And then we started playing our best basketball at the end of the season, after that losing streak.” Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at [email protected] ...

The Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves emerged victorious in Game 1s on Saturday.

The No. 1 through No. 8 seeds in each conference will play in the first round of the NBA playoffs, which start Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20 with Game 1 of each series.Start the day smarter.