Jazz send Rockets packing
Tracy McGrady leaned over in front of his bench as time ran out, his hands on his knees as he absorbed one more playoff failure.
The young Utah Jazz, meanwhile, embraced one another and quietly celebrated after a 103-99 win over the Rockets last night in Houston that gave them their first playoff series victory since the days of John Stockton and Karl Malone.
Carlos Boozer had 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists in Game 7 for the Jazz, who became only the seventh team since 2001 to come back from a 2-0 deficit and win a series. They're also just the 19th visiting team to win in 97 Game 7s in playoff history.
McGrady had 29 points and 13 assists, but the seven-time All-Star fell to 0-6 in the playoffs. The Rockets blew a 2-0 lead for the second time in three seasons. They won twice in Dallas in 2005, then dropped the series in seven games.
The home team had won the previous six games in this series. but all the games at the
Pistons 95, Bulls 69 -- Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton each scored 20 points, leading Detroit to a rout over Chicago in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Auburn Hills, Mich.
The Pistons were aggressive on defense, clogging passing lanes with their feet and hands. They caused problems at the other end of the court, too, playing unselfishly to help five players score in double figures.
"In the championship year, we were locked in like this every night," Billups said. "I can remember it. It's been a while, but defensively, we were like this almost every night."
Chicago made less than one-third of its shots and turned the ball over 22 times.
