foot because of an infection.
